It's cookie baking season! I love the smell of freshly baked cookies. It reminds me of when I was young and my mom would spend days baking all different yummy varieties of cookies and candies for the holidays.
This recipe is great because you use one cookie dough to create an endless variety of cookies. Just add your favorite toppings. They are so cute when finished, they look like a box of chocolates! Wrap them up in a box and deliver them to friends, neighbors or loved ones. Perfect for this time of year!
Basic Cookie Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 egg whites (reserved for later)
- Various toppings (see below for variations)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Cream butter. Add sugar and mix until combined. Add egg yolks and vanilla and mix well. Now add cocoa powder and half the flour, mix. Add as much of remaining flour until mixture forms a ball or cookie dough.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. (No parchment paper? That's OK, just be sure to grease your cookie sheets).
- Roll dough balls in egg whites then in your choice of topping; sprinkles, nuts, coconut...are just a few examples. Some cookies may not require toppings, you can just leave these as is.
- Use your thumb to make an indentation in each dough ball.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned. *Note, some cookie recipes will require putting toppings on in the last few minutes of baking, to melt the toppings.
- Transfer to cooling rack and top as desired.
Nine Scrumptious Variations! Try one, two or all nine!
Chocolate Covered Cherry - Roll dough balls in egg whites then chocolate sprinkles. Add cherry pie filling just before baking. Bake as directed.
German Chocolate - Roll dough ball in egg whites then coconut. Cook as directed for 8 minutes. Add caramel candy and bake for remaining 4 minutes. Remove from oven and add pecans.
Salted Caramel – Bake dough balls as directed for 8 minutes. Add caramel candy and bake for remaining 4 minutes. Sprinkle 3 to 4 crystals of sea salt on top.
Rocky Road - Roll dough ball in egg whites then crushed almonds. Cook as directed for 8 minutes. Add mini marshmallows and chocolate chips and bake for remaining 4 minutes.
Turtle- Roll dough balls in egg whites then chocolate sprinkles. Cook as directed for 8 minutes. Add caramel candy and bake for remaining 4 minutes. Remove from oven and add walnuts.
Hot Cocoa - Leave dough balls as it and bake as directed. Remove from oven and cool completely. Put 3 Tbs. of powdered sugar in a plastic baggie, add cookies and give a shake. Dust off cookie and top with chocolate frosting.
Mexican Hot Chocolate - Leave dough balls as it and bake as directed. Remove from oven and cool completely. Put 3 Tbs. of powdered sugar and 1 tsp. of cinnamon in a plastic baggie, add cookies and give a shake. Dust off cookie and top with vanilla frosting.
Mocha Cappuccino - Leave dough balls as it and bake as directed. Remove from oven and cool completely. Put 3 Tbs. of powdered sugar and 1 Tbs. of cocoa powder and 1/4 tsp of instant coffee in a plastic baggie, add cookies and give a shake. Dust off cookie and top with vanilla frosting.
Peanut Butter Cup - Leave dough balls as it and bake as directed. Remove from oven. Add a teaspoon of peanut butter and chocolate chips.
