Sourdough Rye Softies are a great way to use up a cup of sourdough starter/discard and provide your family with a weekend treat. The little cookies are sweet but not overly so and are great accompaniments to fresh fruit or just a glass of milk or cup of tea or coffee. The combination of rye and sourdough is unusual and lends complexity to a soft brown sugar cookie. You end up with a cookie that tastes of yeast, caramel, butter, and deep, dark rye flour with a hint of maple. Sourdough Rye Softies aren't decadent cookies, but they are addictive, so beware.
Sourdough Rye Softies -- Makes 24+
1 cup of dark brown sugar
1 cup of butter or Earth Balance or a mixture
1 cup of sourdough starter/discard
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of maple extract/flavoring
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup of rye flour
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/4 cup of turbinado (raw) sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray or line them with parchment. In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar and butter/Earth Balance together until they're light and fluffy. Beat in the sourdough starter/discard, the vanilla, maple extract, and egg yolk until they're well incorporated. Beat in the flours, a little at a time, until everything comes together in a smooth dough. Drop the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. If you'd like, shape the cookies slightly (just into little rounds) with wet finger tips and sprinkle each cookie dough mound with a little turbinado sugar. Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes or until golden and just firm to the touch. Let the cookies cool a few minutes and then remove them from the cookie sheets.
