Classic Cookie Dough Recipe with Delicious Variations

This large batch of cookie dough yields about 24 generous cookies. If you don’t need that many, bake what you want and freeze the rest of the dough for a future day when you don’t feel like starting from scratch.

Simple Cookie Recipe

If you live alone and have little willpower, don’t bake the whole batch at once—just a friendly warning.

Basic Freezer Cookie Dough

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Simple Biscuit (Cookie) Recipe, with Variations
Author: Jane Sarchet
Ingredients
  • 200
    g
    plain flour
  • 100
    g
    oats
  • 1/2
    tsp
    bicarb of soda
    baking soda
  • 1/4
    tsp
    salt
  • 300
    g
    dark brown sugar
    or a mix of dark brown & white
  • 225
    g
    butter
  • 2
    tbsp
    honey
  • 2
    large eggs
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to fan 160°C / conventional 180°C / 350°F / Gas 4.
  2. Cream the softened butter and sugar together until well combined. Stir in the eggs and honey, then beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
  3. Add the flour, oats, bicarbonate of soda and salt, plus any variation ingredients you choose. Mix just until no dry streaks remain.
  4. Drop walnut-sized lumps of dough onto a baking sheet, leaving an inch or two between each because they will spread.
  5. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until the cookies are a light golden brown. Transfer them immediately to a flat surface with a spatula—avoid cooling racks as the cookies are soft when hot.
  6. Once cool, tuck them away in a safe spot.

How to Freeze Cookie Dough

Place the raw dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze overnight or until completely firm. Transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe bag and pull out as many as you need. Bake from frozen on a baking sheet, adding about 10 minutes to the cooking time.

Recipe Variations

Stir any of the following into the dry mixture for a different flavor profile.

Fruit n Nut Cookie

Add 150g sultanas or other dried fruit and 100g chopped nuts.

Cherry Coconut Cookie

Add 150g glace cherries and 100g desiccated coconut.

Lemon Poppyseed cookie

Add the zest of 1 lemon, 1 tsp lemon extract and 1 tbsp poppy seeds for a bright, citrusy version.