I call these “pretty woman cookies,” because like Julia Roberts’s character in Pretty Woman, they are anything you want them to be. Customizable cookies ready for your favorite mix-ins.
Up to 5 cups of mix-ins, friends, so go crazy! Yes, this is cookie dough meant to feed a crowd and to please a crowd.
You may also want to check out my chocolate chip honeycomb cookies, because those are also pretty darned awesome cookies!
Customizable “Pretty Woman” Cookies
Remember the scene in Pretty Woman in which Vivian first meets Edward? They’re in pre-Costanza Jason Alexander’s car, and Edward asks her what her name is.
Her answer: “What do you want it to be?” Which really means, “I am a blank slate onto which you may project all your sexual fantasies.” But I don’t think that line would’ve played well in a Garry Marshall film.
Anyway, that’s what these cookies are. Whatever you want them to be.
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I could say that you have to make these cookies Exactly the way that I made them, but why would I say that? I mean, have you ever known me to say that? Of course not.
What we have here is a Basic Cookie Dough. To which you can add five cups (by volume)–Five Cups–of whatever you want.
Once you have your dough, if you want to wrap it around a piece of candy or–gasp!!–another cookie and bake ’em that way, do it. Or just scoop and bake.
How to Make a Chocolate Cookie Base
You can make ’em chocolate by subbing 1 oz (by weight) of Dutch process cocoa powder for 1 oz (by weight) of the flour.
You can leave ’em blonde. The only place you can’t leave ’em is On the Plate. Because they are that good. Boom!
Basic Cookie Dough, Ready for your Customizations
Here are the ingredients for a basic cookie dough:
- unsalted butter
- sugar (your choice of granulated, brown, or a mix)
- salt
- vanilla extract
- Your choice of spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, etc)
- eggs
- baking soda
- all purpose flour (or a mixture of all purpose flour and cocoa powder for a chocolate base)
How to Make Cookie Dough
Like most American cookies, you make the dough with the creaming method. In short, here’s how it works:
- cream the butter and sugar together with the salt, vanilla and spices until smooth
- add the eggs, one at a time, and make sure they are very well incorporated.
- whisk the baking soda in with the flour or flour/cocoa powder, and mix it in on low speed just until mixed.
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Now you have your cookie canvas. Your template. Your tabula cookie-rasa. Next, it is time to consider mix-ins.
You have 5 cups of goodness to add. Five cups! Enjoy the freedom.
Ideas for Cookie Customizations: Mix Ins
Ideas? You want ideas? OK, then.
- whole grains
- chocolate
- dried fruit
- granola
- trail mix
- Chex Mix
- pretzels
- potato chips
- nuts
- healthy stuff, like flax
- marshmallows
- popcorn
- flavored chips–cinnamon, peanut butter, toffee, etc
- Crushed hard candy
- gummy bears
- chopped candy bars
- mints
- cereal
- Et Cetera
Those 5 cups of…whatever…are what makes these cookies yours.
Name them whatever you want. These cookies will save you. And you will save them right back. So you can Eat Them.
Here’s how I made mine. You can make ’em this way if you want to, because they are Incredibly Yummy. But don’t feel like you have to. If you like Kit better than Viv, make yourself Kit cookies.
A Note About Measurements
Don't let its small price and small size fool you. The Escali Primo is an accurate and easy-to-use food scale that I have used for years. It's easy to store, easy to use, has a tare function, and easily switches between grams and ounces/pounds for accurate measurements.
I really hope you love these customizable pretty woman cookies, you guys!
Make your own version with your favorite mix-ins, and please share a photo with me, either in the PCO Facebook Group or on instagram by tagging @onlinepastrychef and using hashtag #pcorecipe. Thanks, and enjoy!
Pretty Women Cookies
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups packed dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- several gratings fresh nutmeg
- 1 level teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 7 oz all purpose flour by weight, about 1 3/4 cups
- 1 oz Dutch process cocoa powder by weight, about 1/4 cup
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup dried spent grains from brewing
- 1 cup chocolate covered raisins
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup chopped toasted almonds
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed (I added with the flour because it is more like flour than a mix-in)
Instructions
- Cream together the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and spices. They don't have to be light and fluffy, since you don't want them to rise like a cake, but you do want it to be creamy and consistently mixed.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping bowl as necessary.
- Whisk the baking soda, flour and cocoa powder (along with the flax meal) together and then beat it into the butter mixture on low speed.
- Mix all your mix-ins together in a bowl, and then stir them uniformly into your dough with a wooden spoon.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour and up to a day or so.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment or Silpat.
- Scoop the cookies into 30 portions (or make really big cookies or small cookies. Your call).
- Slightly flatten your scoops of dough, and bake them on the two center-most racks of your oven for 8 minutes.
- Switch the pans on the racks and bake for 8 more minutes.
- Let cool on the pans for about five minutes before transferring to cooling racks to cool completely.
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
Nutrition
I made these to send with The Beloved to work. He reported that today they are still soft and chewy. Plus, his boss raved about them. I’m telling you–it’s the cumin!
Enjoy your cookies, however you make them. Have a lovely day.
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My goodness, these cookies are packed full of happiness!!! I totally remember every part of that movie, I know it by heart….is that wrong? LOL! I love the title, and the idea of sharing other fun ideas to put in the yummy cookies:-) Hugs, Terra
I’m a huge fan of that movie, too! I’m glad you knew what I was talking about! lol
Cumin? Did you say cumin in the cookies?? How exciting! It makes them all grown up. Definitely not Kit cookies then. She didn’t have enough class for cumin cookies. 🙂
Yes! I learned about it from a fan in Australia when I asked about what to put in an oatmeal cookie. She had found a recipe w/cumin and cayenne. The cumin and cinnamon are perfect together. And I think you might be right about Kit. Make hers with pieces of sugary gross cereal in them! lol
Maraschino cherries and lime wedges. “Snack!”
I’d be concerned about the extra moisture in cherries and lime making the cookies too soft. But make me a cherry lime daiquiri, and we’ll talk! 😉
Totally making these when I need to clean the pantry up!
These are the perfect cookie for cleaning out the pantry, for sure! 🙂
I don’t have a scale! How much is 8 oz. of flour in cups?
(YouReallyShouldBuyAScale) but about 2 cups, measure by the stir-the flour, spoon-it-lightly-into-a-cup and level-it-off-with-a-straight-edge method. Enjoy:)
Wow! I really need to make these! I love the versatility. And the amount of cookies! I like big recipes because we’re a big family. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks, Elle! And I highly recommend the cinnamon-cumin 1-2 punch. Crazy good!