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What if I told you that you could have a dozen different kinds of cookies from one cookie dough? Would you believe me? I sure hope so because today I am sharing my Basic Cookie Dough Recipe to Use for a Dozen Different Cookies. In fact I am showing you a few awesome ideas today and giving you more. Keep scrolling to see all the fun you can have with one dough.
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This basic cookie dough is so exciting! One cookie dough and literally a dozen {really more than that} possibilities. This time of year I want to make your life easier, not more complicated and this cookie dough is going to do just that.
I am patiently {not really} waiting for my Tater to come for Christmas. I have not seen him since March! My mama heart just can’t take it any longer. I need my boy!
We have plans to bake but we don’t have a lot of time, so this dough will be what we make. I wonder what variations he will decide to go with? Maybe all of them!
Thank you so much for stopping by! This basic cookie dough recipe post contains affiliate links, I receive a small amount of compensation if you choose to purchase from my links (for example – as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases). I only link to products that I know and love!
How to make this Basic Cookie Dough Recipe
Begin by mixing the butter, shortening {I like to use butter flavored} and both sugars in your mixer. You can do this by hand but I decided to go with my big daddy of mixers.
Once you have the butter and sugars creamed together, add the eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Lastly, add all of your dry ingredients and mix until just combined. It is super important to not over mix at this stage. Adding too much air to the dough will ultimately leave you with deflated cookies which you don’t want.
This is what the dough should look like if it is mixed correctly. Thick and ready to bake!!
How to make a White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies
One great way to use the dough {or at least some of it} is to add white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. A little orange zest would be a nice addition too.
They remind me a bit of a Cranberry Bliss Bar which always brings back fond memories of a trip the kids and I took to Hawaii over Christmas years ago.
How to make Thumbprint Cookies
Thumbprint Cookies are my Tales favorite cookie. In fact, when I was shooting the photos for these cookies she came to visit. Needless to say, we almost didn’t get photos before she started eating them!
I bake them just like any other cookie except when I removed them from the oven I used the back of the cookie scoop and made an indent in the middle of each cookie. Let them cool completely and then add your favorite jam to the middle, dust with powdered sugar and ENJOY!
How to turn your Basic Cookie Dough Recipe into a Chocolate Cookie Dough
One of the best things about this Basic Cookie Dough is that you can turn it into a chocolate dough so simply. All you have to do is add cocoa powder.
If you are making the entire batch into a chocolate dough then use 1/2 cup of cocoa, 1/4 cup for half batch and 2 tablespoons for a quarter batch.
How to make White Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Cookies
These cookies are not only beautiful but super tasty too! Double chocolate always has my vote! Bake them as you would any cookie and let them cool completely.
Once the cookies are cooled, melt White Almond Bark {or white chocolate} in the microwave. Start with 1 minute, stir and then add 30 second increments until the bark is completely melted.
Then I just dipped each cookie halfway into the chocolate and added a few snowflake sprinkles for a seasonal touch.
How to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Here is another one of my Tales favorites. When you make anything with chocolate and peanut butter it gets her attention.
To get this look I didn’t even mix the peanut butter chips into the dough. I scooped the cookies onto the cookie sheet and added the peanut butter chips directly to the top of each cookie before I baked them.
How to make Chocolate Kiss Cookies
This my sweet friends was my favorite of them all! The chocolate cookie dough is so good! Roll each mound of dough into sprinkles and bake.
Once you remove them from the oven, add an unwrapped Hershey’s Kiss into the top of each cookie. Press it down slightly into the cookie and then leave it to cool completely.
If you mess with the cookies before the Hershey’s Kiss cools then it will not hold it’s shape. While they are still absolutely delicious, they are not quite as stunning. You can also check out these Peanut Butter Blossoms and Red Velvet Kiss Cookies.
Other Basic Dough Cookie Recipe Options
- Chocolate Nutella-Stir some Nutella into the dough {but not completely, you want streaks of it throughout the dough} along with some hazelnuts for a fun option.
- Sprinkles-The addition of sprinkles to either the basic or chocolate basic dough is always a good idea.
- Toffee-Add chopped toffee and a drizzle of chocolate to the basic or chocolate basic dough for an extra special combination.
- Chocolate Chip-Add chocolate chips to the basic dough for a traditional master piece.
- Almond Joy-Coconut, chocolate chips and almonds added to basic dough are a great spin on the candy classic.
- Turtle-Caramel bits, pecans and chocolate chips will make you think you are eating the bite sized candies.
- Smores-Mini marshmallows, chocolate chips and chunks of graham crackers added to either dough will remind you of sitting around the campfire.
How to Store your Cookies
These cookies will stay soft for days! If you need to make them earlier then you can always freeze them too.
When you store them be sure to store each kind of cookie separately. When you store all of the cookies together then the different flavors will change the taste of the other cookies.
If you are looking for cookies to use in a Holiday Cookie Tray then these are a great option because you only have to make one dough to get a tray full of different cookies. It is a real win-win!!
I love Cookies! Here are a few helpful posts…
- Cookie Baking Basics
- Cookie Baking Essentials
Basic Cookie Dough Recipe
One cookie dough and dozens of possibilities!
Course: Dessert
Author: June Albertson-Dick
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
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Ingredients
- 1 cup butter or margarine {softened}
- 1/2 cup shortening {I use butter flavored}
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar {packed}
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Beat butter or margarine, shortening and both sugars together until light and creamy. Next, add the eggs and vanilla, mix until combined.
In a separate bowl combine baking powder, salt and all purpose flour. Add at once to the butter and sugar mixture, mix until just combined using your electric mixer.
Add any add-ins and stir to combine. Drop cookies onto a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet using a cookie scoop and bake for 9-11 minutes. Cool your basic cookie dough recipe on cookie sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack. Enjoy.
Notes
Cranberry Bliss Cookies-
Add-ins: 1 teaspoon of orange zest, 1 cup white chocolate chips and 1/3 cup chopped dried cranberries.
Thumbprints:
Bake as directed. Remove from oven and using the back of the cookie scoop make an indention into the middle of each cookie, fill with 1 teaspoon of your favorite jam. Cool completely and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Double Chocolate:
*Make chocolate cookie dough and bake as directed. Add-ins: Melt 6 bars of White Almond Bark and dip each cookie halfway into almond bark. Add sprinkles if desired. Place onto wax paper to dry.
Chocolate Peanut Butter:
*Make chocolate cookie dough. Add-in: Place 5-6 peanut butter chips into the top of each unbaked cookie and bake and directed.
Chocolate Sprinkle Kiss:
*Make chocolate cookie dough. Add-in: 24 Hershey's kisses. Bake as directed. Remove from oven and push a candy kiss into the middle of each cookie. Move to cooling rack and let cool completely (the kiss will be soft for an hour or so).
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