These cookies are soft, lightly spiced, and sweet without being cloying. They also are a tad on the addictive side, so be forewarned. The sourdough starter/discard in the cookies gives them more flavor, almost as if you added a bit of beer to the batter. A touch of molasses and bits of crystalized ginger also give the cookies a boost. Although the sourdough discard provides some lift to the cookies, I include baking soda in the recipe, which gives the cookies a few nice cracks on top and keeps the cookies from being too "cakey." Although I use my air fryer to make the cookies (in small batches, refrigerating the remaining dough for later, so I don't eat all the cookies at once), you can also bake the treats in the regular oven. Just bake the dough at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. The cookies are great with a cup of tea, coffee, or milk, and they make nice accompaniments to fruit and ice cream. Enjoy!
Sourdough Ginger-Spice Cookies -- Makes About 18
1/2 cup of sourdough discard/starter
1/3 cup of canola oil
1 large egg
1/3 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of molasses
3/4 cup of white whole-wheat flour (or regular whole-wheat)
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of ginger
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of allspice
3-4 tablespoons of chopped crystallized ginger
Sugar to sprinkle
In a large bowl combine the discard/starter, oil, egg, sugars, vanilla, and molasses and beat them together well. Add the flours, baking soda, salt, and spices and stir them into the wet ingredients until a soft dough (close to a batter) forms. Stir in the crystallized ginger. Drop 1 1/2 tablespoon scoops of dough onto sheets of parchment paper, leaving at least an inch and a half between the dough mounds. Sprinkle the top of the dough mounds with a little sugar. Air fry the dough at 320 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until just set and lightly browned. Repeat the cooking process with the remaining dough. Alternatively, bake the dough at 350 degrees in a regular oven for about 15 minutes.
