Mimi's Organic Eats » Recipes » Christmas » Eggless Sourdough Molasses Cookies
Eggless Sourdough Molasses Cookies
Winter • Cookies • No Seed Oils • Eggless • Sourdough • High Altitude • Fall • Christmas | Published December 10, 2022 by Mimi Council
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Soft, chewy, and no eggs needed to make these Eggless Sourdough Molasses Cookies! I use Chinese Five Spice in this molasses cookie recipe, which gives these holiday cookies a little something special, and they'll have you wanting more!
If you are looking for other holiday cookie recipes, try my Frosted Gingerbread Cookies, Lemon Ginger Molasses Cookies, or my Cranberry Orange Thumbprints.

Table of Contents
I am sharing another recipe that I created with my friend Hannah at Make It Dough. If you checked out my Lemon Rosemary Sourdough post, then you know she recently gave me some starter and I have been baking bread and all kinds of things!
So, if you have a starter that means you have tons of sourdough discard and you should definitely make these sourdough holiday cookies! These Eggless Sourdough Molasses Cookies are soft and chewy with a little bit of a crispy outer edge – just like everyone loves! So, if you are wondering does molasses make cookies chewy, it definitely does!
Hannah and I have been obsessed with this recipe. Soft, chewy, rich molasses flavor, and lightly spiced. These sourdough holiday cookies use my all time favorite holiday spice – Chinese Five Spice! I love using this around the holidays as it's one ingredient with all the cozy vibes. My grandma used to share cookies made with Chinese Five Spice around Christmas and it will forever make me believe that this is the ultimate holiday spice! I can't wait for you to try these incredibly delicious sourdough molasses cookies!


Why You'll Love This Recipe
Chinese Five Spice: I use my secret ingredient – Chinese Five Spice in this recipe to create warm and cozy sourdough molasses cookies that just taste like Christmas in your mouth!
Rich & Sweet: I use molasses in these cookies along with dark brown sugar (which is totally crucial, people, don’t be lazy and substitute for light brown!). You really want that rich flavor in this recipe. This combination creates a dark, rich, and sweet cookie.
Eggless: I take this recipe for sourdough holiday cookies one step further and they don’t require eggs! Eggs are incredibly expensive right now and many places are out of stock, which can be stressful when you are trying to bake holiday cookies! But do not worry, this recipe for Eggless Sourdough Molasses Cookies will fill that need to bake – no eggs needed! And make sure to check out my new book, Effortless Eggless Baking!

Ingredients
- Butter: I use Organic Valley Salted Butter, which is my fave. Just be sure to use a high quality butter you like.
- Cane Sugar: I always use Costco Kirkland Organic Cane Sugar around the holidays when I'm baking in bulk! Costco has great organic sugar and it's a really good price.
- Dark Brown Sugar: I use my Organic Homemade Dark Brown Sugar, but store bought also works. Using dark brown sugar really gives these cookies so much of their flavor!
- Blackstrap Molasses: I use Wholesome Organic Blackstrap Molasses. Check out my post Difference In Molasses and Blackstrap Molasses if you want to learn more about molasses.
- Vanilla Extract: Simply Organic Vanilla Extract
- Sourdough Discard: You can use your sourdough discard straight from the fridge. If you don't have sourdough discard you can still make this recipe. Just use a 1:1 ratio of all purpose flour and water. So, for this recipe it would be 28 grams all purpose flour and 28 grams water. Mix it up and use that in place of sourdough discard.
- All Purpose Flour: Cairnspring Mills Organic All Purpose Flour
- Chinese Five Spice: Frontier Co-Op Organic Chinese Five Spice
- Baking Soda: I use baking soda because these are cookies with an acid (brown sugar). Check out my post the Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder for more info on leavening agents.
- Salt: Make sure to use a fine sea salt.

Tools Needed
- Scale: Always use a digital food scale for the best results.
- Stand Mixer: I use my stand mixer for ease, but you can also use a hand mixer or even make these by hand with a mixing bowl and spatula.
- Baking Sheets: You'll need two half sheet pans to bake the cookies.
- Parchment Paper: I always use Kana nontoxic parchment paper for ease and I think cookies bake best with it!
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Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Line one baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2
To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, dark brown sugar, molasses, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined, then speed mixer up to medium and continue to cream the butter mixture for 5 minutes, until it is noticeably lighter in color. Add the sourdough discard, flour, Chinese five spice, baking soda, and salt in that order. Mix on low until combined into a stiff dough.
Step 3
To make the topping: Add the cane sugar to a small bowl.
Step 4
Using your hands, or a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, form or scoop the dough into 22 balls and roll them in the cane sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
Step 5
Refrigerate the baking sheet for at least 1 hour, or you can refrigerate overnight. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 6
Transfer half the cookie dough balls onto the second baking sheet, and space them all at least 1-inch apart.
Step 7
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies look puffed and dry around the edges. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheets. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).

Baker's Tips
- It's always best to use a digital food scale whenever measuring as it's much more accurate.
- Make sure your butter is soft.
- You can use sourdough discard straight from the fridge.
- If you don't have Chinese Five Spice, get some! Kidding, but also not. Allspice is similar and would be delicious in this recipe too if you have that in your pantry.
- Be sure to store these in an airtight container so they stay soft and chewy.

FAQ's
Yes, molasses makes cookies chewy which is one of the things I love about it. Molasses also provides a rich and dark flavor, and when combined with butter, sugar, and flour it makes the best chewy holiday cookies!
Absolutely not! If you are like me and hate cookie scooping, feel free to roll these into balls with your hands. This recipe uses a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, but you can just as easily use your hands and roll them into balls before rolling in the sugar. You could even use a 1 ½ tablespoon measuring spoon if you have one!
It can be difficult to tell when molasses cookies are done because they are already dark. So, using the standard visual cues like golden brown edges or bottoms, doesn’t really apply here. When checking if molasses cookies are done, you want to look at the center of the cookie and see if it looks set – that means dry, and not gooey. Second, you want to look at the outer edges, they should also look somewhat dry as well.
You can still make these Eggless Sourdough Molasses Cookies, even if you don’t have a sourdough starter. Hannah taught me that starter is just equal parts water and flour. So, if you don’t have starter, and would like to make these cookies, then add 1/4 cup and 57 grams organic all purpose flour to a bowl and mix it together. Use this as the starter that this recipe calls for!
These sourdough holiday cookies are soft and chewy, so they need to be stored in an airtight container. This can be a Tupperware, zip bag, or cookie jar that is airtight. You can also freeze them for up to 1 month.

Craving More?
- Spiced Cranberry Snack Cake
- Homemade Dark Brown Sugar
- Difference In Molasses and Blackstrap Molasses
- Lemon Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Frosted Gingerbread Baked Donuts

Eggless Sourdough Molasses Cookies
Mimi CouncilIngredients
Dough
- 113 grams salted butter (softened)
- 113 grams cane sugar
- 113 grams dark brown sugar (packed)
- 85 grams blackstrap molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 57 grams sourdough discard
- 255 grams all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon Chinese five spice
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Topping
- 57 grams cane sugar
Instructions
- Line one baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, dark brown sugar, molasses, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined, then speed mixer up to medium and continue to cream the butter mixture for 5 minutes, until it is noticeably lighter in color.
- Add the sourdough discard, flour, Chinese five spice, baking soda, and salt in that order. Mix on low until combined into a stiff dough.
- To make the topping: Add the cane sugar to a small bowl.
- Using your hands, or a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, form or scoop the dough into 22 balls and roll them in the cane sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Refrigerate the baking sheet for at least 1 hour, or you can refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Transfer half the cookie dough balls onto the second baking sheet, and space them all at least 1-inch apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies look puffed and dry around the edges. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheets.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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