Make 4 kinds of soft & chewy cookies from 1 dough with simple steps using the secret hacks! Treat your friends & family to homemade assorted cookies.
📌 What you'll learn in this post:
In this post, you'll learn essential baking tips, such as:
- Simple hacks to make 4 kinds of cookies at the same time from one dough
- The differences and similarities between the 4 popular cookies.
- Tips for baking soft & chewy cookies
- How to store soft cookies
... and more!
Let's get started.
📌 What's In 4 Kinds of Soft & Chewy Cookies?
Base Dough
- Unsalted butter: Leave butter at room temperature ahead so that it blends well with other ingredients. It shouldn't be firm or partially melted.
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar: I prefer using light brown sugar for the taste and texture but you can also use regular brown sugar if that is not available.
- Egg
- Vanilla extract: A little bit of vanilla flavor goes well with the 4 kinds of cookies.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda: Baking soda plays a huge role in spreading the cookies in the oven and creating a soft & chewy texture.
- Salt: It adds depth in flavor.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The base dough: Use ¼ of the whole base dough.
- Oil: I used olive oil. Use any regular oil.
- Dark chocolate chips: I used dark couverture chocolate this time. You can also use dark or semi-sweet regular chocolate chips.
- Sea salt (Optional): Add it on top of the dough before baking if you love the combination of sea salt and chocolate chip cookies!
Double Chocolate Cookies
- The base dough: Use ¼ of the whole base dough.
- Oil
- Cocoa powder: Use good-quality cocoa powder with a darker color for more rich chocolate flavor.
- Milk: Use regular whole milk.
- Dark chocolate chips
- Dark chocolate to dip the cookies (Optional)
Red Velvet Cookies
- The base dough: Use ¼ of the whole base dough.
- Lemon juice: You can also use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar if lemon juice is not available.
- Cocoa powder
- Red coloring: Use gel or paste red coloring if you want to make a bright red color without messing up the consistency.
- White chocolate to dip the cookies (Optional)
Ginger Molasses Cookies
- The base dough: Use ¼ of the whole base dough.
- Molasses: Use your favorite molasses. I used Grandma's Molasses which is sold at most grocery stores in the US.
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
- All-purpose flour: We need to add some more flour to prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
- Granulated sugar to coat the dough
📌 How To Make 4 Kinds of Soft & Chewy Cookies
Now, let me share detailed tips on each step, which are all crucial for making them successful.
Step 1: Make The Base Dough.
In the bowl, combine the dry ingredients. You can either sift them or mix them well with a whisk. And set it aside.
Next, in a bowl, add the soft butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar. Mix until they are well combined.
To this, add vanilla and eggs and mix. The egg will look separated in the beginning but continue mixing until the batter looks smoother and well combined.
Finally, add the dry ingredients and mix until they are evenly incorporated.
Divide into four to make the four flavors.
Tips💡:
- With this recipe, using cold eggs is not going to fail the result but I recommend leaving them at room temperature whenever you have time just so that they combine a little bit more easily.
- Scrape off the side and bottom of the bowl and paddle after adding eggs and flour to ensure the batter is evenly blended.
Step 2: Make The four flavors.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
In the base dough (¼ of the whole base dough), add oil and chocolate chips. Mix until they're well combined.
And that's it! One flavor down.💪🏻
Double Chocolate Cookies
Add oil, milk, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips to the base dough. And again, mix until well combined.
Red Velvet Cookies
Add lemon juice, cocoa powder, and red coloring to the base dough. And mix!
Ginger Molasses Cookies
Add molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and all-purpose flour. And mix!
Chill the dough.
Now, they are too soft to form a ball. Chill them in the fridge completely until they get firm.
Tip💡:
You can also place the dough in the freezer to fasten the chilling process when you are in a rush.
Step 3: Shape The Cookie Dough.
Divide the dough into 2 oz (60 grams or about 4 tablespoons) and form a ball shape. It applies to all 4 kinds of cookie dough.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt on top before baking. This is totally optional, you can omit it if you like!
Double Chocolate Cookies
This double chocolate dough does not spread so much in the oven, unlike the other three ones - Push the surface by hand before baking it until it spreads to about 2.25 - 2.5 inches.
Red Velvet Cookies
No extra instruction for red velvet cookies. Bake the rolled dough right away!
Ginger Molasses Cookies
For the molasses cookie dough, coat sugar around the dough before baking it.
By applying a tiny amount of water, the sugar sticks more to the dough - You can omit water if you prefer less sugar on the cookies!
Step 4: Bake The Cookies.
Bake (Preheated) at 350 F | 176 C for 11 - 13 mins. Adjust the time and temperature accordingly.
Tips💡:
- It's important not to overbake the cookies to enjoy the soft and chewy texture. The cookies feel too soft when they are hot but wait until it cools down - It'll get firmer and perfectly soft. 11 to 12 minutes is the perfect baking time with my oven but this can vary, depending on the oven. Please adjust accordingly.
- The doughs spread a bit more in the oven when they are left at room temperature. You don't need to wait and bake them right away in the preheated oven with this recipe.
Step 5: Coat Chocolate. (Optional)
I used white chocolate for the red velvet cookies and dark chocolate for the double chocolate cookies.
The cookies look even more festive and special with a chocolate coating!
Tips💡:
- You can add a little bit of oil to the melted chocolate to thin out the consistency when it is too thick.
- Chill the coated cookies in the fridge just until the chocolate gets hardened when the room is not cool.
- I did not add cream cheese or cream cheese frosting to the red velvet cookies so that we could store them at room temperature for a longer time. But feel free to add cream cheese on top or sandwich the cookies with cream cheese frosting if you are enjoying them sooner to make it truly taste like a red velvet cake!
📌 Uses For The Homemade Assorted Cookies
Enjoy the homemade assorted cookies, in many ways such as:
- A tea-time snack for your guests
- Special weekend treats for your family
- Baking goods to share during the Holiday season
- An assorted cookie box
- Treats for kids' gathering
... and so on!
I also made the mini ones and had a tea party with Rei's tea set. The cookies are so simple to make, so this will be a fun thing to do with kids and family! 🫖🍪
📌 Frequently Asked Questions
The cookies can be stored for up to 3 days at room temperature or for up to a week in the fridge.
* The cookies feel a lot firmer when it's chilled in the fridge because of the butter inside. Leave them at room temperature or heat them in the microwave just a little bit if you want to enjoy the softer texture.
The cookies can get dried and lose their softness faster when the surface is not protected properly. Stacking the cookies, wrapping them, and putting them in an air-tight container does the job but I recommend placing each of them in a bag, especially when you're planning to gift or sell them.
I recommend consuming them right after they are made or within that day to enjoy the best texture. The cookies will lose their softness and start getting dried over time as they sit longer.
Yes! You can just omit it and make a double batch of one of the flavors for example.
Or make one to three flavors as you like!
You can make it ahead and store it in the fridge for up to 4 - 5 days or in the freezer for up to a few months.
📌 VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!
To learn how to make the cookies visually and have a deeper understanding of all, watch the video!
Don't forget to subscribe if you liked it 😉
📌 Other Cookie Recipes
Basics
Holidays
- 10 Holiday cookies from one dough!
- Slice-and-Bake Christmas cookies
- 10 fall cookies
- Gingerbread cookies
📌 Printable Recipe
💬 If you loved this recipe, please share your feedback on this post! I always love hearing how you enjoyed it with your friends and family.
4 Kinds of Soft & Chewy Cookies From One Dough
Equipment
- Stand mixer with a paddle or hand mixer
- Bowl
- Spatula
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
Base Dough
- 226 g (2 US sticks) Unsalted butter
- 100 g (½ cup) Granulated sugar
- 160 g (¾ cup) Light brown sugar
- 100 g (2 medium-large eggs) Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 375 g (3 cups) All-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 242 g (¼ of the whole dough) The base dough
- 2 teaspoons Oil
- 100 g (⅓ + ¼ cups) Dark chocolate chips
- A tiny sprinkles on each cookie Sea salt - optional
Double Chocolate Cookies
- 242 g (¼ of the whole dough) The base dough
- 1 teaspoon Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon Milk
- 100 g (⅓ + ¼ cups) Dark chocolate chips
- Some Dark chocolate to dip the cookies - optional
Red Velvet Cookies
- 242 g (¼ of the whole dough) The base dough
- 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoon) Cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon Gel paste Red coloring
- Some White chocolate to dip the cookies - optional
Ginger Molasses Cookies
- 242 g (¼ of the whole dough) The base dough
- 25 g (1.5 Tablespoons) Molasses
- 1 teaspoon Ginger
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 10 g (4 teaspoons) All-purpose flour
- Some Granulated sugar to coat the dough
NOTE: For best results, measure ingredients with a scale. All recipes are designed with weighed ingredients using grams/ounces. Cup measurements (US customary units) are provided for your convenience.
Instructions
Base Dough
- In the bowl, combine the dry ingredients. You can either sift them or mix them well with a whisk. And set it aside.Next, in a bowl, add the soft butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar. Mix until they are well combined.To this, add vanilla and eggs and mix. The egg will look separated in the beginning but continue mixing until the batter looks smoother and well combined.Finally, add the dry ingredients and mix until they are evenly incorporated.Divide into four to make the four flavors.Tips💡:1. With this recipe, using cold eggs is not going to fail the result but I recommend leaving them at room temperature whenever you have time just so that they combine a little bit more easily.2. Scrape off the side and bottom of the bowl and paddle after adding eggs and flour to ensure the batter is evenly blended.226 g Unsalted butter, 100 g Granulated sugar, 160 g Light brown sugar, 100 g Egg, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract, 375 g All-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons Baking soda, ½ teaspoon Salt
Make the 4 flavors.
- Chocolate Chip CookiesIn the base dough (¼ of the whole base dough), add oil and chocolate chips. Mix until they're well combined.Double Chocolate CookiesTo make the double chocolate cookies, add oil, milk, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips to the base dough. And again, mix until well combined.Red Velvet CookiesAdd lemon juice, cocoa powder, and red coloring to the base dough. And mix!Ginger Molasses CookiesAdd molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and all-purpose flour. And mix!Chill the dough.Now, they are too soft to form a ball. Chill them in the fridge completely until they get firm.Tip💡:You can also place the dough in the freezer to fasten the chilling process when you are in a rush.242 g The base dough, 2 teaspoons Oil, 100 g Dark chocolate chips, A tiny sprinkles on each cookie Sea salt
Shape the cookie dough.
- Divide the dough into 2 oz (60 grams or about 4 tablespoons) and form a ball shape. It applies to all 4 kinds of cookie dough.Chocolate Chip CookiesSprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt on top before baking. This is totally optional, you can omit it if you like!Double Chocolate CookiesThis double chocolate dough does not spread so much in the oven, unlike the other three ones - Push the surface by hand before baking it until it spreads to about 2.25 - 2.5 inches. Red Velvet CookiesNo extra instruction for red velvet cookies. Bake the rolled dough right away!Ginger Molasses CookiesFor the molasses cookie dough, coat sugar around the dough before baking it.By applying a tiny amount of water, the sugar sticks more to the dough. You can omit water if you prefer less sugar on the cookies.242 g The base dough, 1 teaspoon Oil, 1 Tablespoon Cocoa powder, 1 Tablespoon Milk, 100 g Dark chocolate chips, Some Dark chocolate to dip the cookies
Bake them.
- Bake (Preheated) at 350 F | 176 C for 11 - 13 mins. Adjust the time and temperature accordingly.Tips💡:1. It's important not to overbake the cookies to enjoy the soft and chewy texture. The cookies feel too soft when they are hot but wait until it cools down - It'll get firmer and perfectly soft. 11 to 12 minutes is the perfect baking time with my oven but this can vary, depending on the oven. Please adjust accordingly.2. The doughs spread a bit more in the oven when they are left at room temperature. You don't need to wait and bake them right away in the preheated oven with this recipe.242 g The base dough, 1 teaspoon Lemon juice, 2 teaspoons Cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon Gel paste Red coloring, Some White chocolate to dip the cookies
Dip in chocolate. (Optional)
- I used white chocolate for the red velvet cookies and dark chocolate for the double chocolate cookies. The cookies look even more festive and special with a chocolate coating!Tips💡:1. You can add a little bit of oil to the melted chocolate to thin out the consistency when it is too thick.2. Chill the coated cookies in the fridge just until the chocolate gets hardened when the room is not nice and cool.3. I did not add cream cheese or cream cheese frosting to the red velvet cookies so that we could store them at room temperature for a longer time. But feel free to add cream cheese on top or sandwich the cookies with cream cheese frosting if you are enjoying them sooner to make it truly taste like a red velvet cake!242 g The base dough, 25 g Molasses, 1 teaspoon Ginger, ½ teaspoon Cinnamon, 10 g All-purpose flour, Some Granulated sugar to coat the dough
Video
Notes
How to store the cookies:
The cookies can be stored for up to 3 days at room temperature or for up to a week in the fridge.* The cookies feel a lot firmer when it's chilled in the fridge because of the butter inside. Leave them at room temperature or heat them in the microwave just a little bit if you want to enjoy the softer texture. The cookies can get dried and lose their softness faster when the surface is not protected properly. Stacking the cookies, wrapping them, and putting them in an air-tight container does the job but I recommend placing each of them in a bag, especially when you're planning to gift or sell them.
Nutrition
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Rebecca Thomas says
Hi Aya!
My cookies turned out like cake! Soft and fluffy anc cakey! 🫠
I was reading about why this could be and some suggest butter should be melted instead of whipped with fhe sugar- to prevent too much air incorporation. Any thoughts?
ayacaliva says
I'm glad! Thank you for sharing😊 I wondered the same thing before! I feel like the cookies spread slightly more when I use melted butter and get slightly less dense with soft butter. It's just how I feel! I personally like using soft butter also because it's easier.