Chocolate Chip Cut-Outs (recipe included)

 Sometimes you want "a little more" than your basic sugar cookie.

And as much as I like to change things up and flavor my basic sugar cookies (vanilla, almond, chocolate, citrus, etc.)...sometimes I crave MORE.

I have to say, I am not one to "create" or come up with my own recipes very often.

So when I saw this recipe for Chocolate Chip Cut-Outs, I was all over it.

This recipe is from SugarBaker's Cookie Cutter Cookbook.

These cookies are a little different in texture than your average chocolate chip drop cookie, as these are made for rolling and cutting out...and they do both GREAT.

They are delicious plain or you can decorate them with royal icing just like you would your regular sugar cookie.

The plain "sunshine" cut-outs in the above picture, I made last night.  My boys aren't really into iced cookies...they like them simple and basic.

The Lego cookies in the picture below, I made a couple years ago for a birthday.

They are the Chocolate Chip Cut-Out recipe.  And as you can see, they decorate quite nicely.

It is very important that you use the mini chocolate chips for this recipe, as the regular sized ones are too big/bulky for rolling.

Here's the recipe adapted from SugarBaker's.

• 1 c unsalted butter
• 1/3c granulated sugar
• 1/2 c light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 ½ c all-purpose flour (the recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups, personally I only use 2 cups)
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ c semi-sweet mini-chocolate chips
  
  Cream together butter and sugars. Add the vanilla and egg yolk. Sift together the flour and salt, and add it one cup at a time until completely incorporated. BY HAND fold in the chocolate chips. Doing so with the mixer tends to break up the chocolate chips.
  
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Chill dough for at least 30 minutes.  Roll dough on floured work surface and use cookie cutters to cut shapes.  Bake for 10-12 min. at 350.