How To Create And Bake Cookie Dough

Basic cookie dough is the starting point for making a number of delicious cookies and bars. You can embellish basic dough with ingredients such as spices, fruits, nuts and candy to create an array of treats. After creating cookie dough, use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to five days. To freeze, wrap cookie dough in wax paper and seal in an airtight container. You can freeze dough for up to six months.

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease cookie sheet with margarine.

Step 2

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl for about one minute, until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and continue to beat for one minute.

Step 3

Mix flour, soda and salt together in a medium mixing bowl until combined.

Step 4

Slowly mix flour mixture into butter mixture until flour is thoroughly incorporated. Batter will be thick and smooth.

Step 5

Drop cookie dough by teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges of cookies are golden brown. Remove cookies from cookie sheet with spatula when cool.

Tips and Warnings

For the best tasting cookies, only use real butter. For chocolate chip cookies, add 12 oz. chocolate chips to batter. For chewy fruit bars, increase soda to 3/4 tsp. and add an extra egg. Use 1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar in place of granulated sugar and add 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 cup chopped walnuts, 1 cup chopped, pitted dates, 1 cup dried cherries or cranberries, 1/2 cup chopped, dried apricots and 1/2 cup raisins. Bake in a 9 by 13 glass pan and cut into bars when cool. For Mexican wedding cookies, add 3 tbsp. powdered sugar to 1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans and stir. Add to flour mixture before blending with butter mixture in basic dough recipe. Roll dough into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes and roll cooled balls in powdered sugar before serving. For a cookie with more fiber, substitute 1/4 cup whole wheat flour for 1/4 cup of the white flour. For higher elevations, add an additional 2 tbsp. flour.
Substituting margarine or other shortening for butter can result in flatter, less flavorful cookies. Chemicals are used to bleach flour and the resulting product has less vitamin E than unbleached flour.