Introduction

Discover the joy of holiday baking with this versatile recipe that transforms one base dough into ten delightful cookies. From classic snowballs to festive gingerbread men, this cookie box idea is perfect for sharing or gifting during the holidays.

An assortment of cookies is neatly arranged in a box on a white marbled surface. The cookies are placed in multiple layers: the bottom layer has rows of round chocolate cookies with a smooth, shiny half-dipped chocolate surface, and next to them are stacked golden-brown chocolate chip cookies tied with red and white string. In the center, there are sandwich-style cookies filled with cream, some topped with powdered sugar or festive decorations like small colorful candy beads. To the left, there are round cookies dusted with powdered sugar, some plain shortbread cookies, and a star-shaped cookie with a glossy red jam center dusted with powdered sugar. Small, nut-studded biscuits and some cookie bars with chunks of nuts or dried fruit fill in the gaps. The texture varies from smooth and dense to crumbly and soft, creating a rich visual mix of golden brown, chocolate brown, white, and red tones. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

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
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
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 (additional for gingerbread dough)
4 teaspoon Cocoa powder
33 g Toasted pecans
Some Toasted nuts (optional, e.g., mixed nuts)
Some Dark chocolate (melted)
Some Dried cranberries (optional, for decoration)
Some Sprinkles
16.6 g Brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon Baking soda
33 g Chocolate chips
Some Granulated sugar (for coating)
Some White chocolate (for decoration)
Some Jam of your choice
Some Powdered sugar (for decoration)
Some Egg white (for egg wash)
Some Dried fruits (for leftover dough)

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the base dough by combining softened butter, powdered sugar, salt, egg, egg yolk, all-purpose flour, and almond flour. Mix until a smooth dough forms. The dough will be soft at room temperature; use parchment paper to roll it right away or chill it to firm up.
Step 2: Divide the base dough into three portions to create flavored doughs:
- Vanilla dough: Add vanilla extract to one portion and mix.
- Gingerbread dough: Add molasses, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, clove, and additional flour to one portion and mix well.
- Chocolate dough: Add cocoa powder to one portion and mix thoroughly.
Step 3: Make Snowball Cookies by mixing toasted pecans into a portion of the vanilla dough. Chill, form balls, bake, then coat with powdered sugar once cooled.
Step 4: Piped Cookies: Pipe vanilla dough into circles using a star tip. Chill and bake. Once cooled, fill centers with melted dark chocolate.
Step 5: Wreath Cookies: Roll vanilla dough and chill. Cut rings using two circular cookie cutters to form wreath shapes. Decorate with dried cranberries and sprinkles, chill again, bake, and optionally add a string for decoration.
Step 6: Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies: Add brown sugar and baking soda to vanilla dough. Stir in mini chocolate chips. Chill, form into 15g balls, add extra chips on top, and bake.
Step 7: Mini Gingerbread Cookies: Mix brown sugar and baking soda into gingerbread dough. Chill, form 15g balls, coat in granulated sugar, add extra sugar on top, and bake. Optionally, dip in melted white chocolate and drizzle with dark chocolate.
Step 8: Gingerbread Men Cookies: Roll gingerbread dough, chill, cut with cookie cutters, decorate faces with toothpicks and sprinkles, chill again, and bake.
Step 9: Mini Chocolate Cookies: Add brown sugar, baking soda, and milk to chocolate dough. Chill, form 15g balls, bake, and optionally dip in melted dark chocolate.
Step 10: Linzer Cookies: Roll chocolate dough, chill, cut with circle and star cutters, chill again, bake. After cooling, pipe jam on one cookie half, dust the other with powdered sugar, and sandwich them together.
Step 11: Star Cookies: Use leftover cut-out stars from Linzer cookies. Decorate with sprinkles, chill, and bake.
Step 12: Dried Fruits & Nuts Icebox Cookies: Combine leftover dough with diced dried fruits and nuts. Form into a log, freeze, brush with egg white, coat with granulated sugar, slice while chilled, and bake.
Step 13: Baking Tips: Chill all cut-out and piped cookies before baking to prevent spreading. Bake in a preheated oven at 345°F (174°C) for 6-15 minutes depending on cookie size. For soft cookies, bake shorter (6-7 minutes) and remove when edges show golden caramelization.

Tips & Variations

Chilling dough before baking helps cookies hold their shape and prevents spreading.
Use parchment paper when rolling dough to avoid sticking and making cleanup easier.
Add your favorite nuts or dried fruits to leftover dough for extra texture and flavor.
Decorate cookies with sprinkles, melted chocolate, or dried cranberries for festive appeal.
Adjust spices in the gingerbread dough to suit your taste preferences for warmth and intensity.

Storage

Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. For longer storage, freeze cookies in a sealed container for up to three months. Reheat briefly in a warm oven to refresh texture if desired.

How to Serve

A white box lined with light beige paper holds an assortment of cookies arranged in neat rows. The top row features powdered sugar-coated, round, light-brown cookies, golden butter cookies with red fruit pieces and dark centers, and spiral-shaped brown cookies. Below these are stacks of medium-brown sandwich cookies, darker chocolate chip cookies tied with red and white string, and star-shaped chocolate cookies with colorful sprinkles. The bottom row shows a half-dipped white and brown cookie with powdered sugar on one side, swirl-shaped golden cookies, and large round cookies half-covered in dark chocolate. The background is a white marbled texture. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Serve this delicious recipe with your favorite sides.

FAQs

Can I prepare the dough ahead of time?

Yes, you can prepare the dough and chill or freeze it before shaping and baking. Chilling helps firm the dough and improves cookie texture.

How do I prevent cookies from spreading too much during baking?

Chilling cut dough pieces before baking reduces spreading. Using parchment paper during rolling and handling also helps maintain shape.

10 Holiday Cookies from 1 Dough – Festive Cookie Box Recipe

★★★★★

4.4 from 142 reviews

Author: Naomi
Total Time: 4 hours (including chilling, baking multiple batches, and decoration)
Yield: 20 servings (approximately 60-80 cookies depending on size and variety) 1x

Print Recipe

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.

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

10 Holiday Cookies from 1 Dough – Festive Cookie Box Recipe

Introduction

Ingredients

Instructions

Tips & Variations

Storage

How to Serve