Dorie Greenspan’s Do-Almost-Anything Vanilla Cookie Dough

Combine the butter, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer; beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes or until creamy. Stop once or twice to scrape down the bowl.

Reduce the speed to low and add the egg whites and then the vanilla extract; the dough may curdle, but it will smooth out once the flour is added.

On low speed, add the flour in 3 or 4 additions, beating only until it is almost incorporated before the next portion goes in. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed.

At this point, the dough can be divided and flavored (see “Variations” below) and scooped or rolled out. To make plain cookies, divide the dough into quarters and shape each one into a disk. Working with one disk at a time, place it between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll out to a thickness of ¼ inch. Stack the disks with their parchment paper on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 3 hours; or you can freeze them for 1 hour.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

Working with one rolled-out portion of dough at a time, peel away the parchment paper on both sides, then place the dough back on one of those sheets of paper.

Use the cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as you can, spacing them about 1½ inches apart on the baking sheets and rerolling scraps as needed. Sprinkle with sanding sugar if desired. Bake (upper and lower racks) for 19 to 21 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through or as soon as you see the cookies’ edges start to become golden. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Variations: 

To make about 24 White Chocolate and Poppy Seed Cookies, stir 1⁄3 cup chopped white chocolate bar or white chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon black poppy seeds into ¼ of the basic dough (before you roll it out). Roll to a ¼-inch-thick disk, chill, cut out, bake and cool as in the recipe above. Melt 1⁄3 cup white chocolate chips; spread it over the cooled cookies and then sprinkle with more poppy seeds. Let set before serving or storing.

To make 20 Vanilla Polka Dots, use a small (2 teaspoons) scoop to create 20 level portions of dough, using one-quarter of the basic dough before it’s rolled out. Roll each portion into a ball, then dip it into a bowl containing about ½ cup pearl or Swedish sugar, and space the balls about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Wrap the bottom of a jam jar with plastic wrap; use it to flatten the balls a bit. Bake (middle rack) one sheet at a time for 20 to 22 minutes, rotating the sheet from front to back after 11 minutes. Cool the cookies as directed above.

To make about 20 Double-Ginger Crumb Cookies, stir together 1¼ teaspoons peeled, minced fresh ginger root and 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring a few times, until the sugar melts into a syrup. Stir that mixture into ¼ of the basic dough recipe (before you roll it out). Roll out and chill as directed above. Make the topping: Combine ¾ cup flour, 1⁄3 cup sugar, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, and 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, in a bowl, using your fingertips to work the mixture into crumbs that hold together. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Cut out the cookies as directed above, then sprinkle a generous amount of the crumbly topping on each one. (You will have leftover topping.) Bake (middle rack) one sheet at a time, for 21 to 23 minutes, rotating the sheet from front to back after 12 minutes. Cool as directed above.

To make about 18 Christmas Spice Cookies, combine ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, a pinch of ground cloves, and a pinch of ground allspice in a small bowl, then blend the mixture evenly into ¼ of the basic dough recipe (before you roll it out). Roll out, chill, and cut out as directed above, using a 2-inch snowflake-shaped cutter; sprinkle sanding sugar over each one, if desired, before baking (middle rack) one sheet at a time for 19 to 21 minutes, rotating the sheet from front to back after 10 minutes. Cool as directed above.