Chefs share 8 ways to make store-bought cookie dough taste homemade

You can upgrade your cookie dough by adding spices to it, said Tracy Wilk, lead chef at the Institute of Culinary Education. This can lead to a warm, spicy cookie.

To do so, combine ground cinnamon, ginger, and sugar, and then roll your balls of cookie dough in the mix before baking.

If you're feeling extra bold, you can even spice up your cookies with a sprinkling of cayenne pepper, suggested Jackie Newgent, chef, culinary nutritionist, cooking coach, and author of "The Clean and Simple Diabetes Cookbook."

To add depth your cookies, add a few drops of a pure flavor extract to your dough, Newgent said.

This is a simple way to personalize the cookies to your liking or give them a unique twist each time you bake them.

Some extracts to try include peppermint, lemon, vanilla, coffee, almond, or coconut.

Another way to add flavor or texture to your cookies is by rolling the balls of dough in your garnish of choice, Jennifer Hill Booker, chef, cookbook author, and culinary educator, told Insider.

To start, you can try using chopped nuts, sanding sugar, miniature chocolate chips, cocoa powder, or sprinkles.

For added texture, you can stir nuts into your cookie dough, Newgent said.

You can use common nuts like pecans, walnuts, or macadamia nuts, she said, but for a homemade feel, you may want to use ones that aren't commonly found in store-bought cookies, like pistachios.

These will add color, crunch, and wholesomeness to your baked cookies, she explained.

Mix-ins are another great way to make it seem like you spent a ton of time on your "homemade" cookies. Plus it'll give them a really unique flavor.

"Plop in a surprise ingredient that you love, like crushed pretzels, potato chips, roasted chickpeas, or popped popcorn," Newgent told Insider.

To create a well-rounded flavor, top your cookies with flaked sea salt before putting them in the oven, Newgent suggested.

"Salt helps to balance sweetness, providing a more well-rounded taste and bonus deliciousness," she told Insider.

After your cookies have finished baking, use chocolate to give them a high-end look and homemade flavor, Wilk said.

"Once the cookies are baked and cooled, dip them into chocolate or drizzle them with it," she said. "This will give a finished and fancy look without a lot of extra work."

If you really want to impress, create intrigue by using freshly grated citrus zest as a cookie topper, Newgent said.

"It'll make the cookies seem extra special and kind of fancy," she told Insider.

Try, for instance, adding orange zest on chocolate cookies or lemon zest on vanilla cookies, she suggested.

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