The Culinary Works

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Ever go into a bakery and feel a sense of awe at all of the cookie varieties in the case? Want a big repertoire of cookies but are sick of having to find and store a recipe for each one? Did you know that most chefs have a few standard recipes they use as a ‘base’ from which they create what seems like an endless supply of new varieties? Trick? Yes. It’s all about the dough.

There are 3 basic ‘go to’ dough recipes from which I create many different cookies by simply changing the add-ins. I’m not saying I don’t have others, oatmeal, biscotti, chewy fudge etc., but I get a lot of mileage from these three basic recipes. Here is what I mean.

I am frequently asked to make my Toffee cookies. I love them, the texture of the toffee in the cookie, the little bit of salt and sweet taste along with a bit of chocolate, really good! What’s cool is that these are made from the same dough I use to make chocolate chip cookies. I call it House Dough. Instead of adding chocolate chips, I add broken up Heath bars. Not that it’s beyond me to add chocolate too….

I have another dough recipe I call snicker dough because I use it for Snicker Doodles, my son Sammy’s favorite! But this dough is very versatile. Add any combination of lemon zest, orange zest, chopped dried berries, white chocolate chips, macadamia or pistachio nuts…even lime zest! By getting creative and adding what you like to this dough, you can end up with a big selection cookies.

Lastly, sugar dough. For anything sugar cookie like, I use a short dough. You can find the recipe here. I use this dough for cutting out cookies for decorating. It is also a great dough to split into batches, color and roll together or checkerboard to make sliced cookies.

These are my standard ‘go to’ recipes. I spent time modifying them to get the flavor and texture I wanted. Then by simply splitting the prepared batch of dough after it’s mixed and adding different things to each bit, I can make one big batch of dough yet end up with two or three types cookies.

Here is another trick. If I make one kind of dough, and want to bring several varieties to a party or family gathering, I make each variety a different size or shape. Also, sprinkling sugar or crushed nuts over the top of one variety gives it a different look than the others. This just gives each it’s own identity and frankly, makes you look like the hero for taking the time to make several batches of cookies…no one else has to know it was one big batch you creatively made into several varieties.

I like my cookies to be a little less crisp and more cakey or chewey. If you like them crisp, find a recipe with less egg/flour and more sugar/fat…this makes the end product more crisp. Once you master your dough recipe, write it down and keep it safe. Remember to think of it as a ‘base’, which you can add all sorts of yummy stuff to. Then, get creative and have some fun!!

 

 

Here is the recipe for the House Dough I use for Chocolate Chip or Toffee Cookies. You can easily branch off and do dark chocolate chunk and dried cherry, chocolate and chopped espresso bean etc. This is a big recipe so don’t try to double it, your mixer can only handle so much. It freezes well. I rarely bake the whole batch at once; instead I leave it in the fridge for up to a week and bake a few at a time or freeze it for up to a month.

House Dough

Cream Together

1lb Butter (4 sticks)

1 ½ cup Granulated Sugar

1 ½ Cup Brown Sugar (Light)

2 tsp Vanilla

2 tsp Carmel Extract

1 tsp Salt

Add in one at a time, 5 Large Eggs

In a bowl combine

5 Cups Flour

2 tsp Baking Soda

After combined, mix into butter mixture

For Toffee, Add in crushed Toffee 10 - 15 Bars (the crushed up stuff in the bag just melts into the dough, I suggest taking the time to get the bars and add the chunks to the cookies, it makes a big difference.

For chocolate chip, use 2 standard size bags.

 

Bake at 350 degrees, if you scoop them really big, you can adjust the heat down to 325 degrees to make sure they cook evenly.

 

 

Here is the Snicker Dough.  Another big recipe so don’t try to double it. This one also freezes as well.

Snicker Dough

Cream Together

1 lb of butter (4 sticks)

3 cups white bakers sugar

Add in 5 eggs

In a bowl combine

6 ½ cups of flour

4 tsp cream of tartar

 

2 tsp Baking Soda

½ tsp salt

After combined, mix into butter mixture

For Snicker Doodles, mix equal parts sugar and cinnamon to roll the dough balls in before placing on the baking sheet. The sugar coating gives them a thin crispy skin on the outside, which is fabulous. If you use the dough for another type of cookie, you can still roll the balls in sugar to get that same effect.

Bake at 375 degrees for walnut size balls, 350 if you make them larger.

 

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