Use this basic cookie dough recipe to make pretty much whatever kind of cookie you're craving right now.
The chocolate or vanilla dough mixes up in about 5 minutes. After that, toss in anything you like, in whatever combination strikes your fancy.
Chocolate, peanut butter or butterscotch chips, roasted nuts, chopped candies, shredded coconut, pretzels, oatmeal, dried fruit, sprinkles, chopped cookies, graham crackers, mini marshmallows... Start with this base cookie dough to bake any kind of cookies.
One Basic Cookie Dough Recipe for Any Kind of Cookie
It's the middle of the afternoon or late at night and you're rummaging around in the kitchen for something sweet, willing something delicious and freshly baked to magically appear in front of you.
We've all been there. And, that is why this anything goes basic cookie dough recipe exists.
The dough takes about 5 minutes to mix up and will happily accept as much or as little of any mix-ins you happen to have on hand. All you have to do is decide if you want a chocolate or vanilla cookie base, then stir in anything you like.
What kind of cookie do you want to bake today?
Craving something salty-sweet? Toss in a few handfuls of roasted, salted nuts or salty pretzels.
In desperate need of copious amounts of chocolate? Add a few tablespoons of cocoa powder and then stir in a ridiculous amount of chocolate chips.
Longing for the comfort of oatmeal raisin? No problem.
Want to let the kids go crazy with sprinkles? Let them!
Want to make cookies with a pantry that looks something like this? Two half eaten packages of easter candy, an open bag of peanut butter chips and another of mini chocolate chips, a snack-size bag of pretzels, about 30 almonds, some toasted coconut and roasted peanuts leftover from last week's curry, three Oreo cookies, and a nearly empty jar of Nutella?
Dump it all in there, baby. I'm telling you. Anything goes with this one cookie dough base recipe.
Two Tips for The Best Cookies Ever
#1. Large cookies can handle lots of mix-ins.
When it comes to cookies that are stuffed with all sorts of delicious mix-ins, my preference is for them to be quite large. Why? Because there is a much better chance that each cookie will have a nice distribution of mix-ins when they are on the large side.
#2. Under bake your cookies.
The amount and variety of ingredient that you add to this base cookie dough will affect how long they need to bake. So, pay attention to your cookies as they bake, and remove them from the oven when they are slightly underdone in the middle.
Trust me on this. If you're looking for a slightly gooey, soft cookie center, under baking them ever so slightly is the way to go.
The recipe calls for baking generous golf balls sized mounds of dough for 10-11 minutes. If you're baking even larger cookies, you'll probably need to bake them for a couple minutes longer. If baking smaller cookies, take them from the oven sooner.
Essentially, you're looking for cookies that are set and a bit golden around the edges, but still soft looking in the middle. When unsure, err on the side of under-baked cookies.
How Many Mix-ins Should You Add?
In the vanilla cookies you see pictured here, I added between 5 and 6 cups of mix-ins:
- About 2 cups of pretzels
- 1 cup each dark chocolate chips and heath bar candy pieces
- And a cup or two of roasted, salted almonds.
But, in the chocolate cookies pictured here, I added only about 2 cups of dark chocolate chips.
So, the amount of mix-ins you add to this basic cookie dough is really up to you.
The dough itself will accept a large volume of mix-ins. But, let the ingredients themself guide how much you add of each mix-in.
For example, 5 cups of chocolate chips would make for extremely sweet cookies. Sometimes - and I don't say this lightly - there really is such thing as too much chocolate.
Likewise, if you're only adding crushed Oreos, or chopped peanut butter cups, adding more than 2 cups is likely to result in cookies that are waaaaay too sweet.
However if you're adding in a mixture of salty and sweet items, like oatmeal, raisins, white chocolate chips, and salted almonds, 5 cups total should be about right. Just let your personal tastes, preferences, and common sense guide you to your perfect cookie.
Anything Cookies are a Building Blocks Recipe
Building block recipes are tried-and-true recipes that I consider foundational to great home baking.
They are the kind of recipes I come back to over and over again, sometimes baking them as is, but often using them as a jumping off point to create something new. > Scroll through all Building Block recipes.
More Cookie Recipes
- Extra Thick and Gooey Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
- Pecan Sand Tarts
- Brookies ~ Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Bars
- Perfectly Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Giant Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
I want to leave you with another great anything-goes recipe - this Basic Muffin Recipe is all you need for sweet or savory muffins that include whatever flavors you like.
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to rate this recipe and leave a comment, or take a picture and tag it @ofbatteranddough on Instagram.
Happy baking!
📖 Recipe
Anything Cookies
Use this simple basic cookie dough recipe to make whatever kind of cookie you're craving right now.
The chocolate or vanilla dough mixes up in about 5 minutes. After that, toss in anything you like in whatever combination strikes your fancy.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (300g) flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoon (31g) cocoa powder (*Use ONLY if making chocolate cookie dough)
- 1 cup (8oz/ 226g) salted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 cup (213g) brown sugar (light or dark)
- ¾ cup (148g) white (granulated) sugar
- 2 large eggs + 1 or 2 large egg yolks (*If making vanilla cookie dough, use 1 extra yolk. If making chocolate cookie dough, use 2 extra egg yolks.)
- 3 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional, but delicious in both vanilla and chocolate cookie dough)
- Approximately 3-5 cups of anything you like. *Suggested mix-ins listed above this recipe and below in the recipe notes.
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the flour, salt, and baking soda (and cocoa powder, if making chocolate cookies) to a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Add the melted butter and both sugars to a separate bowl and beat with an electric mixer until lightened in color and fluffy - about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs and egg yolk(s) to the butter-sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition to fully incorporate each egg. Beat in the vanilla and almond extract (if using).
- Stir in the dry ingredients, stirring just long enough to blend. Stir in add any other additions.
- Plop the dough onto the parchment lined baking sheet in balls that are about the size of a golf ball (a generous size golf ball), spacing them at least 3 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes, removing them from the oven when they look set but still slightly underdone in the center. Let cool for at least 5-6 minutes before removing them from the cookie sheet to a wire rack to cool completely.
The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.
Notes
Add anything that sounds good to you to this basic cookie dough.
Here are a few suggestions:
- White, dark or milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or peanut butter chips
- Shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened, toasted or raw
- Any kind of nuts, raw or roasted and salted, chopped or left whole
- Heath bar bits, or any kind of chopped or crushed candy
- Sprinkles
- Pretzels
- Oatmeal
- Any kind of dried fruit
- Crushed cookies or grahm crackers
- Marshmallows
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1 large cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 131Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 216mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g
*Nutrition information calculated without mix ins.
Nicole Lees says
Hi. I'm really looking forward to making this! They look so good! I'm just wondering if you might have a sugar free version? I'm pregnant and have GD. I'm wanting to make some healthy, high protein cookies but I have to avoid the sugar. Thank you.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Nicole! Great question. I suggest trying Stevia or Allulose in these cookies instead of sugar. If you use powdered Stevia, like Stevia in the Raw, you can substitute it cup for cup with sugar. Allulose isn't quite as sweet as sugar, so you'll want to use a bit more. Powdered stevia is generally available at most supermarkets, whereas Allulose can be harder to find. You can, of course, always order it. The great thing bout allulose for diabetics is that there's some evidence that it can actually help regulate blood sugar.
I haven't tried baking these cookies with either Stevia or Allulose, so I can't speak directly to how they will work in this recipe. What I can say is that I have baked with both products and had good success with both, so I believe either of them will work well in this recipe.
If you try either of them in these cookies, will you let me know how they come out for you?
Renee says
My cookies came out thick. And didn’t flatten how I would have like, what did I do wrong?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Renee! There's a couple of things that you might try next time... First of all, depending on how many mix-ins you add, these can be very substantial cookies. But, if you end up with cookies that are thick and dense, I'd suggest the following:
1. Flour can compact in the bag or canister, which can make it easy to inadvertently add too much.The next time you measure, dump some flour out into a bowl and stir it around with a wire whisk to aerate it. Then, spoon it into the measuring cup, leveling off the top with the flat side of a knife.
2. When beating the butter and sugar, be sure to mix long enough to where the mixture is lightened in color and looks "fluffy". This incorporates air into the batter, which will keep the cookies from being overly dense.
3. Check your oven temp. Most ovens are not 100% accurate. If your oven runs low, this can cause the cookies to cook too slowly, not spreading out before they are set. My oven also tends to run at a lower temperature than the dial would suggest, so I set a simple oven thermometer in the center of the oven that I rely on every time I bake to make sure the temperature is where I want it to be.
I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions, or if you suspect that it was something other than one of these ideas. I'm happy to keep trouble shooting with you! xo
Rochell says
Did you use a specific measuring tool for scooping the dough? I’m wanting to see which of my scoops would be closest to “golf ball” sized.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Rochelle! I don't use any kind of measuring tool for these cookies. How large they are is really up to you... I generally just scoop out a ball of dough that's very approximately the size of a golf ball. But, it doesn't need to be super exact. 😊 Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to hear what you think of these cookies after you make them! xo
georgie says
Love this recipe! I've been on the hunt for a versatile cookie recipe for ages! So yummy and love how many different combinations you can do!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I'm so happy to hear that Georgie! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! I truly appreciate it! xo
Debi says
How many cookies does one recipe make?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Debi! This recipe will make about 30 fairly good size cookies. Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, If you make this recipe, I'd love to know what you think! xo
shaf says
I tried this and it turned out more than well! The cookies were super tasty...we couldn't stop eating them. I had to hide some to ensure we have some more for the next day..
Thank you so much for sharing..It was easy to make too.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! I'm so happy to hear that you liked this recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me. I truly appreciate it! xo
Cathy says
Made the chocolate version of these cookies this weekend, all with chocolate chips, some with crushed pretzels and some with M&Ms (depending on who I was sharing them with)
I’ve already had 3 different requests for more cookies!
They are easy and delicious!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I'm so happy to hear that you made these, Cathy! And even happier to hear that they were a hit! I love using pretzels in these. Something about the salty and sweet just gets me every time. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me! xo
Susan says
OMG! I made these Sunday night. Added chocolate chips, oatmeal, coconut flakes, M&Ms and finished them with a sprinkle of sea salt... OK you do not know how happy I am to have only baked off 2 of them. So damn yummy!
Thank you for a great cookie base recipe!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Haha! I love this comment so much, Susan! The combination of ingredients that you added sounds delicious! I am so happy that this recipe is working out well for you. Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to let me know! xo
Christine says
Couple of questions from a novice baker-
1. What should you do if your brown sugar is creating little clumps?
2. What if you don't have parchment paper? Should you grease the cookie sheet?
Thanks for the help! Love the site!!!!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hello there! Little clumps of brown sugar are just fine. Just keep beating the butter and sugar until the mixture looks fluffy and lighted in color. And lightly greasing the cookie sheet should be all you need to keep the cookies from sticking. You can also use aluminum foil. So happy you're making these!!! xoxo