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Home » Dessert » Cookies » Four Christmas Cookies From One Basic Dough

Four Christmas Cookies From One Basic Dough

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Kitchen hack for holiday baking: make four Christmas cookies from one basic dough with this recipe. Prepare the dough ahead of time, freeze and bake later!

Four Kinds of Christmas Cookies On A Tray

Can you believe that it’s almost November and the holidays will be here before we know it! Everyone knows that one of the best things about the holiday season is all of the homemade goodies. We love baking and we love sharing, but then we run into time crunches.

Between working, shopping, parties and time with family and friends, it’s now always easy to make something homemade. So, today I am excited to share a kitchen hack just in time for holiday baking.

You can use this recipe to make four kinds of Christmas cookies from one basic dough. And the best part is that you prepare the dough ahead of time, freeze the dough and it is ready to bake whenever you want it.

Disclaimer: This post contains links to products for making this recipe. If you use those links, I may earn a commission. Learn more here.

Four Christmas Cookies From One Basic Dough Recipe

Basic Cookie Dough in bowl

Step One:

Make the basic sugar cookie dough.

In a large stand mixer, combine butter and shortening. Cream in the sugars until light in color and fluffier in texture about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed sugars.

Step Two:

Separate the dough into four bowls, about two cups in each bowl. Add the extra ingredients to each separate bowl following the instructions below.

cookie dough balls in bag for freezer

Step Three:

Scoop tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough. Place in freezer for a couple of hours, until firm, and then put into freezer bags or containers. Store in freezer until ready to use.

Step Four:

Remove cookie dough balls from freezer. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Frosted Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies With Buttercream Frosting

Step One:

For the first of the four Christmas cookies from one basic dough, start with 1/4 of the basic sugar cookie dough which is about two cups.

Sugar Cookies ingredients

Step Two:

Scoop tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough, roll into balls and coat in granulated sugar.

Place sugar cookie dough balls in the freezer for a couple of hours, until firm, and then put into freezer bags or containers. Store in freezer until ready to use.

Step Three:

Remove cookie dough balls from freezer. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Step Four:

Cool and decorate with green buttercream frosting and sprinkles.

Double Chocolate Cookies

Chocolate Cookies

Step One:

For the second of the four Christmas cookies from one basic dough, start with 1/4 of the basic sugar cookie dough which is about two cups.

Double Chocolate Cookies ingredients

Step Two:

Mix melted and cooled chocolate and the semi-sweet chocolate chips into the basic sugar cookie dough.

Scoop tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough. Place double chocolate cookie dough balls in the freezer for a couple of hours, until firm, and then put into freezer bags or containers. Store in freezer until ready to use.

Step Three:

Remove cookie dough balls from freezer. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Step Four:

Cool and drizzle with melted chocolate chips.

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Step One:

For the third of the four Christmas cookies from one basic dough, start with 1/4 of the basic sugar cookie dough which is about two cups.

white chocolate cranberry cookies ingredients

Step Two:

Mix white chocolate chips and dried cranberries into the basic sugar cookie dough.

Scoop tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough. Place white chocolate cranberry cookie dough balls in the freezer for a couple of hours, until firm, and then put into freezer bags or containers. Store in freezer until ready to use.

Step Three:

Remove cookie dough balls from freezer. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Step One:

For the fourth of the four Christmas cookies from one basic dough, start with 1/4 of the basic sugar cookie dough which is about two cups.

Peppermint Cookies ingredients

Step Two:

Mix crushed candy canes and flour into the basic sugar cookie dough. Add a couple of drops of red food coloring, if desired.

Scoop tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough. Place peppermint sugar cookie dough balls in the freezer for a couple of hours, until firm, and then put into freezer bags or containers. Store in freezer until ready to use.

Step Three:

Remove cookie dough balls from freezer. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Step Four:

Cool and decorate with peppermint buttercream and crushed candy canes.

Four Christmas Cookies From One Dough

Four Christmas Cookies From One Basic Dough FAQs

1. How do you make evenly sized cookies?

Use a one tablespoon-sized dough scoop to make this step easier and to make the dough balls the same size so that they will bake evenly and look better on a tray.

2. What if I don’t have a cookie dough scoops? Use rounded tablespoons of dough instead.

3. Any baking tips you can share? Cover the baking sheets with parchment paper so that cookies will easily slide off and to make clean-up a little easier!

4. Does the cookie dough HAVE to be frozen first or can I bake the cookies right away? You can bake the cookies right away!

5. Can I bake the cookies right from the freezer? Yes, the cookie dough is baked directly from the freezer without thawing them first.

6. Would the cookies still be good if I skipped the frosting? Yes! If you are short on time, you can skip the frosting and sprinkles on the cookies.

Want More Cookie Recipes? Try One of These Next:

Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups

These Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups made with sugar cookie dough are filled with hot chocolate ganache, have a pretzel handle and mini marshmallows on top!

Turtle Cookies are Ritz crackers filled with creamy caramel, coated in chocolate and topped with chopped pecans!

Classic Pecan Snowball Cookies from Life Made Sweeter are the perfect treat for your holiday cookie platter. Best of all, these popular favorites come together so easy.

Christmas Tree Cookies from I Am Baker are an adorable stack of sugar cookies with green frosting to make a tree!

This Christmas cookie recipe for Chocolate Peppermint Stuffed Cookies, stuffed with peppermint patties, are sure to become a holiday favorite.

Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies are chewy, gooey and slightly crisp on the outside. This easy recipe results in flatter cookies that taste amazing!

Continue to Content
Four Christmas Cookies From One Dough

Four Christmas Cookies From One Basic Dough

Yield: 120
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 11 minutes
Total Time: 26 minutes

Kitchen hack for holiday baking: make four Christmas cookies from one basic dough with this recipe. Prepare the dough ahead of time, freeze and bake later! 

Ingredients

Basic Sugar Cookie Dough:

  • 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
  • 2/3 cups shortening
  • 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 tsp vanilla
  • 4 3/4 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt

Sugar Cookies:

  • 2 cups basic sugar cookie dough
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups green buttercream frosting
  • 2 tbsp sprinkles

Chocolate Cookies:

  • 2 cups basic sugar cookie dough
  • 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted for drizzle, optional

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies:

  • 2 cups basic sugar cookie dough
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Peppermint Sugar Cookies:

  • 2 cups basic sugar cookie dough
  • 4 tbsp crushed candy canes
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • red food coloring, optional
  • 2 cups peppermint buttercream frosting, optional
  • 2 tbsp crushed candy canes, optional

Instructions

Basic Sugar Cookie Dough:

  1. In a large stand mixer, combine butter and shortening.
  2. Cream in the sugars until light in color and fluffier in texture about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
  5. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed sugars.
  6. Separate the dough into four bowls, about two cups in each bowl.
  7. Add the extra ingredients to each separate bowl following the instructions below.
  8. Scoop tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough.
  9. If making ahead of time, place the cookie dough balls in the freezer for a couple of hours, until firm, and then put into freezer bags or containers. Store in freezer until ready to use.
  10. If ready to bake immediately, skip placing the cookie dough balls in the freezer and bake right away. Since this recipe makes a large number of cookies, store the additional cookie dough in the fridge until ready to use.
  11. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes (fresh dough or frozen).

Sugar Cookies:

  1. Scoop tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough, roll into balls and coat in granulated sugar.
  2. Cool and decorate with green buttercream frosting and sprinkles.

Chocolate Cookies:

  1. Mix the melted and cooled chocolate and the semi-sweet chocolate chips into the basic sugar cookie dough.
  2. Cool and drizzle with melted chocolate chips.

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies:

  1. Mix the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries into the basic sugar cookie dough.

Peppermint Sugar Cookies:

  1. Mix the crushed candy canes and flour into the basic sugar cookie dough. Add a couple of drops of red food coloring, if desired.
  2. Cool and decorate with peppermint buttercream and crushed candy canes.

Notes

You substitute premade sugar cookie dough instead of making your own to make things even easier!

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 120 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
© The Gunny Sack
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies
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Comments

  1. Kris says

    December 20, 2020 at 11:46 am

    I’m going to say that there is too much butter in this recipe. My cookies also spread, burned on the edges and were just very flat with the exception of the chocolate cookies. The melted chocolate may have helped stabilize them.

    Reply
  2. Mary Cabida-Daly says

    December 18, 2020 at 10:02 am

    Has anyone made thid with just butter no shortening?

    Reply
  3. Emily says

    December 8, 2020 at 4:01 pm

    Is it unsalted butter?

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      December 9, 2020 at 10:57 am

      I use salted butter for these cookies.

      Reply
  4. Aashika says

    December 21, 2019 at 1:48 pm

    I used these cookies straight out of the freezer they spread and burnt or were raw in the middle with less cook time. I tried with parchment and without. It was highly disappointing. I love baking and this recipe had me so excited but what a disappointment it turned out to be. What can I possibly do? I measured everything perfectly combined and still these are the worse cookies I have ever made or turned out.

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      January 2, 2020 at 1:05 pm

      Hello Aashika,

      I’m so sorry to hear that your results so disappointing! Maybe try thawing the cookies before baking them? Did you use all butter instead of the combination of butter and shortening? My SIL did that this year while making gingersnaps and they spread way too much. I’ve also learned that different brands of butter contain different amounts of water which can affect the results. I would also suggest checking how long you’ve had your baking soda. For baking purposes, it only lasts 6 months once it has been opened. Finally, the only other thing I can think of is that you need to add a little more flour. To do so you’d need to thaw the dough balls and return them to the mixing bowl to add a little more flour to the dough.

      Warmly,
      Tonia

      Reply
  5. April Stegeman says

    December 16, 2019 at 11:04 am

    Has anyone tried rolling out the dough and using it with cookie cutters? Hoping it can work for that too???

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      December 17, 2019 at 10:26 am

      April, it works great!!

      I made the dough and put it in a container and stuck it in the fridge. Anytime my daughter had friends over, we would take a bit of the dough out, roll it out, cut shapes, and bake.

      Reply
      • Tonia says

        December 17, 2019 at 1:28 pm

        That’s fantastic! Thank you for coming back to share that with us!

        Reply
  6. Martha says

    December 6, 2019 at 1:02 pm

    Could I make red velvet crinkle cookies and or gingerbread cookies?

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      December 9, 2019 at 10:36 am

      Hi Martha,

      Can you believe I’ve never made red velvet crinkle cookies? I’ve never tested either recipe with this dough so I’m not sure if you can or not.

      Warmly,
      ~Tonia

      Reply
  7. Sheri says

    October 27, 2019 at 1:10 pm

    Can these be rolled into a log shape and cut into slices?

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      October 28, 2019 at 11:48 am

      Hi Sheri,
      Yes, that should work. You’ll want to refrigerate the log of dough before cutting it into slices.
      ~Tonia

      Reply
  8. Sharon says

    December 17, 2018 at 7:00 am

    Can you freeze the finished cookies?

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      December 17, 2018 at 12:47 pm

      Definitely! I’ve done that several times. You store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to two months. Happy Baking! ~Tonia

      Reply
  9. Linda says

    December 13, 2018 at 9:51 pm

    I don’t have a stand mixer. Can these be made in a food processor?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      December 15, 2018 at 3:11 pm

      I’m sorry but I don’t have any experience making cookies in a food processor. Mine is small and could never handle this recipe but I know there are bigger/nicer ones than what I have.

      Reply
    • Talia says

      December 23, 2018 at 10:32 pm

      I made these with a hand mixer and wooden spoon, since I don’t hve a standing mixer either. They turned out amazing!

      Reply
  10. Carrie Newman says

    December 9, 2018 at 12:27 pm

    I have Celiac, so even the thought of making cookies sends shivers down my spine! Now that many companies have come out with 1-1 gluten free flour, I decided to give your recipes a try. While I made mine GF, my daughter made regular cookies. Happy to say that all of the cookies turned out great. We loved the ease of varying the flavors of the cookies. We had a great day of Christmas cookie fun!!

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      December 10, 2018 at 10:47 am

      Hi Carrie,
      Thank you for sharing your experience! It’s great to know that the 1-1 gluten free flour worked!
      Happy Baking,
      Tonia

      Reply
  11. Jocelyn says

    December 7, 2018 at 5:24 pm

    Does this recipe make 120 cookies as stated?

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      December 10, 2018 at 10:51 am

      Hi Jocelyn,
      Yes, that is how many it makes if you use a one tablespoon sized dough scoop and make each scoop of dough level. If you heap the dough in the scoop or use two spoons to scoop the dough the number of cookies will vary.
      Happy Baking,
      ~Tonia

      Reply
  12. Lish says

    November 28, 2018 at 8:01 pm

    Do you HAVE to freeze the dough before you bake or can you make it all fresh?

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      November 29, 2018 at 9:14 am

      Hi Lish,
      Nope, you can bake the cookies right away! I would suggest leaving the extra dough in the fridge so that it doesn’t get too warm. Warmer cookie batter will spread more during baking.
      Enjoy!
      ~Tonia

      Reply
  13. Tndjrkdmmek says

    November 21, 2018 at 12:26 pm

    I think these would be good dipped in hot choclate

    Reply
  14. pmotjmm says

    May 1, 2018 at 8:24 am

    Just to be sure I’m understanding: You make the 4 variations, scoop into balls, and freeze the raw dough balls, then when you are ready to bake them, you defrost first and then bake at 375?

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      May 1, 2018 at 1:21 pm

      They can go straight from the freezer to the oven without the need to defrost them. Enjoy!

      Reply
  15. Caitlyn says

    April 12, 2018 at 10:25 pm

    If I leave out the cranberries on the cranberry and white chocolate 1, will it taste like white chocolate? Can I use a cookie cutter and cut them out?

    Reply
  16. Ruth Pittmon says

    January 10, 2018 at 1:19 pm

    We live at 7500 feet. Are there recipe changes for high elevation?

    Reply
  17. Alexis says

    December 14, 2017 at 5:44 pm

    Any substitutions for shortening?

    Reply
    • Alies Keogh says

      November 29, 2019 at 12:52 am

      Coconut oil is what I’m going to try! =parts

      Also I found butter or margarine same ratio as I am in Zambia and have not found shortening here.

      Reply
  18. Michelle Reno says

    December 7, 2017 at 9:58 pm

    Have made all of these and they all turned out fabulous. one thing I tried was adding 1 tsp of lemon zest to the cranberry ones and they turned out amaZING.

    Reply
  19. Cece says

    December 3, 2017 at 7:48 pm

    Why do you use brown sugar? I have never made sugar cookies with brown sugar

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      December 3, 2017 at 8:09 pm

      Hello Cece,
      I wanted it to be a versatile dough for different kinds of cookies. In my Best Sugar Cookie Recipe, I use all granulated sugar if you prefer that one: https://www.thegunnysack.com/best-sugar-cookie-recipe/
      Happy Baking,
      ~Tonia

      Reply
  20. Jessica says

    December 23, 2016 at 8:33 pm

    How high should the oven be preheated?

    Reply
    • Michelle Reno says

      December 7, 2017 at 9:56 pm

      Oven should be preheated to 375 degrees.

      Reply
  21. Kyra says

    December 20, 2016 at 3:17 pm

    I’ve made this recipe twice now with awesome results both times! Love the chocolate, white chocolate and sugar cookies variations. Have yet to try the peppermint but plan to. This has definitely become a go to recipe for me, thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply
  22. Bethany says

    December 19, 2016 at 8:53 am

    Hi Tonia,
    Can you freeze a roll of dough & later ‘slice & bake’these? How would it affect the outcome?
    Thanks 🙂
    Bethany

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      December 19, 2016 at 1:04 pm

      I’ve never tried that but I would guess you would get the same results! Best of luck! ~Tonia

      Reply
  23. Kayla says

    December 16, 2016 at 6:57 pm

    They were super yummy! But all of mine came out hard </3

    Reply
    • Debbie Zambos says

      December 23, 2018 at 6:34 pm

      Most likely the reason they were hard is they were over baked. Sugar cookies are best baked just until you think they aren’t quite ready, I baked mine at 350 for 9 minutes and they were perfect.

      Reply
  24. Liz says

    December 13, 2016 at 1:04 pm

    Do u bake the cookies from frozen?

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      December 13, 2016 at 1:51 pm

      Yes! 🙂

      Reply
    • Ann M. says

      April 10, 2018 at 12:09 pm

      I tried this today! When I initially made the dough (about 2 months ago) I baked some of it, rolled the rest into balls and froze them. Today I took out a few frozen dough balls, let them defrost for about 10 mins just sitting on the kitchen counter, pressed them down gently, and baked at 375 degrees for 10 mins. They came out even BETTER than when I baked the dough fresh 🙂

      Reply
  25. Nonna says

    November 26, 2016 at 9:34 am

    Tonia, these look great. I will be making these for a Christmas Sunday School party soon and was wondering how the peppermint cookies became pink. Did you add red food coloring to the mix? All of the cookies look good and will be pretty on a platter.
    Thank you for your help.
    God bless,

    Reply
    • diana says

      December 7, 2016 at 12:27 pm

      i was wondering the same thing!

      Reply
  26. Sue says

    November 12, 2016 at 11:03 am

    Do you have a good recipe for frosting, I haven’t found a good one yet.

    Reply
  27. Elizabeth says

    November 7, 2016 at 9:50 pm

    Any way to make this with butter? Is it the same amount of shortening?

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      December 5, 2019 at 11:29 am

      I’m wondering the same thing! Did you end up making it with all butter?

      Reply
  28. Juli says

    November 6, 2016 at 9:00 am

    Any other variation suggestions besides the peppermint ones? Don’t care for peppermint desserts!

    Reply
    • Cheri says

      December 11, 2016 at 2:26 pm

      I made the peppermint ones, but was too lazy to make frosting for the sugar cookies. I made snickersoodles instead.
      Add cinnamon to the sugar cookie mix, roll into 1″ balls and cover in a mix of sugar and cinnamon.

      Reply
  29. Ann says

    November 1, 2016 at 5:11 am

    How far in advance should one make these if giving them as gifts?

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      November 1, 2016 at 12:13 pm

      As close to the time you will be giving them away as possible. Best of luck! ~Tonia

      Reply
    • Matt says

      November 21, 2018 at 12:24 pm

      I think it would be a god idea to dip these in hot cocoa

      Reply
  30. Janis says

    October 7, 2016 at 3:32 pm

    I’m sorry, I don’t see the amount of flour listed in the recipe.

    Reply
    • Tonia says

      October 8, 2016 at 1:37 pm

      Hi Janis,
      It’s 4 3/4 cups of flour. You can also try looking at the recipe via this link: https://www.thegunnysack.com/easyrecipe-print/14449-0/ Maybe the font will show up on your screen.
      Happy Baking!
      ~Tonia

      Reply

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Tonia LarsonHi, I'm Tonia, a lover of food and photography! Fill a gunny sack with ingredients, tie on an apron and let's get cooking!
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