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Basic Drop Cookies
Add chocolate or other flavored chips, dried fruit, nuts, even small candies; this "mother cookie" is a perfect starting place for all kinds of wonderful variations.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, light or dark, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tablespoons milk, optional
- 2 cups chips, nuts, and/or dried fruit, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line with parchment.
- Beat together the butter, sugars, vanilla, salt, baking powder, and baking soda till well combined.
- Add the egg, beating till smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and beat again till smooth.
- Add the flour, mixing it in completely.
- If you're making cookies using chips, nuts, etc, beat in the milk, then the add-ins.
- If you're making plain cookies, without add-ins, omit the milk.
- Drop the cookies by the traditional "tablespoonful" (actually about 4 measuring teaspoons) onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2" apart. A tablespoon cookie scoop works well here.
- Bake the cookies for 10 to 14 minutes (or up to 16 minutes; ovens may vary). The cookies should be a light golden brown, and a bit darker around the edges. For softer cookies, bake the shorter amount of time; for crunchy cookies, bake longer.
- Remove the cookies from the oven, and cool right on the baking sheets.
Tips from our bakers
- Substitute 1/2 to 3/4 cup King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour for an equal amount of all-purpose flour, if desired.
