Elyse Wahle of Sullivan and Bleeker Baking Co. shares her foolproof recipe for the classic baked good, plus an assortment of quirky cookie creations Photography by Reena Newman | Food Styling by Sasha Seymour
<strong>Chocolate Sugar Cookie</strong><br /><br />
Add ½ cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder and an additional ½ cup granulated sugar to the base recipe. Chill for 1 hour, cut into your favourite shape and bake. Place 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350º F for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool slightly, then dust with sugar.
<strong>Lemon Thumbprint</strong><br /><br />
Add ½ tsp lemon zest to the base recipe. Shape dough into 1-inch balls (about 2 tbsp each). Place on baking sheets, at least 3 inches apart. Press a light indentation into the top of each cookie with your finger. Drop ½ tsp store-bought lemon curd into each indentation. Bake at 350º F for 20 to 25 minutes.
<strong>Bacon-Cheddar Cookie</strong><br /><br />
Remove vanilla, baking soda, sugar, egg and ½ cup flour from the base recipe. Add ½ tsp cayenne pepper, 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and 7 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped. Mix well. Roll into a log and let cool in the fridge for 1 hour. Cut cooled dough into ¼-inch slices. Bake on a cookie sheet at 350º F for 18 to 20 minutes.
<strong>Blueberry Bars</strong><br /><br />
Press ¾ of the dough from the base recipe into a square pan. Cover with blueberry jam. Roll out the rest of the dough and cut into 1-inch strips. Weave strips in a lattice pattern over the jam. Bake at 350º F for 28 minutes.
<strong>Wannabe Pop-Tart</strong><br /><br />
Make the base recipe. Roll dough into a ¼-inch-thick square. Using arectangular cookie cutter, cut as many rectangles as possible. Place half the cookies on a lined baking sheet and top them with your favourite jam. Top each with a second half and press sides down with a fork. Bake at 350º F for 10 to 12 minutes. Mix ½ cup icing sugar with 1 tbsp fresh strawberry juice and use to glaze cookies.
<strong>S’mores Cookie</strong><br /><br />
Substitute ¾ cup of the flour in the base recipe with graham cracker crumbs and add a pinch of cinnamon. Mix in 2 cups of chocolate chunks. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and set on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake at 350º F for <br />
5 minutes, remove from oven and top each with 3 mini marshmallows and 2 pieces chopped Hershey bar. Bake for 3 more minutes.
<strong>Cinnamon Rolls</strong><br />
Split dough from the base recipe in half and roll each half into a ¼-inch-thick square. Brush the squares lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Roll each square into a log, wrap in plastic and place in freezer for 15 minutes until firm. Slice into cookies about ¼ inch thick. Bake at 350º F for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool, then drizzle with an icing sugar glaze.
<strong>Cranberry–White Chocolate Biscotti</strong><br /><br />
Add ½ cup dried cranberries to the base recipe. Form dough into a foot-long log. Flatten the log until it’s 3 inches wide. Bake on a cookie sheet at 300º F for 25 to 28 minutes until lightly brown around the edges and bottom. Cut log on a slight diagonal into ½-inch-thick cookies. Bake for another 25 to 28 minutes until lightly toasted. Drizzle with melted white chocolate.
<strong>Salted Dulce de leche sandwich</strong><br /><br />
Make the base recipe. Roll out the dough. Use cookie cutter to make 2-inch-wide circles. Set on a cookie sheet and bake at 350º F for 8 to 12 minutes until just lightly browned on edges. Once cool, spoon 1 tsp dulce de leche (make your own by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk in water for 3 hours) on half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining halves. Sprinkle with sea salt.
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup unsalted butter,
at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1. Whisk together flour, salt and baking soda.
2. In an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add flour mixture and beat into a smooth dough.
3. Divide dough in half and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour until firm.
4. Preheat oven to 350º F. Roll dough into ¼-inch-thick disc and use a cookie cutter to make 2-inch-wide circles. Place 3 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. Bake cookies 8 to 10 minutes until edges start to brown. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.