Last Saturday a very good friend of mine came over and we made cookies ALL day.  We both wanted to get a jump on the holiday baking by making cookies and dough for the freezer.  Both forms will last roughly 3-4 weeks in the freezer as long as you double wrap them they will taste just like you made them fresh that day.

We made 5 different kinds and a double batch of each.  Some may not be “holiday” cookies per say but they will definitely help with having a quick dessert when friends and family stop over.

We made Chocolate Chip, Snicker Doodles, Peanut Butter, Sugar and Gingerbread men.  We made all the gingerbread men so we will just need to take them out of the freezer and decorate with frosting or leave as is, they are delicious.  The peanut butter dough will be made into thumbprints with kisses in the middle – I can’t wait for that I LOVE peanut butter. The sugar cookie dough we can thaw a little roll out and cut to whatever shapes we want.  I love decorating sugar cookies, I love making different colored frosting for them.  I am not a great cookie decorator but they’re yummy.

Sugar Cookie Dough Recipe – 350’ approximately 12-15 minutes

2 Cups all-purpose flour

½ Teaspoon Baking Powder

¼ Teaspoon salt

2 Sticks unsalted butter softened but still cool

1 Cup sugar

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 Large egg

1 ½ Teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl set aside.

Using a mixer (or by hand) cream the butter, with both sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Scrape down the sides, add egg and vanilla, beat till combined.  Immediate use, take dough and split it in half, make into a disc shape and wrap in plastic; place in the fridge for about 30 minutes at the very least.  If you are rolling and cutting, work with 1 disc at a time, roll onto a lightly floured surface; roll to about ¼ inch thickness and choose your cutting tool(s) bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes (every oven is different) you want them done through but not too browned. Let them set on the sheet for 3 minutes than transfer to a wire rack.  Once cooled you can decorate as you wish

Who doesn’t love fresh out of the oven cookies? We are kind of cookie snobs in a way that we like fresh that day cookies, so I would cook a batch and roll up the remainder of the batter into a log, double wrap it and place it in the freezer for a later date.  I don’t know about your families but my guys have a hard time keeping their paws off both, cookies and dough.  When said later date came, no dough AUGH!!!!

I have always made chocolate chip cookies but was always searching for an amazing tasting and looking cookie.  My husband and I challenged each other to a chocolate chip cookie bakeoff.  I think we made 3 or 4 batches of cookies before I was named champion!!!!  It amazes me how different memories are for people.  He swears he was the winner.  Too bad for him that when we did this I posted it on FB so I could SHOW him who truly won!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe – 325’ approximately 15-18 minutes

2 Cups all-purpose flour + 2 Tablespoons

½ Teaspoon Baking Soda

½ Teaspoon Salt

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter

4 Tablespoons Margarine (both melted together and cooled until warm)

1 Cup packed Brown Sugar

½ Cup sugar

1 Large Egg plus 1 Large Egg Yolk

2 Teaspoons Vanilla

2 Handfuls of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (more or less – whatever you like)

Whisk together Flour, Baking Soda, and Salt in a medium bowl and set aside

Using a mixer (or by hand) cream the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended, add egg, yolk and vanilla until combined.  Add dry ingredients and beat on low just to combine.  Stir in chips to taste.

Make about 18 large cookies or you can make them into smaller size

For the large cookies there is a cool trick to make them look like the ones you can buy in certain shops. Take about a ¼ cup of dough and roll into a ball. Take the ball and break it in half, rotate the halves 90 degrees, put the dough back together with the jagged edges facing up and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake in a 325’ oven for 15-18 minutes. Bake until they are light golden brown. For chewy cookies, do not over bake. Cool the cookies on the sheet and remove once cooled.