Active Time

　　25 minutes

　　Total Time

　　2 hour 15 minutes

　　Have you ever wondered what wonderful things you could do with all the leftover additions to cookies, aside from munching on them as snacks? What follows is a base recipe for rolled or dropped cookies with which you can build and create your own favorite cookie using a mixture of those treasures. For 2½" cookies, use about 1½ Tbsp. dough for 1" balls (walnut-size). For 3" cookies, use 2 Tbsp. dough for 1¾" balls (ping-pong-ball-size).

　　Here are guidelines for baking temperature and range of additions that will give you the freedom to make your own dream cookie: Baking at 375ºF/190ºC will brown the cookies faster, keeping the centers softer and moister. Baking at 350ºF/175ºC will take a little longer and the cookies’ texture will be more uniform, thinner, and crisper.

　　My suggested cookie add-ins—or Treasure Additions, as I call them—all vary in weight, so this is a rare instance when I find volume more useful. The cookie dough can hold anywhere from 3 cups to as much as 5¼ cups of add-ins. Cookies made with the highest amount have the bare minimum of dough to keep all the additions together and have more of a candy than a cookie profile. If mixing the dough in a food processor, there is no need to coarsely chop any of the ingredients.

　　Chocolate chunks or chips: dark, white, or milk chocolate; butterscotch or peanut butter chips

　　Nuts: such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, hazelnuts, or macadamia, coarsely chopped

　　If adding nuts that are not already toasted, to bring out the flavor, you can toast them 5–7 minutes in a preheated 325°F / 160°C oven. Allow them to cool completely. Walnut skins are slightly bitter, but it’s fine to leave them on. Alternatively, while the walnuts are still hot, roll them in a clean dish towel to remove any skins that come off easily. When chopping or breaking them into coarse pieces, some of the skins will separate and should be discarded.

　　Coconut: shredded sweetened or unsweetened

　　Rolled oats: old-fashioned or instant. Old-fashioned oats are slightly thicker and the cookies will be chewier. Oats absorb moisture, so the dough will be less smooth and will produce a drier, crisper cookie. Recommended maximum amount: 1¼ cups (90 grams). Be sure to allow the dough to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow the oats to absorb the moisture evenly or the cookies will be harder and the extra moisture in the dough itself will cause the cookies to spread more during baking.

　　Dried fruit, coarsely chopped if needed: including cherries, cranberries, candied ginger, raisins, currants

　　Grated citrus zest: 12 grams or 2 tablespoons loosely packed is usually the ideal amount to be present without overpowering the other ingredients.

　　This recipe was excerpted from ‘The Cookie Bible’ by Rose Levy Beranbaum. Buy the full book on Amazon.\

　　

Ingredients

Makes 36 to 64 round cookies, depending on size

　　8 Tbsp. (113g) unsalted butter

　　1 large egg

　　1 tsp. vanilla extract

　　1⅓ cups (161g) all-purpose flour, preferably bleached

　　½ tsp. baking soda

　　½ tsp. (3g) fine sea salt

　　¼ cup (56g) light muscovado or dark brown sugar

　　¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar

　　3 to 5¼ cups Treasure Additions (see note at top)

　　

Mise en place

Step 1

Preheat the oven: Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack at the middle level. Set the oven at 350ºF/175ºC. (If baking at 375ºF/190ºC, preheat for 30 minutes or longer.)

　　

Step 2

30 minutes to 1 hour ahead, cut the butter into tablespoon-size pieces. Set on the counter to soften.

　　

Step 3

30 minutes ahead, into a 1 cup (237ml) glass measure with a spout, weigh or measure the egg. Whisk in the vanilla extract.

　　

Step 4

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set on the counter. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

　　

Food Processor Method

Step 5

In a food processor, process the sugars until as fine as possible.

　　

Step 6

With the motor running, add the butter one piece at a time and process until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

　　

Step 7

Add the egg mixture and process just until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

　　

Step 8

Add the flour mixture and Treasure Additions except for chocolate or other chunks or chips and pulse just until the flour is incorporated and the added ingredients are coarsely chopped. If using chocolate or other chunks or chips, scrape the dough into a bowl and stir them in with a silicone spatula or large spoon.

　　

Stand Mixer Method

Step 9

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lighter in color and fluffy.

　　

Step 10

Gradually add the egg mixture, beating until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

　　

Step 11

On low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

　　

Step 12

Add the Treasure Additions and beat only until incorporated.

　　

Both Methods

Step 13

Divide the dough in half. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes (a minimum of 30 minutes if adding rolled oats), or until firm enough to shape.

　　

Step 14

Divide one piece of the dough into 1½ tablespoon pieces to form 1-inch balls for 2½-inch cookies or 2 level tablespoons to form 1¾-inch balls for 3-inch cookies. (Alternatively, use a 1¾ to 2-inch cookie scoop or a tablespoon to drop the cookies onto the cookie sheet. If adding more than 4 cups of Treasures, it is best to roll the cookies in the palms of your hands to help press the additions into the dough.)

　　

Step 15

Place the balls 1½ to 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.

　　

Step 16

Bake for 6 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheet halfway around. Continue baking for 2 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned but still soft.

　　

Step 17

Set the cookie sheet on a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 3 to 5 minutes, until firm enough to lift from the sheet. Use a thin pancake turner to transfer the cookies to another wire rack. Cool completely. Repeat with the second batch.

　　Cooks Note

　　Store airtight at room temperature for two weeks, refrigerated for one month, or frozen for three months.

　　Reprinted from The Cookie Bible by arrangement with Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Copyright © 2022, Rose Levy Beranbaum. Buy the full book from Amazon or HarperCollins.