This is a- I just need a cookie fix recipe, you can pretty much decide how and what you want to do with these cookies. My daughter is always coming up with something new. If you just love cookies then you should try this build your own style of cookies. Share it with a friend and I bet they will call you to tell you a new ingredient they added to their cookies to make them another way. No matter what kind of cookie you want to make I bet you can start with the basics of this recipe. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Basic Sugar Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup (1 stick} butter, at room temperature

• 1 egg

• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Combine your flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

2. Mix on medium speed, until sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl are combined well should be smooth and creamy. Using a spoon, stir in flour mixture. Shape into a 10-inch-long log; Use plastic wrap to cover and refrigerate for a few hours.

3. Bake in a 350 degree oven.

4. Cut dough into 1/4-1/2 inch-thick slices. Place on non stick baking sheet, keeping the round shape.

5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Let cookies cool.

   Yields 5 dozen cookies
   

   
   

Thumbprint Cookies

Using your prepared Sugar Cookie dough

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut log into 1/2-inch thick slices. Roll each slice into a ball. Place on non stick baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Indent center of each ball by pressing with your thumb. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon any flavor jam into each thumbprint. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

I like mine chewy so I take mine out around 8 minutes yum.

The picture at the top is Apricot cookie I made the other day they were so good.

Yields about 30 cookies

 Sugar Lemon Cookies 

When mixing your cookie dough 

Beating 4 teaspoons grated lemon rind into your butter mixture.

Roll dough into a log

Cut log into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Place on non stick baking sheets.

Sprinkle with yellow or any color decorating sugar if desired.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. 

Bake 350 degrees.
Makes about 5 dozen cookies 

 Sugar Almond Cookies 

Use 3/4 cup slivered ground almond pieces

Using your prepared Sugar Cookie dough 

Add only 1/2 cup ground nuts to dry ingredients and beating 1/2 teaspoon almond extract into butter mixture.

Cut log into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Place on non stick baking sheets.

Sprinkle reserved ground nuts over each slice.

Bake 350 degrees. 

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. 

Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies 

Using your prepared Sugar Cookie dough 

Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips shape the dough into a 10-inch long roll.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut log into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Place on an non stick baking sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. 

Yields about 20 cookies 

*Note you can also use M & M's I like the minis :)

Coffee Mocha Cookies 

When you are making your Sugar Cookie dough

Add 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and

1/4 teaspoon salt to the dry ingredients.

Stir in 1 teaspoon instant espresso or your favorite powdered coffee into an egg mix well

Add it to the butter mixture.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut cookie roll into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Place on non stick baking sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. 

Yields 60 cookies 

 Sugar Ginger Cookies 

When you are mixing your cookie dough.

Adding an extra 1/4 cup flour and

1 teaspoon ground ginger to dry ingredients and

Mixing 1 tablespoon mild molasses into the butter mixture.

Cut log into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Place on non stick baking sheets.

Lightly dip tines of a fork into some flour; firmly press a crisscross design onto each slice.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned 

Makes about 3 and a half dozen cookies 

Chocolate Chip Nut Cookies

Using your prepared Sugar Cookie dough

Add 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder to dry ingredients and

Stir in 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and

1/2 cup finely chopped roasted unsalted peanuts into your dough.

Cut log into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Place on non stick baking sheets.

Use 2 tablespoons granulated sugar onto a piece of waxed paper. For each cookie, dampen the cookie bottom in a small plate of shallow water, then dip in to the sugar; press cookie to flatten to about 2 inches around.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.

After your cookies are cooled off, mix up 1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter with 1/2 cup confectioners sugar. Spread the peanut butter mixture over half of the cookies with 2 teaspoons of your mixture. Make sandwiches with remaining cookies.

Yields about a dozen cookies

Cookies keep in the refrigerator or freezer

Tip #1

This dough will keep refrigerated for up to 4 days or you can freeze it for up to 2 months. Take out and bake as normal yummy sugar cookies.

Tip #2

Once the cookies are fairly cool, melt 3 ounces semisweet chocolate.

Put into a cake decorator bag or if you do not have one place in a plastic zip lock bag. Cut off one corner of the bag then drizzle chocolate over cookies. In the same way, melt and drizzle 3 ounces white baking chocolate over remaining

Tip #3

For bigger cookie make you cookie roll log shorter. For thicker cookies cut the cookie ticker when you cut them for the log.

Covers around 4 dozen or so cookies

Tip #4

If you want to roll the cookies to cut with a cookie cutter I would add 1/4 to 1/2 extra flour, 1/4 to 1/2 cup more sugar and maybe another 1/2 tsp vanilla. Dust while rolling with powdered sugar to prevent sticking and keep flour amount down. Most of all play with this and make it your own. I bet I like my cookie a bit different than you but that's okay that's half the fun of making cookies don't ya think so too? My 17 year old daughter made some of these this weekend & sprinkled some French Vanilla on top of a few she loves it and said she will make them that way again.

Tip #5

You can also roll dough out & use a cookie cutter to make into holiday and seasonal shape to decorate.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. 

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. 

PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars. 

SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION: 
PREPARE dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies. 

* May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks. 

FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING (5,200 feet): Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 teaspoons water with flour and reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each. Bake drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookie for 17 to 19 minutes.