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About a month ago, I revived my sourdough starter after it had sat dormant in my fridge for over a year! (I think I had tried feeding it once or twice during that time, but I basically took a year off sourdough baking). The time off was necessary– we also took the summer off from gardening– but it’s been a great reminder that it’s more than okay to cut back and do less when you need to. After a period of rest, recovery, or whatever you’ve needed, you’ll have the capacity to pick things back up again if desired.

Now that I have an active and thriving starter again, I’ve resumed my regular sourdough baking rhythm. Most weeks, I batch bake 4-5 loaves at once for us to enjoy during the week. For the longest time, I didn’t think that sourdough baking would fit into my already full schedule, but that’s because I was making my decision based on other people’s rhythms instead of creating my own. Once I realized that I really only needed to commit one evening and the following morning to baking, I was able to make sourdough a regular part of my kitchen routine.

Fresh sourdough baking means a supply of sourdough discard (the “leftover” starter that you don’t feed). I’ve always enjoyed using discard for things like pancakes and waffles, but I want to explore more ways to use discard in other ways too.

Starting with chocolate, chocolate sourdough discard cookies! SO GOOD.

These cookies are like many of my favorite things in this season of life:

They can be made in about thirty minutes.

I don’t have to use a lot of dishes or pull out equipment to make them.

One batch will leave us with leftovers.

I can teach my kids how to make them for me us.

With double the chocolate flavor and a sprinkle of coarse salt on top, chocolate sourdough discard cookies will absolutely be in my regular rotation at home! (Truth be told, most likely made at night to satisfy my late-night sweet tooth).

It doesn’t get much easier than this recipe, but there are a few best practices when it comes to cookie baking.

• Start with the butter at the right temperature. As annoying as this can be, it really is essential for cookies to bake properly. For these cookies, you want butter that has been sitting out long enough to be completely softened without melting.
• Cream your butter and sugar together first, then add your remaining wet ingredients. By starting with these ingredients, you can use more speed to get the ingredients thoroughly incorporated before adding dry ingredients. (In this recipe, you can do this easily just in a bowl with a whisk).
• Use the right sugar(s). Different sugars have different structures and water content, so swapping sugar out in cookie recipes isn’t always advisable. Different sugars can make your cookies more or less chewy, change the overall flavor, or make them spread too much.
• Stir gently (and not too much) after adding your flour. Once it’s time to add the dry ingredients, you want to take care not to overmix your dough or stir longer than necessary, which can lead to excess gluten development and tough baked goods.
• Bake at an accurate oven temperature. If you notice that your baked goods aren’t turning out quite right, or with consistent results, your oven temperature could be off. Consider getting an inexpensive oven thermometer to hang in your oven so you can determine if the temperature is too high or too low.
• Ingredients matter. While it’s not often a deal-breaker, the better quality ingredients you use– especially for key ingredients like butter, flour, and chocolate– will yield noticeably tastier results.

The final tip specific to this recipe is that the consistency of people’s sourdough discard can vary a bit. So, you may need to add a splash of milk or water to thin the batter out a bit if yours tends thicker than mine.

FAVORITE SOURDOUGH RESOURCES/TOOLS:

1. Artisan Sourdough Made Simple
2. Dough Whisk
3. Lame for Scoring
4. Lodge Double Baker
5. Flour Sack Towels
6. Bench Scraper

Chocolate Sourdough Discard Cookies

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• Author: Lisa

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Double the chocolate with these delicious sourdough discard cookies! Super easy to make in just one bowl, you’ll be coming back for them again and again!

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Ingredients

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sourdough discard*
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa or cacao powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• kosher or flaky salt for finishing

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Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or grease).

2. Whisk together the butter and sugar, adding in the egg and vanilla after the butter and sugar are just incorporated. When this mixture is smooth and consistent, gently stir in the sourdough discard.

3. Add the dry ingredients (flour, cacao/cocoa, salt, and baking soda) and continue to stir gently, folding and mixing until few dry streaks remain. Add the chocolate morsels and mix until the cookie batter is uniform.

4. Drop rounded balls of cookie batter onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes in preheated oven. After the baking time is complete, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack or serving board and sprinkle lightly with finishing salt.

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Notes

*depending on how thick/thin your discard is, you may need to add a tablespoon of milk or water to get the right cookie batter consistency

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The links below may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small compensation at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here. 

I love the traditions around this time of year. I love the anticipation and expectancy that comes with tradition. There’s comfort in doing the same things every year, hanging the same stockings, listening to the same favorite holiday albums, and baking the same cookies for family and friends.

I have so many great memories from my childhood Christmases– driving around to look at lights, shaking presents and always figuring out what they were, listening to a medley of Kenny G and Charlie Brown and Martina McBride, and always, ALWAYS making these frosted tea cakes.

In our house they were called Christmas cookies. We made them every year without fail. For ourselves, stacked on plates for our neighbors, and packed up in holiday tins for family members. My mom always made sure we made enough to share with everyone who would want some.

Christmas cookie baking days were some of my favorite because we were together around the table. (I mean, I’m sure it was also a favorite because of cookie dough and icing, but being together was just as important). It was a special tradition and one I am very thankful I can carry on each year with my own kids.

Frosted Tea Cakes

Not only are these cookies a fun tradition, but they’re also insanely good. Seriously, they always get so many compliments! The tea cakes are soft and tender and the cream cheese frosting pairs perfectly with them.

You can make them in big batches, freeze the dough, freeze the cookies, color the icing or leave it white, add sprinkles or leave them off. Lots of options here.

PRO-TIPS :: 

• Let the dough chill for 30 minutes before rolling into balls and baking. It will make the dough less sticky.
• Use silpat mats for easy cookie transfers and easy swaps for new batches.
• These corrugated baking sheets from Williams-Sonoma are my favorite!
• Use bakings sheets or another rimmed container for sprinkling so the excess sprinkles can be collected and used
• Use parchment paper to spread out the cookies. They will need time to cool, then time for the icing to set before being stacked or transferred to a container
• If you prefer to use a natural food color, this one turns out with really pretty colors!
• Give kids jobs according to age. The littlest helpers make the best sprinklers…

MORE HOLIDAY TREATS ::

• Dulce de leche without canned milk & Butter Cookies 
• Date Pecan Squares
• White Chocolate Fudge Bites
• Italian Icebox Cookies
• Russian Tea Cakes
• Best Old Fashioned Pound Cake

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Frosted Tea Cakes

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life
• Category: cookie

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These frosted tea cakes are so simple to whip together in a stand mixer and such fun cookies to decorate together as family! You’ll be amazed at how tasty these soft cookies are, topped with a sweet cream cheese icing. Make a batch to eat and a batch to share with friends! 

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Ingredients

Cookies

• 1 C butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 C all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Icing

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 C powdered sugar

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Instructions

1. Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed for two to three minutes until well-incorporated and light. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the vanilla. With the mixer on low, add the baking soda and salt. Slowly add the flour. Mix until all the dry ingredients are incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.

2. Cover mixing bowl and refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°.

3. Roll a rounded tablespoon of dough into a ball and place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Flatten slightly.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes until the bottoms of the cookies begin to darken. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Repeat rolling, flattening, and baking the remaining dough.

5. Make the icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the cream cheese on medium speed. Turn the speed down to low and slowly add the powdered sugar. (Taste the icing and adjust the amount of powdered sugar based on desired sweetness).  Once the powdered sugar is added, return the speed to medium and blend until the icing is smooth and creamy. If you want colored icing, divide the icing into bowls and add food coloring.

6. Once the cookies are cooled, ice the cookies. If you want sprinkles, add the sprinkles right away while the icing is wet. The icing will harden after a few hours.

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The post Frosted Tea Cakes appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.

The links below may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small compensation at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here. 

Last week we went to the zoo for the first time this year. The weather was amazing and we had a friend’s birthday to celebrate.

I volunteered to bring cupcakes– not because I am good at making cupcakes, actually quite the opposite. My cupcakes are meh. They taste okay and look like a kindergartener decorated them.

While thinking about how to make the cupcake process easier and more portable, I had a genius idea. Skip the finicky cake part and use cookie dough. Then, instead of making a frosting with multiple ingredients, order a Prime delivery from Whole Foods to get a couple cans of whipped cream and a container or sprinkles. 

EASY AND DELICIOUS!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes: Easy Cupcake Hack!

The cookie dough is super easy to make. It’s actually a simplified version of our favorite chocolate chip cookies from America’s Test Kitchen. (Similar to this Ultimate Skillet Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie).

I added an extra egg for lift (these are cupcakes after all), and skipped using two different sugars. Instead, the recipe calls for granulated sugar and molasses. Which, if you didn’t already know, is how you make brown sugar.

The cookie dough uses melted butter– an ingredient I can get behind because it requires no planning ahead and taking out butter to soften. No worrying about whether or not the butter is the right temp. Just melt it and you’re good to go.

I also HIGHLY RECOMMEND these parchment muffin liners. I absolutely hate washing muffin pans. I don’t know why I feel so strongly about this, but using muffin liners is a must for me. And parchment is 100% the way to go for muffin liners because unlike paper liners, they never stick to the muffin/cupcake/cookie.

If your cookie cupcakes fall slightly in the middle, no stress. That’s what the whipped cream is for. About a quarter of my cookies fell a little. There were, however, zero complaints.

Another bonus fact about these cookie cupcakes is how portable they are. Since they don’t get topped until just before eating, you don’t need to worry about the icing getting smooshed or falling. I tucked the cookie cupcakes into a hard plastic storage container and packed them along with our picnic lunch for our trip to the zoo.

I can see us enjoying these cookie cupcakes with friends all spring and summer long! If you make them, I’d love to see! Tag me on social media, and/or come back and leave a comment! I love hearing about how you enjoy these recipes.

SHOP THIS POST :: 

• parchment muffin liners
• molasses
• real dairy whipped cream
• Artificial dye-free rainbow sprinkles 

MORE LIKE THIS :: 

• Ultimate Skillet Dark Chocolate Cookie
• Healthy Grab & Go Picnic Food
• Summer Mom Hacks & Summer Essentials 

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

• Author: Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 24 cupcakes

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Description

These chocolate chip cookie cupcakes are a breeze to make and ridiculously simple with their whipped cream topping and sprinkles. It makes a great cupcake hack for a sweet snack to enjoy with friends or a simple birthday party treat! 

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp molasses
• 1 cup (2 sticks, 16 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Melt the butter over medium-low heat on the stovetop, (or alternately in a microwave). Whisk together the sugar and molasses in a medium mixing bowl until the mixture resembles brown sugar. Pour in the melted butter, then whisk to combine. Add the eggs and vanilla, whisk again until the ingredients are all well-incorporated.
3. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt into the butter/sugar mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add the chocolate chips and stir to incorporate.
4. Line 2 12-cup muffin pans with parchment muffin liners (or grease the cups). Distribute the cookie batter into the muffin cups so that each cup is 2/3 full.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes (check after 15 minutes), until the cookies are cooked through, but still soft.
6. Let the cookies cool for 5-10 minutes in the pans, then transfer them to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
7. Top cookie cupcakes with whipped cream and sprinkles.

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The post Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes: Easy Cupcake Hack! appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.