Butter-rich vanilla cookies with chocolate chips, sliced from a chilled log and baked in 8–10 minutes.
The dough makes 3 dozen with 15 minutes of prep. The catch: the log needs at least 6 hours in the fridge to slice cleanly, and frozen dough bakes 12–13 minutes at 350°F instead.
Slice and Bake Cookie Ingredients
The base recipe makes 3 dozen cookies, with 15 minutes of prep and 10 minutes of baking.
- 1 cup butter, softened
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus a little extra for rolling the dough into logs
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips, or another flavor you like
- Waxed paper, greaseproof paper, or parchment for wrapping the logs
Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it with a knife. Dipping the cup straight into the bag packs in extra flour, and the dough turns dry and crumbly, which makes clean slices harder.
How to Make Slice and Bake Cookies
- Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, then stir in the dry ingredients just until no streaks of flour remain. Fold in any mix-ins or color last.
- Shape the dough into logs 8–10 inches long. Wrap each one in parchment, waxed paper, or plastic.
- Chill the logs at least 6 hours or overnight so they firm up enough to slice cleanly.
- Slice just under ¼ inch thick and space the rounds on baking sheets.
- Bake at 350°F for 8–10 minutes if the dough is chilled, 12–13 minutes if frozen. Pull the pans when the edges and bottoms are lightly golden.
- Cool the cookies 5 minutes on the pan, then move them to a wire rack.
Chill and Make Ahead
Firm butter melts slowly, so a well-chilled log spreads less in the oven and keeps sharp edges and an even round shape.
Chilling also gives the flour time to hydrate. Give the dough at least 2 hours in the fridge, or leave it overnight.
Refrigerated dough keeps 2–3 days. Freezer advice runs from 1 month up to 6 months, so if you want a safe plan, wrap the log tightly and bake it within 1–2 months.
Frozen dough needs no thawing. Slice it straight from the freezer and add a little baking time, or set the log on the counter for 5–10 minutes to soften slightly.
Because you can bake just three or four cookies at a time, return the rest of the log to the freezer and bake more whenever you want them.
Slice Thickness and Bake Times
Each recipe sets its own numbers, and they don’t convert to one another, so use the figures that come with your dough. Slices around ¼ inch run 7–10 minutes at 350–375°F, while the recipes with longer times don’t give a thickness.
| Oven | Slice thickness | Bake time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 325°F | Not given | About 18 minutes | |
| 350°F | Just under ¼ inch | 8–10 minutes | |
| 350°F | 1 cm | 8–10 minutes | |
| 350°F | Not given | 9–12 minutes | Space 1 inch apart |
| 350°F | Not given | 15–17 minutes | |
| 350°F | Not given | About 15 minutes | Rotate sheets halfway |
| 375°F | ¼ inch | 7–9 minutes |
Ovens run hot or cool, so start checking at the low end of your recipe’s range and pull the sheet when the edges set.
Flavor Variations
Chop mix-ins small and fold them in after the base dough is formed, so the rolls slice cleanly instead of tearing around big chunks. Change one thing at a time:
- Chocolate: use 3/4 cup chips, or swap in white chocolate, butterscotch, or peanut butter chips.
- Nuts: use ½ cup chips plus ½ cup finely chopped nuts. White chocolate with macadamia wins.
- Dried fruit: try ½ cup cranberries with ½ cup white chocolate chips, or finely chopped apricots with dark chocolate chunks.
- Spice: add ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon cardamom, ¼ teaspoon ginger, and ⅛ teaspoon cloves.
- Lemon poppyseed: add the zest of 1 lemon, ⅓ cup poppyseeds, and ½ cup white chocolate chips.
- Sprinkles: use 2 tablespoons for a light speckle, or up to ¾ cup for a loud version.
- Orange: rub the zest into the sugar before creaming.
- Two-tone: pair a vanilla dough with a chocolate dough.
Cool and Store Baked Cookies
Leave the cookies on the hot baking sheet for 5–10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack.
They finish setting on the pan, which keeps the soft centers from tearing when you lift them. Let them cool completely before they go into a container.
Plan on 3–4 days for the best texture.
Stored airtight on the counter, they can last up to 5 days, and some bakers push that to a week. Three days is the cautious end, so go with that if the cookies are buttery and soft.
For longer storage, freeze the baked cookies in a single layer in a freezer bag or sealed container.
If you have to stack them, put wax paper between layers. They keep up to 3 months in the freezer.
Keep Slices From Crumbling
Big chunks of nuts, chocolate, or dried fruit are what split a slice, because the knife catches them and the dough tears around them. Chop mix-ins finely and to a similar size so the blade glides through.
Roll the log tightly in waxed paper, parchment, or plastic wrap, and twist both ends shut. For perfectly round cookies, cut a paper towel tube lengthwise and rest the log in it as a cradle while it chills.
If the log is too hard to slice, let it sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes. Stop there, since the dough needs to stay cool enough to hold clean edges.
A slice that still crumbles can be pressed gently back into shape with your fingers. It bakes up fine.
Butter and Flour Handling
Butter that is too cold gives you crumbly dough, closer to a biscuit than a cookie. Butter that is too soft makes dough that is sticky and hard to roll into a log.
Set the butter on the counter about 1 hour before you start, and it should be pliable but still hold its shape when you press it.
Flour is where most slice and bake cookies go wrong.
Scooping straight from the bag packs extra into the cup. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it with the flat edge of a butter knife.
Then add it to the mixer about ½ cup at a time, on low speed, so it blends in without clumps or a dusty cloud over the counter.
Pinwheels and Hearts
Pinwheels start with two colors of dough, each shaped into a rectangle about 9 by 6 inches. Layer one on the other and roll them up jelly-roll style from the long side.
Chill the log in stages rather than all at once, so the swirl stays tight and doesn’t smear under the knife. Bake at 375°F for 7–9 minutes.
Hearts take more patience. Roll the colored dough ½ inch thick and cut shapes with a cutter about 1.5 inches across.
Stack the hearts into a log roughly 10 inches long, then wrap plain dough around the whole thing. Chill it until it’s firm, then slice ¼ inch thick so a clean heart shows in every cookie.
Pinwheels are the easier of the two. Hearts are worth the extra chilling only if you have time to let the log get properly cold.
Finishing Ideas
Most of these cookies need no frosting, but a few finishes are worth the extra step. Add them only after the cookies have baked and cooled.
- Dip them in melted dark or white chocolate. This is the best option: it works on nearly any flavor, and mocha cookies are a natural fit for it.
- Drizzle on a glaze for a lighter finish that skips the dipping.
- Press chopped nuts into the chocolate before it sets.
- Add sprinkles or sparkling sugar to wet chocolate for color on holiday trays.
- Top with small candies the same way.
The chocolate gives the other toppings something to stick to, so dip first and decorate right away.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are slice and bake cookies?
Slice and bake cookies are made by mixing dough as usual, shaping it into a log, and cutting the log into rounds before baking.
The method gives baked cookies sharp edges and a uniform shape. Refrigerated cookie dough rolls from the grocery store work the same way.
Do you need to chill slice and bake cookie dough?
Yes. Cold dough slices cleanly and spreads less in the oven, so the cookies keep sharp edges and an even round shape.
Chill the logs at least 6 hours or overnight for the best slices; 2 hours in the fridge is the bare minimum.
Can you roll out slice and bake cookie dough?
Not for cutout cookies. This dough is meant to be shaped into a log and sliced, so a rolled sugar cookie recipe is the better choice for cookie cutters.
The only rolling here is for pinwheels and hearts, where flattened dough gets rolled up or stacked into a log and then sliced.
How long do slice and bake cookies last?
Baked cookies keep their best texture for 3–4 days and last up to 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Stick with 3 days if they are buttery and soft. Unbaked dough keeps 2–3 days in the fridge.
Can you freeze slice and bake cookies?
Yes, both the dough and the baked cookies freeze well. Wrap the dough log tightly and bake it within 1–2 months, slicing straight from the freezer and adding a few minutes (12–13 minutes instead of 8–10).
Baked cookies go into a freezer bag or sealed container in a single layer, with wax paper between layers if you stack them, and keep up to 3 months.
