Sourdough Maple Walnut Cookies
Maple walnut cookies are tender soft cookies studded with walnut pieces and topped with a delicious maple icing. Made with sourdough discard, these cookies are fun and easy!
I love using my sourdough discard in dessert recipes! The discard not only helps add a subtle hint of tang to the recipe to deepen the flavors, but the wild yeast also helps improve the texture of the recipe.
Using discard in desserts is probably my favorite way to use my starter. Sorry bread, but sourdough brownies always win! Or sourdough muffins – those are always a favorite of mine, too!
These maple walnut cookies are a fall favorite! Tender, delicate cookies are studded with walnut pieces and drizzled with a maple icing.
They are soft but not cake like. They have a great texture that’s softer than traditional shortbread. They hold their shape beautifully but are tender when bitten into—neither crunchy nor crumbly, offering a gentle softness without being cakey.
If you don’t have a sourdough starter yet and want one, my post on how to make a sourdough starter is broken down into the exact steps day by day you need to know, and I also have a guide on using sourdough for beginners that you should check out as well.
This recipe is simple to make! For the full set of directions, please scroll down to the recipe card below. This is just a general overview on how to make it to help you plan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars on medium low speed until light and fluffy.
- Add in the sourdough starter, vanilla extract and maple extract and mix until just combined.
- Add in the flour, salt, and walnuts and mix.
- Place a large sheet of plastic wrap on the counter and place the dough in a line down the center. use the plastic wrap to roll/squeeze the dough into a log about 1.5″ wide. Rolling it like you are making a play dough worm helps!
- Wrap the dough well in the plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill.
- Preheat oven to 350 F and prepare two baking sheets.
- Unwrap the chilled dough and use a knife to cut 1/4″ thick slices of dough.
- Place the slices 2″ apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just starting to turn golden and the tops are firm.
- Allow to cool 10 minutes on the pan before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- When the cookies are cool, mix together the ingredients for the icing until smooth and drizzle over the cookies.
Cookie storage information
These cookies will do best when stored in a covered container for up to 3 days. The icing will get softer the longer it sits. You can also freeze these cookies unfrosted for up to 6 months.
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Sourdough Maple Walnut Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sourdough starter discard room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon maple extract
- 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup roughly chopped walnuts
Maple Icing
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium low speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.1 cup unsalted butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Add in the sourdough starter, vanilla extract and maple extract and mix until combined.1/2 cup sourdough starter discard, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
- Add in the flour, salt, and walnuts and mix.2 1/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts
- Place a large sheet of plastic wrap on the counter and place the dough in a line down the center.
- Use the plastic wrap to roll/squeeze the dough into a log about 1.5″ wide. (Rolling it like you are making a play dough worm helps!)
- Wrap the dough well in the plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Prepare two baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
- Unwrap the chilled dough and use a knife to cut 1/4″ thick slices of dough.
- Place the slices 2″ apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just starting to turn golden and the tops are firm.
- Allow to cool 10 minutes on the pan before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- When the cookies are cool, mix together the ingredients for the icing until smooth and drizzle over the cookies.3/4 cup powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon water
- Allow the cookies to sit on the wire rack for at least 30 minutes to allow the icing to set.
We made a stacked cookie Christmas tree with this recipe and it was the hit of the party! very simply decorated surrounded by simple “cut from the roll” as in the recipe and so delicious, crunchy and nutty! one of my friends described them as Crack because she couldn’t stop eating them!!
Thanks so much for this kind comment, Sally! I love hearing that! 🙂
This is your sign to make these cookies! They are the perfect texture and the maple taste is just right!