Slice and Bake Cookies – 10 Variations
Slice and Bake Cookies – 10 Variations
Slice and bake cookies are great for any occasion! With this one simple dough you can make tons of variations and create delicious cookies for holidays, celebrations, or just to enjoy!
If you’ve ever bought a roll of premade cookie dough at the grocery store you know how easy slice and bake cookies are! No need to scoop dough or worry about the cookies being different sizes. Just cut them and pop them in the oven!
That is why I love this recipe! These slice and bake cookies can also be called icebox cookies or refrigerator cookies because you can make this recipe and keep the dough in the refrigerator to have on hand when you are ready to bake! But the best thing about these cookies is that the possibilities are endless! With just one base dough you can make a TON of variations for any holiday or occasion! This is one of my favorites to make during the holiday season because the base dough is made with simple basic ingredients that I can keep on hand and just add what I want!
One of the things I love about this slice and bake cookie recipe is that it makes holiday baking a breeze! You can buy one set of ingredients and make a big variety of cookies! It is great for easy Christmas baking so that you can make a ton of cookies without a ton of work!
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In this post I’ve included ten different variations for this recipe, but you really can tweak them to add any flavorings or mix ins that you’d like to create amazing flavor combinations! We love these cookies to experiment with and make these cookies a ton of different ways! This cookie recipe makes a tender cookie with a delicious buttery flavor that compliments most other flavors which makes it the perfect blank canvas, or delicious on it’s own!
The basic cookie dough creates lovely cookies that are a cross between sugar cookies and shortbread cookies. They are tender, buttery and not too sweet!
FAQ & TIPS for Slice-and-Bake cookies-
How long will the dough keep in the refrigerator?
This is a great cookie recipe to make ahead for when you are ready to bake your cookies! After forming the dough into a log shape you can wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for up to 5 days before baking.
Can I freeze the dough?
Yes! Slice and bake icebox cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months! Just make the cookie dough then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then wrapping it again in a layer of aluminum foil to make it airtight. When you are ready to bake allow it to thaw in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
Split the cookie dough-
If you’d love to make a variety of cookies but don’t want to make full batches this is a great dough! You can easily split this dough in half and add your flavorings or mix ins to part of the dough, just make sure to halve them too.
Cut the cookie dough with a sharp knife-
For nice even slices of cookie dough make sure that you have a sharp knife use a smooth not serrated blade. I like to wipe mine off with a damp cloth or paper towel ever few slices to keep it clean so it cuts through nicely.
Keep the dough round-
Sometimes as the dough chills it can get a bit of a flat spot on the bottom. If you want to help keep it perfectly round you can cut a paper towel roll lengthwise and wrap it around your plastic wrapped dough log to keep the log form nice and round while it chills in the refrigerator.
Ingredients for the slice and bake cookie base dough-
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Salt
1 Cup Butter (softened)
½ Cup White Sugar
½ Cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla
Here’s how to make these cookies-
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream butter until light and fluffy.
Add in brown sugar and white sugar and continue to mix until well incorporated.
Add in egg and vanilla and continue mixing until well blended.
In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt until well blended.
Gradually add flour mixture into the wet ingredients mixing after each addition until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Add in any mix ins and mix gently on low.
Lay out a piece of wax paper on a flat surface. Scoop the dough into the center of the wax paper. Use the wax paper to help shape the dough into a long shape with a diameter of about 2 inches.
Wrap the dough in the wax paper and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
To bake the cookies –
Preheat oven to 350
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Unwrap the cookie dough and place it on a cutting board or other cutting surface. Using a sharp knife slice the cookie dough into ¼- ½ inch slices.
Place dough slices on prepared cookie sheet a couple of inches apart. These cookies don’t spread much as they bake.
Bake for 10-14 minutes or until they are a very lightly golden brown around the edge and appear dry in the center.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Slice and Bake Cookie Variations-
Sugar Cookies-
You can dress up the base dough easily and create festive sugar cookies with just the addition of colorful sugar or sprinkles. Just roll the base dough log in sprinkles or sanding sugar before wrapping it in wax paper. You can also frost the baked and cooled cookies to create a frosted sugar cookie! You can make vanilla cookies or almond cookies with this recipe by using different extracts.
Chocolate Pretzel-
Nothing beats sweet and salty! This combo is always a hit and is perfect for the chocolate lover in your life. YOu can use dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips, whichever you prefer. Add in ½ Cup Chocolate Chips & ½ Cup Chopped Pretzels to the dough before shaping and refrigerating.
Peppermint Bark–
Perfect for the holidays these cookies are full of mint flavor and white chocolate chips! Just add in 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract, 1/4 cup crushed peppermint candies (about 10 starlight mints) and 1/2 cup white chocolate chips.
Mocha-
The perfect combination of chocolate and coffee that everyone loves Just add in ¼ Cup Cocoa Powder and 1 teaspoon Instant Coffee (or instant espresso for a stronger flavor)
Tropical–
If you’re looking for a great cookie for spring or summer gatherings this is it! Just add in ½ Cup Chopped Dried Pineapple & ½ Cup Toasted Coconut for a delightful tropical taste!
Funfetti/ Sprinkle–
Everyone loves a colorful cookie! Just add in ¼ cup jimmies to your dough to add some color and create super festive cookies! Add green and red for Christmas cookies, pastel colors for spring, rainbow sprinkles for fun, or any color combination for birthday parties, graduation parties or baby showers!
Toffee-
This simple add in is a favorite in my house! Just mix in 1/2 cup Heath toffee bits in your base dough. They add a delicious caramel taste and a little bit of crunch!
Lemon Poppy seed-
A classic combination this is always a hit! Lemon cookies with crunchy poppy seeds are so delicious with just the right amount of tartness! Just add ½ tsp lemon extract 2 tablespoons poppy seeds and 2 teaspoons lemon zest.
Classic chocolate chip cookies-
Add in ¾ cup mini chocolate chips. I like to use mini chocolate chips because they disperse nicely throughout the cookie dough and make it easier to cut through. You can use regular size chocolate chips if you prefer. Add some orange extract to make delicious chocolate orange cookies.
Pistachio–
The addition of pistachios adds an amazing flavor and just the right amount of salt! Replace the vanilla extract with almond extract and add in 1 cup chopped pistachios, if you want your cookies to be green add a few drops of green food coloring.
Sandwich Cookies-
You can make your favorite cookies with this dough and then fill them with frosting to make delicious sandwich cookies.
Slice and Bake Cookies- 10 Variations
Ingredients
- Basic Dough
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Butter softened
- ½ Cup White Sugar
- ½ Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- Peppermint Bark-
- Start with base dough recipe and add in
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract
- ¼ Cup Crushed Peppermint Candies about 10 starlight mints
- ½ Cup White Chocolate Chips
- Pistachio-
- Start with base dough recipe-
- Swap 1 tsp Almond Extract in place of Vanilla Extract
- Add in 1 Cup Chopped Pistachios
- Optional- 3-4 drops of green food coloring.
- Toffee-
- Start with base dough and add in
- 1 Cup Heath Toffee Bits
- Sugar-
- Roll base dough log in sprinkles or sanding sugar. Or frost cooled cookies
- Chocolate pretzel-
- Start with base dough and add in
- ½ Cup Chocolate Chips
- ½ Cup Chopped Pretzels
- Mocha-
- Start with base dough and add in
- ¼ Cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 tsp Instant Coffee
- Tropical-
- Start with base dough and add in
- ½ Cup Chopped Dried Pineapple
- ½ Cup Toasted Coconut
- Funfetti/ Sprinkle-
- Start with base dough and add in
- ¼ cup jimmies
- Lemon poppy seed-
- Start with base dough and add in
- ½ tsp lemon extract
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- Classic chocolate chip-
- Start with base dough and add in
- ¾ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream butter until light and fluffy.
- Add in brown sugar and white sugar and continue to mix until well incorporated.
- Add in egg and vanilla and continue mixing until well blended.
- In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt until well blended.
- Gradually add flour mixture into the wet ingredients mixing after each addition until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Add in any mix ins and mix gently on low.
- Lay out a piece of wax paper on a flat surface. Scoop the dough into the center of the wax paper. Use the wax paper to help roll the dough into a long shape with a diameter of about 2 inches.
- Wrap the dough in the wax paper and chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- To bake-
- Preheat the oven to 350
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Unwrap the cookie dough and place it on a cutting board or other cutting surface. Using a sharp knife slice the cookie dough into ¼- ½ inch slices.
- Place dough slices on prepared cookie sheet a couple of inches apart.
- Bake for 10-14 minutes or until they are a very lightly golden brown around the edge and appear dry in the center.
- Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet before removing and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.
