There’s something wonderfully comforting about having a roll of dough for homemade slice and bake cookies tucked away in the fridge or freezer for “cookie emergencies”. You know the kind – when someone arrives home feeling discouraged after a rough day at school, unexpected guests arrive for coffee, or when you really need a comforting snack. Based on a Slice and Bake Cookie recipe for Vanilla Nut Cookies my late Mom shared with me, this recipe has endless scope for variations.
You may already be familiar with my collection of slice and bake cookies – there are Peanut Butter and Honey Slice and Bake Cookies, my Chocolate Chip Slice and Bake Cookies, Oatmeal Coconut Cookies and Pistachio Cookies, to name just a few. I’m a huge fan of these make-ahead recipes which allow you to prepare cookie dough in advance and store it in the fridge or freezer, ready to bake exactly as many cookies as you would like.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Endlessly adaptable – one simple dough, dozens of flavour possibilities. You can use any flavouring you like in place of the vanilla – almond, maple, citrus, coffee, the possibilities are only limited by your imagination and what is available in your area! (See the Variations section below for inspiration.)
The dough keeps well – The logs of dough will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days chilled, or freeze well for up to a month. (They do keep a bit longer but I find they are not as good after a month.) If you are going to freeze the logs of dough, chill them overnight first, and then freeze.
The dough can be baked from (almost) frozen – although you will need to let the cookie rolls thaw slightly first so that you can cut the dough safely. Always be careful when using knives to cut cookie dough. If younger children are helping with the cookies, it is better that an adult does the slicing and the children can then place the cut cookies on the baking sheets.
The baked cookies keep well – This recipe makes cookies with a lovely cake-y texture that keep well at in a sealed container at room temperature for at least 3 to 4 days.
You can keep a selection of cookie doughs on hand in the fridge or freezer – and relax in the comforting knowledge that you are never more than 15 minutes away from hot, fresh cookies.
Inspiration For Variations on This Recipe
The possibilities feel endless. Just go carefully and be sure to stick to the proportions for flour, leavening etc.
My favourite variations include:-
- vanilla flavouring with finely chopped pecans
- rum flavouring with raisins
- maple flavouring with chopped walnuts
- almond flavouring with finely chopped almonds
- grated lemon rind with finely chopped almonds
Nut free versions:
Use 1 cup of white sugar (no brown sugar) and instead of vanilla, add 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with granulated sugar before baking.
Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger and half a teaspoon nutmeg to the basic recipe. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with demerera sugar before baking if you like.
Flavour the basic recipe with vanilla and add the grated rind of an orange or lemon to it.
You can add half a cup to 1 cup of any kind of chopped nuts or dried fruit – for example walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, raisins, chopped apricots or dates or any combination thereof!
You can add 2 to 3 teaspoons of any sort of spices – cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg all work really well
As long as you use a total of 1 cup of sugar, it doesn’t matter if it is white, brown or a combination of the two. Combining half a cup of each gives a great flavour and texture, but some variations might lend themselves to using one or the other. You can also reduce the sugar slightly if you like, but I don’t recommend going below ¾ cup of sugar in total.
Tips for Making Easy and Versatile Slice and Bake Cookies
Keep it simple – Don’t add too many add-in ingredients. One or two types of nuts or dried fruit is generally enough for this recipe.
Keep the main ingredients the same – Do not change the proportions of flour or leavening (baking soda) in this recipe.
Keep an eye on the oven – The cookies often cook up quite quickly, so be sure to watch them, particularly the first time you make them and when you try new variations.
Reshape the dough logs before cutting – Sometimes the dough logs will settle and become a bit square. Just re-roll them slightly with lightly floured hands to recreate the roundness.
Remember that playing with variations is experimentation – I have never had a version of this recipe fail in the over 45 years I have been making it, and if you stick to the recipe, proportionately everything should work. But please remember that variation is experimentation, so it does not come with guarantees. I suggest starting with the basic recipe and getting comfortable with it before trying different variations.
Happy Baking
You can see why I love this slice-and-bake cookie base so much. It’s simple, adaptable and endlessly useful — a dough you can customise, stash in the fridge or freezer, and always have on hand. Whether you bake a handful of comforting vanilla-nut cookies on a quiet afternoon, or whip up some lemon almond cookies for last -minute guests, this recipe delivers comfort and deliciousness exactly when you need it.
If you haven’t already, take a moment to explore some of the other slice-and-bake favourites linked below the main recipe— from Chocolate Chip to Peanut Butter and Honey, there’s a cookie (or two) here for every occasion. Happy baking, and may your kitchen always smell of warm, fresh cookies!
Easy and Versatile Slice and Bake Cookies (One Dough, Endless Flavours) – Printable Version
Easy and Versatile Slice and Bake Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar or caster sugar
- ½ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla flavouring or other flavouring of choice
- 2¾ cups all purpose flour (plain flour) plus extra for making the cookie rolls/logs
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped nuts or other add ins (weight measurement is approximate depending on the ingredient)
Instructions
- Sift or mix together the flour, soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Put the softened butter in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer and cream by hand or using the mixer.
- Add the white and brown sugar – or whatever sugar you are using – and cream together thoroughly.
- Add the eggs and flavouring and beat together well.
- Add the flour to the creamed mixture gradually, mixing thoroughly to blend.
- Stir in the chopped pecan nuts or any add ins. Be sure all the flour and add ins are throughly incorporated in the batter.
- Take a larger piece of greaseproof paper or baking parchment and sprinkle with a little flour. Flour your hands a bit as well.
- Divide the cookie dough in half and put one half in the centre of the greaseproof paper.
- Using the paper to help you, shape the dough into a roll or log about 11 or 12 inches (28 to 30 cm) long.
- Repeat with another piece of greaseproof paper and the rest of the dough.
- Wrap the dough rolls up tightly in the paper or baking parchment.
- Place the cookie dough rolls/logs in a plastic bag and put in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- You can now either freeze the dough rolls/logs or keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days to slice and bake.
- When you want to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) or 165°C for fan or convection ovens.
- Remove the frozen cookie dough from the freezer and allow to thaw a little so it can be sliced or remove the raw cookie dough from the fridge and place on a cutting board ready to slice. If the log has lost its round shape, roll it with your hands a little to help re-shape it to a round roll / log.
- Slice the dough rolls / logs into slices just over ¼ inch (about ¾ cm) thick and place on baking sheets about an inch apart. Each cookie dough roll will make about 18 to 24 cookies depending on how thickly they are sliced.
- Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes from chilled or 11 to 14 minutes from frozen until they are slightly golden. Be sure to keep an eye on them the first time you bake them as they can suddenly brown up quite quickly.
- Remove the baking sheets from the oven and place on a heat proof surface to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove the cookies from the baking sheets using a slice, egg lifter or spatula and place them on a wire rack to cool.
- Eat the cookies warm or allow to cool and store in an airtight container for at least 3 to 4 days. You can also freeze the baked cookies.
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More Slice and Bake Cookie Recipes
Pistachio Slice and Bake Cookie Recipe
Chocolate Chip Slice and Bake Cookie Recipe
Orange Pecan Slice and Bake Cookie Recipe
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