Basic cookie & chocolate cookie recipes

Cookies are America’s #1 baked treat. Super easy to make, over a thousand recipes you can use and many different ways to decorate them. 

First step is of course baking them.. Here are two really easy but yummie recipes for cookies!

Basic cookie (shortbread cookie)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
  
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups flour

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Instruction:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).

Step 2: In a medium mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add flour and mix until dough is smooth.

Step 3: Spray pan with vegetable pan spray. Press the cookies in prepared pan.

Step 4: Bake 10-15 minutes, or until very lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes in pans and remove shortbread to cool.

Chocolate cookies (spiced)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine , softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
• 3 squares (3 ounces) unsweetened chocolate , melted and cooled
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Makes about 2, 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Instruction:Step 1: Preheat oven to 375°F. (190 °C)

Step 2: In medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. In large bowl, beat together butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Blend in chocolate. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture, beating until smooth. Form dough into a disc, cover and chill until firm, about one hour

Step 3: Roll dough approximately 1/8-in. thick. Dip cutters in flour; cut and transfer cookies to cookie sheet.

Step 4: Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool cookies completely on pan.

Tip: Just want chocolate cookies without the spices? Don't add the ginger, allspice and nutmeg.