Sourdough Salted Caramel Cashew Cookies
Chewy sourdough discard cookies studded with caramel pieces and chopped cashews are the salty sweet treat you have been craving!
Salty and sweet is such a fun flavor combination, and when combined together with flakey salt in these cookies, its pretty much amazing.
These cookies are chewy and soft and so flavorful!
Adding sourdough discard to cookie recipes is one of my absolute favorite ways to use leftover starter. Ok, I will be honest – I don’t count discard as “leftover” when I specifically create it in order to make more cookies. Because cookies with sourdough are AMAZING.
Typically cookies are not made with yeast, but the sourdough here not only improves the texture of the cookies but it also gives just a little extra “something something” to the flavor of the recipe.
If you haven’t tried them yet, you have got to try my sourdough pumpkin spice cookies (they are made with brown butter and ooooh my gosh so delicious!!!) or my sourdough snickerdoodle cookies.
A brief overview of this recipe
To help you understand how to make this recipe, here is a brief overview! For the full set of directions, please make sure you scroll down to the recipe card below.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
- Add in the eggs, discard, and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until well combined, about 3 minutes.
- Add in the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and stir until just barely combined.
- Mix in the caramel bits and chopped cashews until just mixed through.
- Chill the dough for 1 hour to help prevent cakiness due to the yeast in the starter.
- Preheat the oven to 325 F and line two baking sheets with either parchment paper or a silpat mat.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop 2 Tablespoons worth of dough onto the prepared sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes, until just set on top and just starting to turn golden around the edges.
- Immediately sprinkle with flakey sea salt (affiliate link).
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
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.
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 Salted Caramel Cashew Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup caramel bits
- 1 cup chopped cashews roasted and unsalted
- 1 Tablespoon flakey sea salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and the sugars together until fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
- Add in the eggs one at a time.
- Mix in the starter and vanilla extract and mix until well combined, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix until just barely combined.
- Stir in the caramel bits and chopped cashews
- Chill the dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 325 and prepare two rimmed baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
- Scoop into 2 Tablespoon sized balls and place on the baking sheets about 2″ apart.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until starting to turn golden brown around the edges.
- Immediately sprinkle with flakey salt.
- Cool on the pan 5 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
