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We all know that a good cookie can turn a bad day around, make a celebration sweeter, and even bring people together in a way that few other things can because cookies are flat-out AMAZING, aren’t they?
There’s something universally comforting about that perfect blend of butter, sugar, and just the right amount of crispiness on the outside, with a soft, chewy center that melts in your mouth. But what if I told you that the real magic happens when you start with a glorious basic cookie dough for mix-ins and then let your creativity run wild?
This post was originally published on October 17, 2021 and was improved and updated on August 27, 2024.
The Beauty of Simplicity
Before we get into the recipe and the process, let’s talk about why a good basic cookie dough is an absolute must in your recipe box. Think of it as the little black dress of cookies—timeless, versatile, and always appropriate (haha). With just a few simple (and everyday) ingredients, you can create a dough that’s perfect on its own or ready to be dressed up with your favorite flavors.
This recipe yields a dough that’s soft enough to spread slightly in the oven but sturdy enough to hold a variety of mix-ins without falling apart. The balance of brown sugar and white sugar gives it that classic chewy texture with just the right amount of caramelized flavor. And the best part? It’s easy to make and comes together literally in no time.
Okay, Let’s Get Baking–Here’s The Short List Of Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Tip
You can use either light or dark brown sugar, but I almost always use dark brown sugar because it adds more chewiness to the cookies, which I absolutely love.
How To Make The Cookies
- Preheat and Prep: Start by preheating your oven to 350° Fahrenheit. While the oven is heating, line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Creaming: In a medium-sized bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. You’ll want to mix for about 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Wet Ingredients: Once your butter and sugars are creamed together, beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Mix for another minute until everything is nice and smooth.
- Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and sea salt. This helps the cookies rise evenly.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing with a rubber spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can make your cookies tough instead of tender and no one wants that.
- Add the Goodies: If you’re adding mix-ins, now’s the time to gently fold them into the dough before scooping. Think chocolate chips, chopped nuts, dried fruits, or even something unexpected like crushed pretzels or candy pieces.
- Scoop: Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through to ensure even baking (since ovens are notoriously uneven). The edges of the cookies will be slightly golden and the centers puffed up, but soft. Remember, the cookies will continue to bake a bit on the hot baking sheet even after you take them out of the oven.
- Cool and Store: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, store them in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze them for later. They’ll freeze for several months.
Mix-In Inspiration (My Personal Favorites)
- Chips: You can’t go wrong with the classic. Stir in at least 1/2 cup of semisweet, milk, dark, or white chocolate chips for an iconic
chocolatechip cookie. - Chipless: This is for the purists (like me). After mixing up the dough, scoop the cookies onto on a lined baking sheet a couple of inches apart. Sprinkle the tops of each cookie with sugar and bake.
- Nuts: Add at least 1/2 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts for a crunchy, buttery twist. Or 1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped nuts and 1/4 to 1/3 cup chips. If you want to get really crazy, toast the nuts on the stove or in the oven for a few minutes before adding them to the cookie dough (make sure to cool them completely first though or they can melt the dough).
- Fruit: Mix in 1/3 cup of dried cranberries and 1/3 cup of white chocolate chips for a creamy, sweet, and tart combination.
- Salty: If you’re really adventurous, try folding in at least 1/2 cup of crushed potato chips or pretzel pieces (thick cut, crinkle style potato chips work great because they don’t break easily—same with pretzel thins). The salty crunch pairs perfectly with the sweet dough—it’s so, so good.
- Candy: Stir in at least 1/2 cup of your favorite candy pieces—M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, or chopped-up peanut butter cups, Snickers, Kit-Kat, or Butterfinger bars for an extra rich and indulgent cookie.
Tip
You can use anywhere between 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup of mix-ins with this dough and remember you can mix and match those mix-ins—you don’t have to use all of one thing. Have some fun with it!
Questions About This Recipe
The beauty of this basic cookie dough is really its versatility. With just a few ingredients, you have a solid cookie foundation that’s ready to be customized to suit you, the season, or even the contents of your pantry (ahahaha).
So next time you’re in the mood for cookies, don’t reach for a store-bought dough—whip up a batch of this basic cookie dough for mix-ins and let your creativity shine. Happy baking, my friends!
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Basic Cookie Dough For Mix-ins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed, light or dark)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup flour (all-purpose, spooned and leveled, not weighed)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium size bowl, cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, until light brown and fluffy.1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup sugar
- Add egg and vanilla extract and continue mixing for another minute.1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and sea salt together.1 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, mixing with a large spoon or rubber spatula until just combined, but still dry and crumbly (don't fully mix the flour in at this point, since we are going to stir the dough more when we add the mix-in).
- If you're using a mix-in, fold in 1/2 to 3/4 cup (chips, chopped chocolate or candy, dried fruit, and/or nuts).
- Using a 1.5 TBS cookie scoop, scoop dough onto lined baking sheets a couple of inches apart to allow for some spreading.
- Bake cookies for 9 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through to ensure even baking.
- Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store cookies in airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
This is the best cookie base recipe ever! I love using it for kitchen sink cookies, so delicious!
Thank you so much Caitlin! That is a brilliant idea. I love, love, love it!
I’ve been looking for a great cookie dough and this is it. I added some chocolate chunks and pecans. Delish!
Gah! I love that idea Gina, sounds delicious! Thank you so much.
I made this dough and it turned out perfect. My daughter picked m and ms to add and the cookies were fantastic.
That’s one of our favorites over here too. My daughters are both huge M&M lovers. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
This is a perfect cookie dough. Love that I can divide it up and put what I want in each section.
That’s so smart! It’s like making a bunch of different cookies all at once. Brilliant.
Great base cookie recipe. I used this a few times and they all came out perfectly
Thank you so much Nancy. This makes me so happy!
HOLY COW! This recipe is simple yet PERFECT! Not overly sweet and a fantastic flavor! I added trail mix to mine so inside were crasins, almonds, chocolate chip chunks, walnuts, and coconut. (I chopped the nuts a little smaller than the whole that they were.)
They are so delicious! This will now be my go to recipe for cookies! Thank you so much!
Hi Kim! Thank you so much, I’m really glad to hear you love these cookies too! They’re my favorite, for all the reasons you listed. It’s a recipe I bake several times a month all year (or more, haha). I appreciate you taking a minute to leave a review, it helps me so much! 🙂
My all time favorite cookie recipe for family and coworkers! Thank you :).
You bet! It’s mine too-it’s so easy. Thanks so much for the kind words.
How many mixing should you use based on this recipe? Does it matter?
Hi Dawn! I’m not quite sure what you’re asking. Can you clarify your question? And I’ll do my best to answer it. 😁
One of my favorite ways to use this recipe is to add Pecan Cluster Granola
(from Trader Joe’s). If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s in your area, then any favorite granola works very well.
I also like to use it with toffee bits (they come in a package like chocolate chips) and the MINI chocolate chips. During Holiday time there are special flavors of chocolate chips that also make interesting cookies, or additions to your brownies.
This is a genius idea, Nancy! Believe it or not, I’ve never tried adding granola to cookies. I’m only 5 minutes away from Trader Joe’s though (and I love their stuff), so I’m trying this ASAP. Thank you for the suggestion!
My husband is lactose is intolerant. Can I user butter flavored crisco instead of butter? How will doing this impact to cookies?
Hi Tara! You can substitute shortening if necessary. I wrote a little bit about it here, https://kristineinbetween.com/how-to-substitute-butter-for-shortening/, just scroll down to the substituting shortening part about halfway through. I hope this helps, and Happy Holidays!
Could you also use this recipe as a base for snickerdoodles? Or do you think they might turn out too sweet? I want to make a few different types of cookies for Christmas and using one dough would really save me dishes and time 🙂 TIA!
Hi Jordan! I think you could make some kind of a cinnamon sugar cookie with this dough for sure. I’ve made them as a “chipless” cookie and they’re yummy. I’d scoop them, roll them into a ball with your hands, and then generously roll them in cinnamon and sugar before baking. You could also portion out part of the dough after you mix it up and add some cinnamon to the dough before you scoop and roll the cookies to make them a little more cinnamon-y. Hope this helps. Happy baking!
Can you add peanut butter to some??
can I make without sugar and then combine with store bought cookie dough(which is always too sweet)
I tried this recipe and it seems the flour to butter is off.. they basically melted into a pan cookie
Hi Lisa! Wow, I’m so sorry that happened to you – I’ve never had that happen with this recipe. Thanks for taking a minute to leave feedback, I appreciate it.
Weird! Mine barely changed shape and were perfect! Maybe the butter was too soft? Mine wasn’t quite down to room temp.
I have made this recipe several times. One time I also had that issue. Then I realized I had not pressed the flour into the cup as I measured. That was a mistake that messed up my cookies very badly…. I hope this helps anyone else that had this issue.
Thanks so much for sharing this, Lisa. You’re absolutely right – too much flour will wreak havoc in cookies. I always recommend weighing if you can or using the fluff, spoon, level method for flour especially.
Lmaoo this recipe honestly would’ve turned out great if I didn’t mess it up somehow not sure what I did wrong. This tasted like muffins after and didn’t flatten out like normal cookies lol. Not sure what that’s about hopefully next time I can follow the recipe better.
Hahahaha Aleah what happened? Sounds like maybe you added too much flour. That usually causes cookies to puff up, be stiff, and not spread out much. I hope you have better luck with the next batch. Happy baking!
I added orange extract instead of vanilla because i wanted to keep them simple and they turned out divine! Excellent recipe
Oooh Sara, that sounds yummy! I’ve never added orange extract to cookies. I’ll put that on my list to try. Thank you for taking a minute to leave a comment, I appreciate it. Happy baking!
Hi! Do you have a recommendation for the ideal measurement for mix-ins? 1/2 cup?
Hey Natalie! I usually do 1/2 to 3/4 cup total. Happy baking!
I don’t usually leave reviews but thank you so much for this recipe. Perfect sweetness, perfect baking time and super easy.
I also love that the ingredient amounts are reminded for each step ; that’s how every recipe should be.
I added white chocolate chips and nuts.
Thank you so much, Catherine! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies and the recipe. I truly appreciate you taking a minute to leave a review, it’s so helpful. Happy baking! 🙂
Hello! Can I add oats to this base?
Hi Kimberly! It depends on how much actually. If you’re adding a small amount of oats, like a half a cup, you likely won’t need to make any adjustments to the recipe. The oats should incorporate into the dough without significantly altering the texture or consistency. It’s always a trial and error thing and I haven’t tried it, so let me know how it goes!
Personally, I would grind the oats in a food processor and substitute the ground oats (maybe 1/4-1/2 cup) for flour. I would grind the oats to about half the size they are, rather than a fine powder.
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Can peanut butter be added and if so, how much?
Hi Arlene! I haven’t tried adding peanut butter to this particular recipe, BUT I have a basic peanut butter cookie dough that you might love too! Here’s the link if you want to check it out too. Happy baking!
🙂 https://kristineinbetween.com/basic-peanut-butter-cookie-dough/
hi , this recipe really worked
for me just right amount
nice to switch it up add nuts, raisons , pumpkin seeds , butterscotch chips easy !
I love this, Elaine! Thank you so much for the feedback! It’s one of my faves too. 😉
Could I use this recipe as a base for NY style cookies, maybe without the baking soda and adding cornstarch?
Hey Jessica! You could definitely scoop them bigger; they’re nice and thick, but you may need to adjust the baking time for bigger cookies. Keep an eye on them after 10 minutes. 🙂
Just made these and added chopped up leftover chocolate honeycomb candy that had gone soft and pecans! Perfect cookies & so yummy. Thank you!
Oh my gosh, this sounds like an amazing combination Bridget! Thank you so much for taking a minute to share. Happy baking! 🙂
Would it be possible to use this dough to make white chocolate raspberry cookies AND white chocolate matcha cookies?
I will be using this recipe forever!! Its just perfect
Hi Nina! This makes me so happy, so glad you loved it! Happy baking! 🙂
i just made these! i had a bag of Skor minis i wanted to use somehow, so i used those as my mix-in. just crushed em up a bit and it was perfect! the thin chocolate coating on the toffee pieces surprisingly stayed pretty intact and didn’t just melt everywhere, and the Skor pieces were a nice lil crunch.
i’ll definitely be using this recipe again. only done it once and it’s made its way into my “favourites rotation.” thanks a ton, Kristine! 🙂
Hi Madeline! This is a genius idea, sounds so yummy! I’m going to put that on my list to try FOR SURE. I’m so glad the cookies were a hit and thank you, thank you, thank you for taking a minute to leave a comment and a review±—I really appreciate it! 🙂
its really good it brought my family back together 5/5
Hello there! What a heartwarming comment. Thank you! I’m so glad the cookies were a success! ❤️
this works but… it does’nt tell you how much to put in.
Hi Ashley, thanks for the feedback—I’ll amend the recipe and add in the approximate mix-in amounts (1/2 cup to 3/4 cup, depending on your preference). 🙂
Can I make up the dough ahead of time with add ins and freeze it until I am ready to bake it?
Hi Angela! Absolutely, but as this recipe bakes best from room temperature, so make sure to thaw it in the fridge the night before and then let it come completely up to room temp before you scoop and bake it. 🙂
Good to know! Thank you so much!
Great basic recipe using ingredients I always have on hand! It is now my go-to for a variety of tasty options.
Thank you so much, Elizabeth! That’s exactly what I love about it too! Thanks so much for the review. 💕
Can I make this a few hour earlier than add the mixing later?
Hi Peggy, sure! If you keep it in the fridge, just make sure to let it warm up to room temperature before stirring in the mix-ins so it’s nice and soft.
These are the best cookies I have ever had and I have heard people tell me how amazing these are. I mostly do peanut butter chocolate chip but I also have tried making root beer cookies and also love that one so much
This made my day, Lizzie! Thank you so much! Oooh, I love the idea of a root beer cookie—that sounds amazing, I’ll try it! I appreciate the comment, happy baking!
Leave a comment…
Thanks for taking a minute to leave a star review, I really appreciate it!
What are the measurements for each ingredient?
Hi Denver! Did you scroll down to see the recipe card? All the ingredients are listed down there for you. 🙂
dry!!!!
Hi Kiki! I’ve never had that experience with his recipe, I’m sorry you did! If you’d like to troubleshoot, let me know—I’m happy to try to help!
Just FYI if you are posting recipes on the internet like this you should specify weather your are using Degrees F or C.
Hi Kash! I’ll update the recipe card to say “350 degrees Fahrenheit” right now. I have a general disclaimer about temperatures, but I apologize if I was unclear.
350 C would result in ‘burnt to a crisp.’ Just sayin’.
i tried to make snickerdoodles and unfortunately it did not turn out very well.
recipe was very good but it only made about 20 cookies after adding 2 cups of add-ins.
My 10-year-old son has been interested lately in learning some basic recipes and he wanted to make cookies that he could “add in” whatever he liked today so I found your recipe, he decided to add in white chocolate chips and peppermint baking morsels and they are delicious! Thanks!
Add macadamia nuts and white chocolate chunks. OMG
Hi! This recipe looks simple and delicious!
Can I use this base to make sugar cookies covered in nonpareil sprinkles?
5 star recipe, love it! I had used this over & over adding so many different things. I keep, thank you.
This recipe was perfection! I hate baking (due to lack of patience) but my cookies turned out great due to the extra included tips in the recipe itself. Loved that during the Steps stages, it told me the measurements again so that I didnt have to scroll back up to the ingredients. Will be storing this basic recipe away for future. I added reeses pieces to one batch, another was a chocolate mint and the last was a choco chip, oatmeal and toffee. ❤️
Just tried this base for using up leftover ingredients from Christmas cookies. Added fresh chopped cranberries. white chocolate chips, and chopped almonds. OMG!!! Delicious!
Sounds great to me!
Awesome basic recipe. I live on two coasts and my AK home isn’t well stocked with baking goods or utensils. I had to improvise on the utensil side, but I modified this recipe for a GF version that turned out far better than I might have anticipated. Thanks a million for a great starting point!😍
When I get a proper scoop, I’ll target the 26 cookies you make. I hit 13. 😉
Hi Kristine 👋
My question is..can this recipe be doubled?
Thank you
Hi Brenda! Absolutely, I double it all the time—works great. Happy baking! 💕
Can you freeze the dough, thaw out later, add mix ins and bake at a later time?
Can I use this recipe for macadamia nut cookies
Can u substitute sugar for allulose or monk fruit?
Hi, I’m going to try this recipe soon. Am I able to use regular salt instead of sea salt?
Tried making these and when i attempted to bake them it turned into a liquid and then burnt, i dont think i did anything wrong either