chocolate chip icebox cookies

These turned out rather well, I thought. Enjoyable to make, enjoyable to eat. Sometimes I get tired of the trendy cookie and just want a simple no-frills, no-nonsense cookie with no special directions or tricks to make them extra special. These are plain and that is enough. Preferred even.

The only thing you do need for these is patience and time. They need to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours before you can slice them up and bake them. Originally, when people didn’t have refrigerators, they had something called an icebox that literally had a block of ice that they would use to store food that needed to be kept cold. They would have a large block of ice delivered like one a week by the iceman who would come by with a truckload to deliver ice to a neighborhood in much the same way other delivery people also came by to deliver goods.

The beauty of these is that once you shape the cookie dough into 2 foot-long sausage-shaped pieces wrapped in wax paper or plastic, you can use only what you need by slicing the necessary number of cookie slices to be baked off, and freeze the rest for later.

You can also make different varieties with different ingredients. I made a butter toffee chip version (which I will be posting soon) that Ben says he likes even more than the chocolate chip version. I made my own butter toffee pieces, but you can also find and use toffee chips sold in large bags (usually put out by a candy bar company) specifically for use in baked goods. I want to make a cherry almond version with chopped cherries and almond extract instead of the vanilla extract, or maybe a chocolate kahlua one with cocoa and coffee liqueur. The cookie possibilities are endless!

icebox chocolate chip cookies (based on this recipe from The Spruce Eats)

ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 light brown sugar (I didn’t have brown sugar, but I had demerara sugar, which is sort of light brown)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup mini chocolate chips

method

Cream the butter and sugars in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer. Add the eggs, vanilla, and salt, and continue to beat until light and fluffy.

Gradually add the flour with the mixer on low and blend in, then do the same for the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough for about 30 minutes to an hour, until firm enough to shape.

Divide the dough into two portions and form each into a log, wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate again, this time for at least 4 hours, or until very firm.

When ready to bake, line baking sheets with parchment paper and heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut cookies about 1/4 -inch thick and spaced about an inch apart from each other on baking sheets. Bake for about 9-11 minutes until lightly brown on edges. My cookies were cut slightly thicker and took about 12 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet on wire racks for a minute or so until more firm as it cools. Store in an airtight container.

2 responses to “chocolate chip icebox cookies”

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