4 Cookies - 1 Dough Recipe with Endless Possibilities!

 I was sent products from Handi-Foil to facilitate my review and recipe. All opinions and experiences are my own.

This time of year there is so much to do! From school obligations, parties and presents for friends, there just isn't enough time in the day to do everything I want to. I would prefer to add a personal touch to all my gifts, anyway. Homemade is definitely my favorite way to go, but again, time isn't a luxury I have right now with the holidays and 3 kids.

This year I decided to bake smarter. It is always more fun to get an assortment of cookies than just one type, right? I decided to bake one cookie recipe and modify it to make 4 different cookies. Of course, you could mix in whatever you want to create your own cookie creations, but I went with classic Sugar Cookies, Pinwheels, Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies and Chocolate Peppermint Cookies.

Now, I believe half of the gift is the presentation. I went with the Handi-foil cook-n-carry loaf pans with lids to package up my cookies. Could it be any simpler? The adorable little pans already have festive little snowmen on them. I just needed to fill them with cookies and tie them up with a bit of ribbon.

As an added bonus, those lids mean your gift recipients can grab a cookie or two and put the lid back on to keep them fresh. So much easier than holiday cellophane or a paper plate and kitchen wrap.

Okay, the basic dough is really easy. Mine uses a very simple mixture of butter, flour, sugar and egg. Feel free to mix up the extracts to create your own cookie creations and then add in the chips, nuts or fruit you love.

Grab your stand mixer or hand beater and let's get baking!

Basic Cookie Dough Recipe

You Will Need:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 3/4 c. flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract

Cream the butter and sugar for 3 minutes. Then add the egg till incorporated. Then add the vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Gradually start adding the flour to the mixer until it is all mixed. 

Now move onto the variations for making the different types of cookies.

I decided to create 4 different cookies from this dough, but it is very versatile and could be used for others. The easiest cookie to make is a simple sugar cookie

Basic Sugar Cookies

This one is easy! Just take that basic cookie dough and add a 1/4 c. of confectioner's sugar. Dust your work surface with a little flour or roll out on a sheet of wax paper. Cut out your shapes and transfer to a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. The edges will just start to turn golden brown. Let them cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

Chocolate Pinwheels

You Will Need:

• 1/3 c. miniture semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 c. confectioners sugar
• 1/3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp. flour

Divide the dough in half. With one half stir in the chocolate chips, sugar, melted chocolate and cocoa powder. With the other half add the 2 Tbsp. of flour. 

On wax paper or a nonstick mat, roll out half the dough into a rectangle. Then roll out the other half into a similar sized rectangle. Pick up one half of the dough (this is where the wax paper helps) and place it on top of the other. Cut away any jagged edges.

Then tightly roll the dough like a jelly roll making sure to crimp the ends.

Place the log in the refrigerator for an hour. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. With a sharp knife cut the log into 1/4" slices and place these on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the tops are set. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the cookies sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.

Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies

You Will Need:

• Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Take the basic cookie dough and chill it for 1/2 hour before forming the cookies. With a 2 tsp. cookie scoop, create uniform balls of dough and then flatten them slightly on a cookies sheet. Place in the refrigerator for 5 minutes before baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 9 - 10 minutes. The cookies should not be brown on top.

Allow them to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transfering them to a wire rack. When cool, frost the bottom side with hazelnut spread and sandwich with another cookie. 

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

You Will Need:

• 1/2 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. peppermint crunch candies
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Add the ingredients to the basic cookie dough. Stir till combined. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 - 14 minutes.

Now, that is my kind of holiday gift! An assortment of different cookie flavors sure to please anyone with a sweet tooth.

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