No products in the cart.

Brown Butter Sourdough Spice Cookies

September 6, 2025

25 minutes

medium

24 cookies

Fall in Love with Brown Butter Sourdough Spice Cookies (Crinkly Tops, Chewy Centers) 💛

Crinkly, chewy brown butter sourdough spice cookies sparkling with cinnamon sugar and glowing with fresh-zested nutmeg and orange. 🍪🍂

Chewy molasses spice cookies get a cozy fall glow up with sourdough discard, nutty brown butter, warm spices, and a cinnamon sugar coating. Optional cream cheese centers make them taste like gingerbread cheesecake cookies — pure autumn magic.

There’s something magical about zesting a whole nutmeg right into the bowl. The shell cracks, the spice blooms, and suddenly the kitchen smells like cozy fall. Add a bright kiss of fresh orange zest, and these brown butter sourdough spice cookies come alive. Thin, chewy, and rolled in cinnamon sugar sparkle, they’re part gingerbread hug, part autumn sunset… and completely irresistible. 🍊🍪✨

Don’t hesitate to roll them in extra cinnamon sugar… because life’s too short for plain cookies. ✨🍊🍪

Brown butter sourdough spice cookie with cream cheese filling and orange zest in front of a glowing fall candle and sliced oranges
A little cream cheese peek, a cinnamon sugar sparkle, and a nutmeg glow… the cookie tray just got cozy. ✨🕯️

🥰 Why You’ll Love These Cookies

🥛 Brown Butter – Adds a nutty, caramel depth that makes every bite extra cozy.
🍂 Freshly Zested Nutmeg – Cracks from the shell into the dough for a warm, aromatic fall glow.
🍊 Orange Zest & Juice – Brightens the spices and balances the molasses richness.
🍯 Molasses – Brings that deep gingerbread-style chew and autumn sweetness.
🥖 Sourdough Discard – Adds tang, moisture, and a waste-not twist that makes the texture unforgettable.

👩‍🍳 A Baker’s Tease

The magic is in the ritual: cracking open a whole nutmeg, watching the zest tumble like fragrant snowflakes, and squeezing just enough orange juice to make the spices sparkle. These cookies don’t just bake, they bloom. Thin, chewy, and shimmering with cinnamon sugar, they’re gingerbread’s playful cousin with a sourdough twist that makes them sing. 🍊🍪🍂 

Overhead photo of brown butter sourdough spice cookies with cream cheese filling, crackly tops, and fresh orange zest on a wooden board with nutmeg
Crackly, chewy, and kissed with orange zest — these sourdough spice cookies bring all the fall feels. 🍊🍪🍂

🛒 Shop My Kitchen Favorites!

Love the tools and ingredients used in this recipe? I’ve gathered my favorite must-haves to make cooking easier and more enjoyable. [Click here] to check out my Amazon store for everything I used!

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Looking for more comforting, flavor-packed meals? Check out our [other recipes here]!

No Reviews

Ingredients

Adjust Servings
320 g (2 ½ cups) all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
227 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, browned and cooled slightly
150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
160 g (¾ cup) dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
75 g (¼ cup) sourdough discard (unfed)
80 g (¼ cup) unsulphured molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Zest of 1 orange
1 tsp fresh orange juice (optional, for brightness)
FOR CREAM CHEESE F
½ cup (100 g) sugar (granulated, maple sugar, or a mix)
1–1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Optional Cream Cheese Filling
113 g (4 oz) cream cheese, softened
28 g (2 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
180 g (1 ½ cups) powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Nutritional Information

155 Calories
22g Carbs
2g Protein
7g Fat
13g Sugar

Directions

1.

Make the Cream Cheese Filling (optional)

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar gradually and mix until fluffy. Stir in vanilla and salt. Chill 30 minutes, scoop into 1 teaspoon balls, and freeze until solid. Keep frozen until stuffing cookies.
Mark as complete
2.

Brown the butter

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until it foams and turns golden with a nutty aroma (5–7 minutes). Transfer to a mixing bowl and let cool slightly.
Mark as complete
3.

Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside. Ingredients, salt, and spices in a medium bowl.
Mark as complete
4.

Mix the Wet Ingredients

In a large bowl with the cooled browned butter, add both sugars and mix until combined (it may look a little clumpy, that’s normal). Beat in the egg until smooth and slightly creamy, about 1–2 minutes. Mix in the sourdough discard, molasses, vanilla, and orange zest (plus juice if using) until the mixture looks glossy.
Mark as complete
5.

Combine Wet and Dry

Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring just until no streaks remain. Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour, or overnight for deeper flavor.
Mark as complete
6.

Shape and Roll

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment. Mix coating sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Scoop dough into 1 ½ tablespoon balls. Plain cookies: Roll in cinnamon sugar and place 2 inches apart. Stuffed cookies: Flatten dough ball, add a frozen cream cheese ball, wrap dough around it, then roll in cinnamon sugar.
Brown butter sourdough spice cookie dough ball on parchment paper with blurred candle and oranges in the background
Mark as complete
7.

Bake

Bake 10–12 minutes until edges are set and tops are crackly.
Brown butter sourdough spice cookie with crackly top and cream cheese filling baked on parchment with orange slices and cinnamon nearby
Mark as complete
8.

Cool

Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely. This sets the chewy centers and allows the cream cheese filling (if stuffed) to firm up.
Brown butter sourdough spice cookies cooling on a rack with crackly tops, cream cheese filling, and orange zest, styled with cinnamon and nutmeg
Mark as complete
9.

Enjoy

Take a warm cookie in hand, break through the crackly sugar top, and sink into the creamy center with its sparkle of orange zest. Sweet, spiced, and chewy — this is the bite that makes fall feel complete. 🍊🍪✨
Hand holding a brown butter sourdough spice cookie with cream cheese filling and orange zest on top
Mark as complete

Notes

As soon as you crack through the sugared top, the chewiness hits, warm spices bloom, and the orange zest lingers like a little autumn sunshine. These are the cookies that disappear faster than you can pour the milk. 🥛🍊🍪
Print
Bookmark
Tags

Leave a Reply