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Sourdough oatmeal raisin cookies are chewy, buttery, and packed with warm spice. Browned butter and sourdough discard add deep flavor, while oats and raisins add a classic chewy-crunchy contrast. They start like a classic oatmeal raisin cookie, but the browned butter and sourdough take them over the top. The edges turn crisp and golden, the centers stay thick and soft, and the raisins stay plump.
Don’t have a sourdough starter? Make my classic oatmeal raisin cookies.
Here’s Why This Sourdough Cookie Recipe Works
Brown butter: Browning the butter adds depth and a toasty, nutty richness to these homemade oatmeal cookies. It enhances the chewy texture and layers in serious flavor.
Sourdough discard: The discard adds a subtle tang and complexity to the cookie dough. No waste, all flavor.
Just yolks, no whites: Using only egg yolks keeps the texture rich and tender, which is key for chewy sourdough cookies that don’t dry out.
No chill required: The dough is sturdy and ready to bake right away. You’ll have warm, chewy cookies in under 15 minutes of baking time.
Curious how I adapted this recipe for sourdough discard? Check out the recipe testing notes.
If you’ve tried my sourdough sugar cookies, you’ll love these sourdough oatmeal cookies too. They’ve got the same tangy twist but with a hearty, chewy bite.
Recipe Tips
Watch the butter: It goes from golden to burnt fast. Pull it once it smells nutty and the solids darken.
Room temp discard: Cold discard can seize the butter. Let it sit out while you prep.
Sift for even mixing: Especially with cinnamon and nutmeg. Clumps won’t distribute well in a thick dough.
Don’t overbake: They’ll look slightly underdone in the center but firm up as they cool.
Cool on sheet first: Give them a couple of minutes before moving to a rack so they don’t fall apart.
Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies
These cookies are buttery, tangy, and packed with warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and sweet raisins. They are everything oatmeal cookies should be, but with more flavor.
These sourdough oatmeal cookies share that same chewy, tangy edge you’ll find in my sourdough chocolate chip cookies, but with the nutty sweetness of oats.
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Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies with Raisins
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, 16 tablespoons; 226 grams
- ¾ cup brown sugar, 156 grams
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, 150 grams
- ¾ cup sourdough discard, room temperature (180 grams)
- 2 egg yolks, no whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 150 grams
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, 255 grams
- 1 ½ cups raisins, 255 grams
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Brown the butter: Cut the butter into cubes and melt it in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. It will melt, then foam, and the milk solids will turn golden brown with a nutty aroma. Watch closely toward the end so it doesn’t burn. Remove from the heat and let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes to cool slightly, then pour into a large mixing bowl.
- Beat the browned butter with both sugars until smooth. Mix in sourdough discard until fully combined.
- Stir in the egg yolks and vanilla extract until creamy. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the wet mixture. Stir just until combined.
- Stir in the Oats & Raisins. Mix until evenly distributed. The dough will be stiff.
- Scoop the dough using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons). Place them on a baking sheet and space them 1½ inches apart. Bake 12–14 minutes, until edges are set and light golden.
- Let cookies sit on the sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Behind the Recipe: Adapting for Sourdough Discard
This cookie started as my go-to oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. Here’s how I adjusted it to work with sourdough discard without throwing off the texture or structure:
Discard hydration math: Sourdough discard at 100% hydration is half water, half flour, so ¾ cup (180 grams) equals about 90 grams water and 90 grams flour.
Balancing moisture: Browning the butter cooks off 36–40 grams of water. Skipping the egg whites cuts another 54 grams. Together, that offsets the extra liquid from the discard.
Flour tweak: I didn’t reduce the full 90 grams of added flour, even though the discard technically brings that much in. Cutting back by just 25–30 grams gave the best texture. That’s because the fermented flour in the discard behaves differently. It doesn’t absorb liquid or build structure like fresh flour.
