December may be one of the busiest months of the year; there is shopping, decorating, parties, cooking, baking, traveling, and more. One tradition that many people take part in is the giving of cookies to friends and family; however, making a pretty plate of cookies often means baking several different cookies and spending all day in your kitchen mixing, baking, and decorating.
Don’t Throw It In Yet
At this point, with all you have to do, you may feel ready to throw your hands in the air and forgo the tradition altogether. Never fear, there is a way to make holiday cookie baking easier and quicker.
Find Your Perfect Base Dough
The secret to a varied and festive plate of cookies is a base dough. From a base dough, you can make an infinite variety of cookies by just changing up a few ingredients, shaping them differently, and adding different toppings.
Start with a base cookie recipe; sugar cookie recipes are good for this, so if you have a favorite one that always turns out, just use it. See the Master Holiday Cookie Mix recipe below.
Add Creativity
Now that you have the base cookie dough made, you can start getting creative. The different kinds of cookies you make are only limited by your imagination, but for those of you whose imagination has been taxed enough, here are several easy ideas.
Candy Cane Cookies
Use 2 cups of the base cookie dough. Divide the dough into two halves, leaving one white and coloring the other half with red food coloring. Roll about 1 teaspoon of each color into a small rope, then press them together and spiral to twist the colors into red and white candy cane shapes. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. For extra added pizzazz, top with crushed candy canes, mixed with a couple tablespoons of white sugar immediately after baking, or drizzle with melted white chocolate before sprinkling on the crushed candy cane.
Thumbprint Cookies
Use 2 cups of the base cookie dough. Using your clean thumb or a small melon-baller, make a small well in the center of the cookie. Fill with jam, jelly, chocolate hazelnut spread, frosting, peanut butter, coconut, chocolate chips, maraschino cherry, etc. Also, try coating the outside in whisked egg whites and then chopped nuts before forming the well. Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Chunky Cookies
Before refrigerating the base dough, take 3 cups of the dough and add about 1 cup of baking chips, candy-coated chocolate (or similar chopped candy), roughly chopped walnuts, pecans or cashews, slivered almonds, raisins, coconut, dried cherries, or cranberries; go wild. Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Chocolate-Hazelnut Pinwheels
On a lightly floured surface, roll 1½ cups softened cookie base dough into a 14×9-inch rectangle. Spread chocolate hazelnut spread to within 1/2 inch of edges; sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Roll up tightly, jelly-roll style, starting with the long side; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Unwrap and cut into ¼ -inch slices. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Easy Almond Bars
Press 1½ cups softened base cookie dough into a greased 13×9-inch baking pan. Beat 1 egg white until foamy; brush over dough. Top with ½ cup sliced almonds. Combine 1 tablespoon sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle over top. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Cut into diamonds. Cool completely.
Lemon Wedges
Put 2 cups softened cookie base dough, ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel, and ¼ teaspoon lemon extract in a large bowl; stir until blended. Roll ¼ cup portions into balls. Place 4 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press into 4-inch circles. Bake at 350°F 13-15 minutes until light brown. While hot, remove circles with a broad spatula to a cutting board. Cut each circle into 6 wedges. Transfer wedges to a rack to cool completely. Whisk ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon water until smooth, adding more water if needed until just thin enough to drizzle. Place a piece of wax paper under the cookies on the rack. Drizzle cookies with sugar mixture; let stand until drizzle sets.
Utilize Extracts
Different flavored extracts can be added to the dough to make almond, peppermint, orange, and many other flavor cookies. This dough can also be rolled out, cut with cookie cutters, and decorated with frosting or icing.
Leftovers and Storage
The cookies will usually last 1-2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature. In addition, they can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Time to Relax
Now that you have taken some of the stress and time out of your holiday baking, you have more time to do the things that are really important this holiday season, like spending time with friends and family.
Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator
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