Cookie Cup Recipe Gallery

Cookie Base Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon orange zest or almond extract (optional)
3 cups all-purpose flour
** Desired Filling Choice Below

Directions

Step 1 - Coat 1 3/4-inch muffin cups with cooking spray. In a large bowl beat butter with a mixer on medium 30 seconds. Beat in sugar, baking powder, and salt, scraping bowl as needed. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and, if desired, orange zest. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. If necessary, cover and chill dough 30 minutes or until easy to handle.

Step 2 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Press dough balls into bottom and up sides of prepared muffin cups.

Step 3 - Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Repress the centers with the rounded side of a measuring spoon. Let cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove cups from pans and cool completely on wire racks. Add desired fillings.

To Store Cookie-Cups:
Important - Fill cookie cups just before serving.
Layer unfilled cookie cups between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Mini Cookie Cup Variations

Cherry Pie Cookie Cups:
Cherry pie filling and a simple powdered sugar glaze create these little pies.

Rocky Road Cookie Cups:
Place one 13-ounce jar marshmallow creme in a resealable plastic bag with a hole snipped from one corner. Squeeze marshmallow creme into each cookie cup. Drizzle with chocolate ice cream topping; sprinkle with chopped peanuts

Lemon Fluff Cookie Cups
Place 1/2 of a 10-oz. jar lemon curd in a medium bowl and stir until smooth. In a separate bowl beat 1/2 cup heavy cream with 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into lemon curd. Spoon or pipe into cups. Sprinkle with lemon, orange, and/or lime zest

Caramel-Cashew Cookie Cups:
In a medium bowl beat 8 oz. cream cheese, softened, and 2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar with a mixer on medium until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in 2/3 cup caramel ice cream topping until smooth. Fold in 1 cup chopped roasted, salted cashews. Spoon into cookie cups. If desired, drizzle with additional caramel ice cream topping and sprinkle with additional chopped cashews.

Twix Cookie Cups
Heat up 1 cup caramel baking bits (with water) in the microwave. Fill each cookie cup 2/3 full with caramel then set in fridge for 20 minutes... Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in microwave, fill the tops of the cookie cups, and set in fridge. Note: fills only 18 cookie cups

Chocolate-Peppermint Mousse-Cookie Cups:
Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Place a slightly smaller bowl in the large bowl with ice water to make an ice bath. In a small saucepan heat and stir 6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped, and 1/2 cup water over medium heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 tsp. vanilla and a few drops peppermint extract (mixture may appear grainy). Pour chocolate mixture into the smaller bowl in ice bath. Whisk 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened. Fold in 1/4 of an 8-oz. container frozen whipped dessert topping, thawed. Pipe or spoon filling into cups. If desired, sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.

Cherry-Almond Cookie Cups:
Prepare cookie cups as directed, using the almond extract option. In a small bowl beat 1/2 cup heavy cream, 4 tsp. sour cream, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 1/4 tsp. vanilla with a mixer on medium until soft peaks form. Fill each cookie cup with 1 tsp. cherry preserves. Top with whipped cream mixture and toasted sliced almonds.

Cheat Versions -

 made with refrigerated cookie dough

Snickers Cookie Cups
miniature snickers bites and fluffy caramel flavored frosting

Adapted from:Make-It-Your-Way Cookie Cups  and  bhg.com