Description

Delight in these versatile Slice and Bake Cookies available in four distinct flavors: Chai Spiced Cinnamon Sugar, Dark Chocolate Cherry, Chocolate Hazelnut, and Chocolate Peppermint. Each cookie starts with a buttery dough base—vanilla or chocolate—married with unique mix-ins and coatings, rolled into logs, chilled, sliced, and baked for perfectly tender, flavorful treats that are ideal for gifting or enjoying any time.

Ingredients

Scale

Vanilla Dough Base

1 cup (220g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup (70g) light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups (285g) all purpose flour

Chai Spiced Cinnamon Sugar Coating

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp allspice
3 tbsp sparkling sugar
3 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon (for rolling/coating)

Dark Chocolate Cherry Mix and Coating

2 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
1/2 cup raw sugar (for rolling/coating)

Chocolate Dough Base

1 cup (220g) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups (225g) all purpose flour
1/2 cup (40g) unsweetened dark cocoa powder

Chocolate Hazelnut Mix and Coating

1/2 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped (mixed in dough)
1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts (for rolling/coating)

Chocolate Peppermint Mix and Coating

1/2 tsp peppermint extract
2 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup white melting chocolate
2 tsp oil (for melting white chocolate)
3 crushed candy canes (for sprinkling)

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Instructions

Prepare Vanilla Dough: In a large mixing bowl, cream the unsalted butter with light brown sugar and granulated sugar using a hand or stand mixer with a paddle attachment until pale and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and salt, then gradually add the all-purpose flour. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold the dough by hand until all flour is fully incorporated.
Divide and Spice Vanilla Dough: Split the vanilla dough nearly in half, reserving the larger portion for the chai spiced cookies. Combine cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and allspice in a small dish. Gently fold the spice mixture into the larger dough half just enough to swirl without fully blending.
Prepare Dark Chocolate Cherry Dough: To the smaller vanilla dough half, fold in chopped dark chocolate and dried cherries until evenly mixed. Form this dough into a log about 8-9 inches long, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill.
Make Chocolate Dough: Using the same mixing bowl (scrape out any dough residues but no washing needed), cream the butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Add salt and vanilla, then mix in the flour and cocoa powder. Fold with a rubber spatula to fully incorporate all dry ingredients.
Divide Chocolate Dough: Split the chocolate dough into two halves. Mix 1/2 cup roughly chopped hazelnuts into one half (Chocolate Hazelnut). To the other half, add peppermint extract and chopped dark chocolate, mixing well (Chocolate Peppermint). Form each half into 8-9 inch logs and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
Chill All Dough Logs: Refrigerate all dough logs for at least 2 hours or overnight to firm up.
Prepare Coatings: For Dark Chocolate Cherry dough, spread raw sugar on a plate and roll the log to coat fully, pressing sugar onto the surface if needed. Optionally, brush with egg wash if sugar doesn’t stick. For Chai Spiced dough, roll the log in the prepared cinnamon sugar mixture. For Chocolate Hazelnut dough, roll in finely chopped hazelnuts. Chocolate Peppermint dough remains uncoated.
Slice Cookies: Trim the ends off each dough log, then slice each log into approximately 12 cookies about 1/3 inch thick. Keep sliced cookies chilled in the refrigerator while preparing to bake.
Preheat and Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake for 18 minutes or until edges are pale golden and tops are matte. Transfer baked cookies to a cooling rack. Bake remaining cookies in batches.
Finish Chocolate Peppermint Cookies: Melt white melting chocolate with oil in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals until smooth. Dip half of each cooled peppermint cookie into the melted chocolate and sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to set.
Serve and Store: Once set, cookies are ready to enjoy fresh, or package as gifts. Store leftovers in an airtight container for best freshness.

Notes

Freezing: Dough can be frozen in logs or sliced form. Chill dough for 2 hours first. Wrap logs tightly in foil and plastic wrap; freeze up to 1 month. Sliced cookies freeze easier to use, just place slices in a freezer-safe bag.
Shipping: These cookies ship well and make great gifts. Wrap 3 cookies of the same flavor together in plastic wrap. For peppermint cookies, wrap in plastic then foil to prevent flavor transfer.
Egg Wash: If sugar coatings do not stick well, brushing logs with a thin layer of egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water) helps coatings adhere better.
Chilling Dough: Chilling the dough logs is essential to maintain shape and achieve perfect slice and bake texture in the final cookies.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cookie
Calories: 120 kcal
Sugar: 10 g
Sodium: 40 mg
Fat: 7 g
Saturated Fat: 4 g
Unsaturated Fat: 2.5 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 14 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 1.5 g
Cholesterol: 20 mg