Here’s the perfect Christmas combination: a chocolate chip cookie you roll and cut into shapes! This came from a Nestle’s ad, years ago, and is still one of my favorites.
1 C. butter, softened
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 C. flour
2 C./one bag mini chocolate chips, divided
Cream butter, the sugars, and the vanilla. Beat in the egg yolk and gradually add the flour. Stir in 1 1/2 C. of the mini chips. Wrap dough in wax paper and chill at least a couple of hours (overnight or longer is fine, too).
Preheat oven to 350º. Allow the dough to warm for a few minutes. On a floured surface, working with one chunk of dough at a time, carefully roll to 1/4″ thickness and cut into shapes, pressing the dough together again if it separates around the chips. Use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake about 9 minutes, until just beginning to brown. Cool on pan for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Frost/decorate with chocolate buttercream: melt the remaining 1/2 C. chips in a microwave safe bowl and stir in 1 C. of already-made buttercream (or store-bought) frosting. Pipe it on with a pastry bag.
Kitchen Hint: I have dumped the entire bag of mini chips into the dough, but discovered that more is not better! You can have too many chips in this dough!