Description

Discover a delightful way to celebrate the holidays with this versatile recipe that transforms one base cookie dough into 10 unique and festive cookies. From classic Snowball Cookies to flavorful Gingerbread Men and Linzer Cookies, this holiday cookie box offers a variety of textures and flavors perfect for any festive occasion. The recipe guides you through making vanilla, gingerbread, and chocolate variations, complete with special toppings, decorations, and dipping options. Ideal for bakers looking to impress with a colorful selection and easy preparation, these cookies balance sweetness with aromatic spices and rich cocoa, baked to perfection for a crisp or chewy finish depending on your preference.

Ingredients

Scale

Base Dough Ingredients

226 g Unsalted butter (softened)
142 g Powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg
1 Egg yolk (save the egg white for egg wash if needed)
285 g All-purpose flour
85 g Almond flour

Vanilla Dough

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Portion of base dough (200 g for some recipes, 100 g for others)
33 g Toasted pecans (for Snowball Cookies)
Some toasted mixed nuts (optional, for decoration)
Some dark chocolate (melted, for filling or decoration)
Some dried cranberries (for decoration, optional)
Some sprinkles (optional)
16.6 g Brown sugar (for Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies)
1/8 teaspoon Baking soda (for Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies)
33 g Chocolate chips (for Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies)

Gingerbread Dough

40 g Molasses
3/4 teaspoon Ginger powder
3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon powder
1/8 teaspoon Allspice powder
1/8 teaspoon Clove powder
25 g All-purpose flour
Portion of base dough (100 g for some recipes, rest for others)
16.6 g Brown sugar (for Mini Gingerbread Cookies)
1/8 teaspoon Baking soda (for Mini Gingerbread Cookies)
Some granulated sugar (for coating)
Some white chocolate (for optional decoration)
Some dark chocolate (for optional decoration)
Some dried cranberries (optional decoration)
Some sprinkles (optional)

Chocolate Dough

4 teaspoon Cocoa powder
Portion of base dough (100 g for some recipes, rest for others)
16 g Brown sugar (for Mini Chocolate Cookies)
1/8 teaspoon Baking soda (for Mini Chocolate Cookies)
1.5 teaspoon Milk (for Mini Chocolate Cookies)
Some dark chocolate (for optional decoration)
Some jam of your choice (for Linzer Cookies)
Some powdered sugar (for decoration on Linzer Cookies)
Some egg white (for egg wash)
Some sprinkles (optional)

Other Ingredients

Any leftover dough (to mix with dried fruits and nuts)
Some dried fruits (diced, for Icebox Cookies)
Some toasted nuts (mixed, for Icebox Cookies)
Some granulated sugar (for coating Icebox Cookies)

Instructions

Make the Base Dough: Prepare the base cookie dough by creaming softened unsalted butter with powdered sugar, salt, egg, and egg yolk. Gradually incorporate all-purpose flour and almond flour until a soft dough forms. Chill as needed to firm up for easier handling.
Prepare Vanilla Dough: Take a portion of the base dough and mix in vanilla extract thoroughly. This dough will be used for several cookie types including Snowball, Piped, Wreath, and Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Prepare Gingerbread Dough: Blend molasses, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, clove, and all-purpose flour into a portion of the base dough until well combined to create a spiced gingerbread dough.
Prepare Chocolate Dough: Add cocoa powder to a portion of the base dough and blend it evenly to form the chocolate dough.
Snowball Cookies: Incorporate toasted pecans into a portion of the vanilla dough. Chill the dough for ease of shaping, then form into balls. Chill again and bake. After cooling, roll in powdered sugar to coat.
Piped Cookies: Using a piping bag fitted with a star tip, pipe vanilla dough into circular shapes onto parchment-lined trays. Chill before baking for shape retention. Bake and once cooled, fill centers with melted dark chocolate.
Wreath Cookies: Roll out vanilla dough between parchment paper and chill. Cut with two circular cookie cutters to create wreath-shaped cookies. Decorate with dried cranberries and sprinkles on top. Chill again, then bake. Optionally, decorate with string for hanging.
Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies: Mix brown sugar and baking soda into a portion of vanilla dough, add mini chocolate chips, and mix. Chill, form 15g balls, flatten tops, and add additional chocolate chips on top. Bake until golden.
Mini Gingerbread Cookies: Into gingerbread dough, mix brown sugar and baking soda. Chill and form 15g balls. Roll in granulated sugar coating, flatten tops, then sprinkle more sugar. Bake. Optionally dip some cookies in melted white chocolate and drizzle with dark chocolate for a marble effect.
Gingerbread Men Cookies: Roll gingerbread dough out with parchment paper and chill. Cut with gingerbread men cookie cutter. Use a toothpick to add facial features and decorate with sprinkles. Chill again before baking.
Mini Chocolate Cookies: Combine brown sugar, baking soda, and milk into a portion of the chocolate dough. Chill, shape into 15g balls, then bake. Optionally dip some in melted dark chocolate.
Chocolate Linzer Cookies: Roll chocolate dough out with parchment paper and chill. Cut with circle and star cookie cutters. Chill cut shapes again before baking. After baking and cooling, sandwich star and circle pieces with jam in the center. Dust tops with powdered sugar.
Star Cookies: Use leftover star cutouts from Linzer Cookies. Add sprinkles for decoration. Chill and bake until golden.
Dried Fruits & Nuts Icebox Cookies: Collect all leftover doughs and mix with diced dried fruits and toasted nuts. Form into a log shape and freeze. Before baking, slice logs, apply egg white wash, sprinkle granulated sugar on top, and bake.
Baking Instructions: Preheat oven to 345°F (174°C). Chill all cut-out and piped cookie doughs before baking to prevent spreading and to enhance shape retention; freezing is ideal. Bake cookies for 6 to 15 minutes depending on size and thickness. Smaller cookies (about 6-7 minutes) will be soft and chewy after cooling, while larger or thicker cookies may need longer, watching closely for golden caramelized edges for crisp cookies. Molasses cookies bake fastest, chocolate cookies last. Bake cookies from different batches separately or remove early as they finish.

Notes

Chilling or freezing dough before baking is crucial for preventing cookies from spreading and helps maintain their intended shapes and textures.
Adjust baking time according to cookie size and oven calibration.
Use parchment paper to make rolling dough easier and to prevent sticking.
Save egg whites to make a shiny egg wash, enhancing cookie appearance.
Decorate cookies with sprinkles, dried fruits, and chocolate as preferred to add festive flair.
Mix leftover dough with dried fruits and nuts to reduce waste and create icebox cookies.
For softer cookies, bake for the minimal recommended time and allow cooling to finish setting texture.
Baking in batches or separating cookies by type can achieve better control over baking times and results.

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (including dough mixing, flavor development, and chilling times)
Cook Time: 15 minutes (max per batch)
Category: Cookies
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American Holiday

Keywords: holiday cookies, cookie box, vanilla cookies, gingerbread cookies, chocolate cookies, Christmas cookies, festive baking, multi-flavor cookies, homemade cookies, holiday treats