For many of the years I've been baking Christmas cookies, I've seen recipes that promise "one dough will do it all" when it comes to variety and versatility. Until this year, I've never been tempted to try one.
I found a basic vanilla cookie dough recipe in the 2016 Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookies magazine and decided to take the challenge for The Sacramento Bee's 2016 Cookie Corner baking test. (Every year I test holiday-appropriate cookie recipes so you don't have to.) This recipe is heavy on butter and doesn't include baking powder or soda, but does include an egg. The resulting treats in most cases will be closer to shortbread than to sugar cookies.
The refrigerator is your friend with this recipe, I discovered. The basic dough freezes well, though it will take a while to defrost. Chilling at least in the fridge is a must, but some of the varieties will work with as little as 30 minutes of chill time. Anything rolled and cut out, or rolled in coatings, will need at least 60 minutes. The swirl cookies require slightly chilled dough before the filling is added, and then the whole thing is wrapped and frozen (but these can be cut fairly soon after being removed from the freezer).
Also, if your kitchen is warm, the dough might need to be popped back into the fridge for a bit to keep it from being melty.
That all said, this is a great recipe that became, in my tests, nine different cookies, one of which I hope will fill the bill for a cookie plate or cookie exchange in your holiday plans.
Don't be afraid to experiment with this dough; I thought of a couple more ideas just while putting this package together.
A FEW BAKING TIPS
Experienced bakers will know these already, but it doesn't hurt to repeat my favorite advice for the Christmas cookie baker, and for this recipe in particular.
_ Check all your supplies ahead of time, particularly your spices, which should be fragrant. Replace them if they're not. Freshness also is a must for nuts; taste one or two pieces if you're not sure.
_ Look for nuts, dried fruit and other supplies in the bins of your supermarket or natural foods store. Generally they're cheaper this way, and you can buy the amount you want, not the amount the packager wants to sell you.
_ I use parchment paper on my baking pans, which eases cleanup as well as removal of the baked cookies. This buttery recipe doesn't require greased pans, except where noted.
_ Speaking of butter, it's very important here that it's softened but not melted, so that air can be whipped into it, alone and then with the sugar. Don't use the microwave to soften butter; it's too easy to melt it.
_ Use a timer on these cookies. They bake quickly, and you don't want to burn them. Also, if you're using a conventional oven, change the pans' position in the oven halfway through, especially if you're baking two pans at a time.
_ Most of these cookies will store well in tightly covered tins or plastic containers. Some don't stack well � they'll stick together _ so allow for that.
_ Want to split the dough evenly into two or three varieties? If you have a kitchen scale, it's easy. One full basic batch will weigh about 24 ounces (1.5 pounds), so divide accordingly.
