Cookie Bonanza!

From Woman's World mag 2/23/09. One basic cookie dough with variations. Prep time includes refrigeration time.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Yields: 36 cookies

Ingredients

• Basic Recipe

• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄2 cup  packed light brown sugar
• 1  egg
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 cup milk

Directions

1. In bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; reserve.
2. On medium high speed, beat butter and sugars until light in color, 2-3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Alternately beat in reserved flour mixture with milk until just combined. Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls at least 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until browned around edges. Cool 5 minutes. Transfer from pans to racks; cool.
4. If desired, sprinkle cookies with 1/4 cup multicolored jimmies or sprinkles before baking.
5. Peanut Butter Lovers: Beat 1 tablespoon peanut butter into butter mixture. Stir 16 miniature peanut butter cups (quartered) and 2/3 cup peanut M & M's into dough.
6. Triple Chocolate Chip: Melt 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips; cool. Stir 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder into flour mixture. Beat cooled chocolate into butter mixture. Stir 1/3 cup each white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips and semisweet chocolate chips into dough. Chill and bake as directed. If desired, melt 1/2 cup white chocolate chips. Dip each cooled cookie halfway into melted chocolate. Let dry on rack set over wax paper.
7. Orange-Cranberry: Decrease flour to 1 1/2 cups; add 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats to flour mixture. Stir 1/2 cup dried cranberries and 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest into dough. Chill and bake as directed. If desired, whisk together 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons cranberry juice and 1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest until smooth; drizzle over cookies.
8. Toffee-Nut: Stir 1 cup mixed nuts (such as pecans, cashews and pistachios), 1/4 cup toffee bits, 1/4 cup butterscotch chips and 1 teaspoon almond extract into dough.