Description
Delight in these versatile Slice and Bake Cookies featuring four delicious flavors: Chai Spiced Cinnamon Sugar, Dark Chocolate Cherry, Chocolate Hazelnut, and Chocolate Peppermint. Each flaky dough log is chilled, sliced, and baked to perfection for a treat that’s perfect for gifting or enjoying with a cup of tea.
Ingredients
Scale
Vanilla Dough Base
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (220g)
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed (70g)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (285g)
Chai Spiced Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 3 tbsp sparkling sugar
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon (for coating)
Dark Chocolate Cherry Mix
- 2 oz dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup raw sugar (for coating)
Chocolate Dough Base
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (220g)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (225g)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder (40g)
Chocolate Hazelnut Mix and Coating
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped (for mixing)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts (for coating)
Chocolate Peppermint Mix and Coating
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 2 oz dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup white melting chocolate
- 2 tsp oil (for melting chocolate)
- 3 crushed candy canes (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Prepare Vanilla Dough Base: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar using a hand or stand mixer with paddle attachment until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add vanilla bean paste and salt, then gradually mix in all-purpose flour. Finish mixing by hand with a rubber spatula to fully incorporate the flour.
- Divide and Flavor Dough for Vanilla Base: Split the vanilla dough nearly in half, reserving a slightly larger portion for the chai spiced version. Combine cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and allspice in a small dish, then fold these spices gently into the larger dough portion to swirl through without fully blending.
- Prepare Dark Chocolate Cherry Dough: To the smaller half of the vanilla dough, add chopped dark chocolate and dried cherries. Mix thoroughly. Form both dough portions (chai spiced and dark chocolate cherry) into logs approximately 8-9 inches long, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Prepare Chocolate Dough Base: Clean out the mixing bowl, then cream together unsalted butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Add salt and vanilla bean paste, followed by flour and cocoa powder. Mix by hand with a rubber spatula to incorporate all dry ingredients.
- Divide Chocolate Dough Base for Flavors: Split the chocolate dough in half. To one half, mix in roughly chopped hazelnuts. To the other half, add peppermint extract and chopped dark chocolate. Form each half into 8-9 inch logs, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill alongside vanilla dough logs for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Coat and Slice Dough Logs: Once chilled, roll the dark chocolate cherry log in raw sugar to coat thoroughly, pressing gently to adhere. Use an egg wash if sugar does not stick. Roll the chai spiced log in the cinnamon sugar mixture and the hazelnut chocolate log in finely chopped hazelnuts. Leave the peppermint log uncoated. Trim the ends of each log and slice into approximately 12 cookies each.
- Preheat and Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. While heating, place the sliced cookies in the refrigerator to chill. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and space cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake for 18 minutes or until edges are pale golden and tops are matte. Cool on a rack between batches.
- Dunk Peppermint Cookies: Melt white chocolate and oil in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments until smooth. Dunk half of each peppermint cookie into the melted chocolate and sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to set the coating.
- Serve: Enjoy the assortment of slice and bake cookies or package them as delightful gifts.
Notes
- The dough logs or sliced cookies can be frozen for up to 1 month. For freezing logs, chill for 2 hours, wrap in foil and freeze. For slices, chill, slice, then freeze in airtight containers. Frozen slices are easier to bake than frozen logs.
- These cookies ship well. For gifting, wrap groups of about 3 cookies in plastic wrap by flavor. Peppermint cookies benefit from double wrapping (plastic wrap and foil) to prevent flavor transfer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
