Everyone needs one reliable recipe for an old-fashioned drop cookie. This master recipe fills the bill. It’s simple (no machines necessary—the butter can be creamed by hand, though you can use a mixer for ease) and infinitely variable (modify the dough with any of the add-ins listed below, or split it into two or three batches so that you can make more than one type of cookie at the same time). And if you want, you can bake a portion of it, then form the remainder into balls (on baking sheets) and place in freezer until frozen. Store the frozen balls of dough in a resealable bag in the freezer until until you’re ready to bake; let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking, and bake a few minutes longer than the recommended time. These cookies are somewhat cakey; for a chewier texture, reduce the flour by 1/2 cup and the baking time by 2 minutes.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 40

　　3 cups all-purpose flour

　　1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

　　1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

　　1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

　　1 cup packed light-brown sugar (or use dark-brown sugar for deeper flavor and color)

　　1/2 cup granulated sugar

　　2 large eggs, room temperature

　　1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

　　2 cups desired add-ins (semisweet chocolate chips or chunks; coarsely chopped pecans, walnuts, or peanuts; raisins, dried cranberries, dried sour cherries, or chopped dried fruit such as apricots, dates, or figs)

　　

Step 1

Prepare oven and pans Heat oven to 350°F, with one rack in center and one rack in bottom third. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

　　

Step 2

Combine dry ingredients In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda.

　　

Step 3

Cream butter and sugars Place butter and both sugars in a mixing bowl. Mash and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture is very light and fluffy (this can take up to 6 minutes, or 2 to 3 minutes if you’re using an electric mixer). Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly incorporated after each. Stir in vanilla.

　　

Step 4

Add dry ingredients and mix-ins Add dry ingredients in three additions, stirring until completely incorporated after each. Stir in desired add-ins. (Or, if making several types of cookies, first divide dough into equal parts and then stir in appropriate amounts of add-ins: 1 rounded cup for dough split in half, 3/4 cup for dough divided into thirds.)

　　

Step 5

Bake and cool Using a 1 1/2-inch ice-cream scoop, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart Bake, rotating sheets top to bottom and back to front halfway through, until golden brown at edges and set in center, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week, or frozen up to 1 month.

　　

Drop-Cookie Tips

Step 6

If your cookies turn out dense and hard, you might be using ingredients that are too cold and not creaming them enough. If your cookies spread too much in the oven and are too thin, on the other hand, you might be overdoing the creaming step or using ingredients that are too warm. It’s worth the time to chill your dough before baking; this will help to control how much it spreads in the oven as it bakes.

　　

Sifting Chopped Nuts

Step 7

Before incorporating chopped nuts into doughs or batters, sift out the fine dust in a sieve. This will keep the particles from clouding the color or imparting a grainy texture.

　　Reprinted with permission from Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook by Martha Stewart. Copyright © 2008 by Martha Stewart. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved.Martha Stewart is the author of dozens of bestselling books on cooking, entertaining, gardening, weddings, and decorating. She is the host of The Martha Stewart Show, the Emmy-winning, daily national syndicated program, and founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which publishes several magazines, including Martha Stewart Living; produces Martha Stewart Living Radio, channel 112 on SIRIUS Satellite Radio; and provides a wealth of ideas and information on www.marthastewart.com.