Quick and easy to make, these hearty sourdough breakfast cookies are ideal for breakfast or a snack on the go. Prep a jar on Sunday and have grab-and-go breakfasts ready all week.
Made with sourdough starter, rolled oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruit, and lightly sweetened with brown sugar and honey, these cookies are nutritious and satisfying. They work well for the whole family and can be customized with whatever you have in the pantry.
If you enjoy sourdough breakfasts, try variations like sourdough breakfast oatmeal cups, morning glory muffins, no-wait sourdough waffles or fluffy sourdough discard pancakes. For a cookie twist, try sourdough oatmeal raisin cookies.
Why You’ll Love These Sourdough Breakfast Cookies
Full of wholesome ingredients – these cookies combine sourdough starter with rolled oats, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, brown sugar and honey for a filling breakfast that keeps you going.
Easy to prep ahead – despite the many ingredients, the recipe comes together quickly. Mix everything and portion into balls for baking now or store the dough in the fridge for later. They’re perfect to prepare on a weekend for busy weekdays.
Flexible and pantry-friendly – the recipe adapts to what you have. Swap seeds, nuts and dried fruit to use up pantry bits. These cookies are a great way to use sourdough discard or active starter.
Ingredients
- 110 g Butter – softened at room temperature (salted or unsalted).
- 65 g Brown sugar.
- 30 g Honey – can substitute maple syrup.
- 100 g Sourdough starter – active or discard.
- 5 g Vanilla extract (about 1 tsp).
- 1 Large egg.
- 150 g All-purpose flour – can be replaced with whole wheat if preferred.
- 5 g Baking soda.
- 5 g Baking powder.
- 2 g Salt – a pinch.
- 85 g Rolled oats – use traditional rolled oats for best texture.
- 20 g Desiccated coconut – unsweetened (shredded works too).
- 15 g Chia seeds (or seeds of choice).
- 15 g Flax seeds (or seeds of choice).
- 100 g Dried fruit – raisins, apricots, cranberries, cherries, or your mix of choice.
- 100 g Chopped nuts – pecans, walnuts, almonds or macadamia, or a mix.
How To Make Sourdough Breakfast Cookies
These cookies are simple to prepare and very forgiving. The following method makes eight large, jumbo-style cookies (about 100 g each), but you can portion them smaller if you prefer more servings.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, cream the softened butter with brown sugar and honey. For a quick recipe you can do this with a fork; an electric mixer works equally well.
Add the sourdough starter and whisk until combined, then add the egg and vanilla and mix to incorporate.
Add the dry ingredients on top of the wet mixture: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, oats, desiccated coconut, chia and flax seeds, dried fruit and chopped nuts. Fold together with a spatula until just combined — avoid overmixing.
Form the dough into eight large balls (about 100 g each) using your hands or a cookie scoop, and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten gently with the back of a spoon. If you prefer smaller cookies, divide the dough accordingly and reduce baking time.
Optional fermentation: cover and refrigerate the mixed dough for up to 2 days to allow some sourdough fermentation. This can deepen flavor and digestibility, but you can also bake immediately.
Bake at 190°C (375°F) for about 30 minutes for jumbo cookies. Smaller cookies will need less time. Remove when just golden; they will be soft from the oven and will crisp as they cool. Let cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
How To Store + Freeze
Store cooled cookies in a tin or glass jar at room temperature for up to one week. Glass or metal containers preserve crisp edges better than plastic. For grab-and-go breakfasts, wrap individual cookies in parchment and place them in an airtight container.
Freeze cookie dough portions (100 g each) for baking later. Bake from frozen and add a few minutes to the baking time for best results.
Sourdough Breakfast Cookies
Giant sourdough breakfast cookies packed with seeds, nuts and dried fruit. Uses 100 g sourdough starter and yields 8 jumbo cookies. Prep time: 20 mins. Cook time: 30 mins. Total time: 50 mins. Servings: 8 cookies.
Instructions (Quick Reference)
- Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Cream butter, brown sugar and honey. Add sourdough starter, then egg and vanilla.
- Fold in flour, leavening, salt, oats, coconut, seeds, dried fruit and nuts until just combined.
- Portion into balls (about 100 g each), place on tray and flatten slightly.
- Bake ~30 minutes for large cookies. Cool on tray 10 minutes, then finish cooling on a rack.
Notes
- Ingredient swaps: Use maple syrup instead of honey, whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose, and any combination of seeds, nuts and dried fruit to suit your pantry.
- Fermentation: Dough can be refrigerated up to 2 days before baking to develop flavor.
- Portions: Make smaller cookies for more portions and shorter bake time; jumbo cookies make a convenient single-serve breakfast.
Nutrition (per cookie, approximate)
Calories: 419 kcal; Carbohydrates: 47 g; Protein: 8 g; Fat: 24 g; Fiber: 5 g. Nutrition information is an approximation.
