COOKIE

This cookie recipe is a great all rounder that you can use as a vehicle for all sorts of naughty little nuggets of fun, from chocolate chips to dried fruit and everything in between. You can also mix things up with the base ingredients if you fancy. Substituting half the caster sugar for light muscovado gives a yummy caramel edge and you can throw in all sorts of spices or extracts if you think they will work. I'll keep things chocolatey this time, but next time who knows where temptation will take me. ;-)

Prep time: 20 Mins
Baking time: 12-14 Mins
120g Unsalted Butter
175g Caster Sugar
1 Large Egg
1tsp Vanilla Extract
165g Plain Flour
1/2tsp Baking Powder
300g Dark and White Chocolate Chips

Oh and I should mention you'll get 18 medium cookies out of this quantity, which you might struggle to fit in the oven in one go (unless you are lucky enough to have a whopping great oven). The mixture will sit fine in the bowl covered with cling film for a bit though if you want to bake in batches. It also will chill too if you prefer making earlier in the day and baking later.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line three large flat baking trays with baking paper. In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar, then beat in the egg along with the vanilla extract. Sift in the flour and baking powder, mix to a sticky cookie dough, then fold through the chocolate chips.

Take a little round blob of the cookie dough, slightly larger than a golf ball, then place on the baking paper. Repeat for the rest of the dough, making sure they are evenly spaced apart as they will spread during baking. Bake in the centre of the over for 12-14 minutes, until the cookies have spread, are a light golden and are just darkening at the edges. 

When you are happy the cookies are baked remove from the oven, carefully slide the paper with the cookies on onto a wire rack and leave to cool for around 30 minutes. Carefully peel the cookies from the paper and return to the wire rack until cool. Or just nom them all up warm!