With the season of decadence upon us, I soon won’t be able to turn around at work without running headfirst into a holiday cookie, candy, or brownie. I’m pretty sure my productivity goes down in December, as I dedicate at least 3% of time time standing in kitchen, musing, “Should I eat this unknown treat without knowledge where it came from, who baked it, what’s in it, and if it’ll be worth it?”
In my attempt to be an honest person, I will admit to our S&S readers that I’m often feeling adventurous (and hungry, or bored, or snack-y), and dig in to the mysterious treats. And – knowing that this is a trusting space where I may be judged as a snob but I hope I’m forgiven! – only about 35% of the time does the treat qualify as “worth it.” Because, you know, I live in Seattle so half the time there’s a chia seed, stevia, or gluten-free flour stuffed in there. With apologies to those on restricted diets, for me, the “worth it” category includes butter. And chocolate.
Enter these All The Things Cookies. These are people-pleasers for all kinds of folks – they are eminently adaptable, the mix-ins hit all the sweet-salty-chewy-crispy tastebuds, and the batter’s crisp butteriness is something made from the heavens. These would be awesome for cookie exchange parties, as little holiday gifts for your co-workers, or a great treat to keep at home and gobble yourself. Holiday gifting includes gifts for ourselves, too, right?!
I had these cookies first at Thanksgiving, my dad had made many dozens of these cookies to feed his own children, children-in-law, and grandchildren. I strongly recommend the inclusion of m&m’s, as they really do make the cookies wink at you from across the room.
¾cup (1 1/2 sticks), slightly softened at room temperature
1packed cup light brown sugar
4cup grams granulated sugar
1egg, at room temperature
1teaspoon vanilla extract
About 1 cup salty mix-ins, such as nuts, broken mini pretzels, or potato chips
About 3/4 cup sweet mix-ins, such as chocolate chips or chunks, M&M’s, cut-up candy bars or dried fruit
Instructions
In a bowl, whisk dry ingredients together. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together at medium speed until fluffy and smooth, about 4 minutes. Mix in egg, then vanilla. In three batches, add the dry ingredients, mixing to combine each time.
In a bowl, combine the sweet and salty mix-ins. Add mix-ins to dough and stir until evenly distributed.
Chill dough for at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
Drop cookies by heaping, rounded tablespoon on to the baking sheets, leaving space for them to spread.
Place in oven and bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
When done, the edges should be just browning and the tops should feel soft. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.
Notes
I used a combination of:
1/2 cup – heaping! – of salt and vinegar potato chips
1/2 cup – also heaping! – of coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
Strudel and Streusel are two friends living in different cities, sharing a love of baking (and butter) through this blog. With Streusel in Denver, and Strudel in Seattle, we've found our little site to be a great way to stay in touch, share recipes we love, and talk about experiences in our respective cities.
