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Basic cookie dough

This cookie dough is good base dough which will give you almost endless flavour possibilities and the dough can be frozen. I’ll tell you how.
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Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened.
  • ¼ cup caster sugar.
  • ½ cup brown sugar.
  • One egg at room temperature.
  • One tsp vanilla extract.
  • 1 and ½ cups plain flour.
  • ½ tsp baking powder.
  • ½ tsp salt.

Equipment

  • An electric mixer is best for this recipe.

Method
 

  1. In your mixing bowl add the butter and sugars. Use the paddle attachment on low speed to slowly combine the ingredients, before increasing the speed to medium. You are ‘creaming’ the ingredients. After about two minutes will notice the colour becomes paler. Spatula down the sides of the bowl to make sure that all the sugar and butter have combined.
  2. Crack the egg in a separate bowl and add to the butter mix along with the vanilla. Mix on medium speed until the egg has combined. Again use your spatula. The mixture will be a lot wetter.
  3. In a separate bowl sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt).
  4. On low speed now, add half of the sifted ingredients. Combine this first before adding the other half of the dry ingredients. Avoid over mixing. In fact you could probably mix the second lot in just with the spatula. Try and scrape all the mix off the paddle. The mix is ready and you have a couple of options:
  5. Baking the cookies:
  6. With the finished cookie dough you can mix in your favourite extra. It could chopped nuts, choc bits, dried fruits, smarties or other suitable lollies. It’s your choice.
  7. To bake pre-heat your oven to 175c. Next either grease your baking sheets lightly with butter or line those same baking sheets with baking (silicon) paper.
  8. Using a standard ice cream scoop (to ensure even size cookies), scoop the mix, so that is flush with the scoop edge.
  9. Place the portions flat side down and flatten slightly with the back of a table fork.
  10. The cookies shouldn’t spread too much but ensure that there is ‘space’ between each, say 2cm.
  11. If you want larger cookies just combine two scoops before repeating the two previous steps.
  12. Bake until the edges are golden brown. That should be approx. 10 minutes.
  13. When ready remove from oven and after 5 minutes, slide them onto a wire cooling rack.
  14. Serve freshly baked or store in an airtight jar for up to a week. Yes you can short term freeze the finished cookies.

Notes

Freezing the cookie dough.
As I mentioned earlier raw cookie dough can be successfully frozen for future use and I believe it is a better option than freezing baked cookies.
  • Firstly estimate the amount of dough required for enough cookies to fit on your baking sheet. Say enough for ten cookies.
  • On a 30cm square sheet of greaseproof paper or silicon paper place the dough about 10cm from the edge closest to you.
  • Next spread the mix in a rough tube shape leaving about 5cm clear paper on both the left and right sides of the paper.
  • You can now, using light pressure ‘roll’ the paper up into a cylinder about 5cm in diameter. The ends of the paper should be clear of mix.
  • Finally twist the ends of the paper (like a wrapped chocolate). With the ends secure gently roll to ensure an even log shape.
  • Next, repeat the process with plastic wrap. Don’t forget to name and date the cookie dough
  • Place in freezer.
  • The day before you need to bake the cookies take the required number of rolls out of the freezer and place in the fridge.
  • To bake, remove the wrapping and cut your portions.
  • With your hands roll the dough into balls, before placing on your baking sheet. Flatten each one slightly with the back of a table fork. Ensure suitable spacing. Bake.