Four-Flavour Icebox Cookies

Jenny Sanders's Note:

This makes a large batch of rich dough, with numerous possibilities for flavouring -- great for catering, pot-lucks, Christmas cookie exchanges, and other large gatherings of cookie lovers. Few will discern, however, that they all are made from the same dough. Prep time does not include chilling.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 45 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 108 cookies

• 2 cups butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 cups soft unbleached flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup rolled oat
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate
• ¼ cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon mint, almond or 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 lemon, zest of , grated
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 cup dried cherries or 1 cup cranberries
• ¼ cup soft unbleached flour
• 1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut , toasted
• 1⁄3; cup preserved gingerroot , minced

Directions:

1. Cream the butter and beat in the sugars, one at a time.
2. Add the eggs and vanilla, beat well.
3. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt.
4. Work into the creamed mixture.
5. Divide the dough into four equal parts.
6. Mix the oats and cinnamon into one part.
7. Melt the chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave. Mix the slightly cooled melted chocolate into the second part, along with the cocoa and a flavouring of your choice.
8. Mix the lemon zest and juice, and dried cherries into the third part, along with the 1/4 cup flour.
9. Toast the coconut lightly in an ungreased heavy skillet.
10. Let cool and mix the coconut and minced ginger into the last part.
11. Shape each flavoured dough into an even log, 2" in diameter.
12. Roll up tightly in waxed paper or plastic.
13. Chill from 1 hour to 24 hours until wanted.
14. Logs can also be frozen; thaw ten minutes before slicing.
15. Cut thin slices (about 1/4" thick) from each log and bake on a lightly greased baking sheet, at 375°F for about 10 minutes.
16. They should be just very lightly browned.
17. Place well apart, as they spread.
18. The dough should still be quite chilled when it goes into the oven.

Reviews

[AZ to AK]

This was a very good recipe, I made all four just to try them out. I have to say that the orange-cranberry ones did not come out. The oatmeal cinnamon were good. I chose to put mint in the chocolate variety and then drizzled them with mint flavored white chocolate and they turned out very nice. But the true star of this recipe is the coconut ginger, they were spectacular! I did add some coconut extract otherwise made as directed. I love that you toast the coconut before stirring it into the dough. I would make these again, but make one huge batch of coconut ginger. It was very nice to be able to get four distinct cookies out of one basic dough, and I like that you can keep the rolls in the freezer until you need to bake them. Thank you for a great addition to my holiday trays.