Chocolate Chip Cookies

I realised recently that there is a distinct lack of cookies on this blog. That’s not because I don’t like cookies, far from it, but given the choice of cookie or cake – I choose cake every time. However, I thought it was about time I had a little break from cake, dusted off my baking trays and baked some cookies.

My brother in currently in his first year of uni and every month I have been sending him little packages of baked goodies. So far he has had cereal bars, brownies and peanut butter krispie treats and this month I thought it would be ideal to send him some of the cookies I was planning to make – another incentive.

These cookies are your simple crowd pleasing chocolate chip cookie. Quick and easy to make, crispy round the outside and chewy in the centre. I used a combination of white and dark chocolate that I cut into pieces myself in order to keep it nice and chunky. I used an ice cream scoop to measure out my cookie dough which helped make the cookies lovely and thick, ensuring a chewier centre.

I posted most of them to my brother who demolished the lot in about 2 days flat, so I think he liked them. Personally I would have liked them to be a little softer, as well as having a chewy centre, but this is just personal preference. Anyone got any tips for achieving a softer cookie, or should I just bake them for a couple of minutes less?

They were best when still warm, while the chocolate was all soft and melty.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
110g butter
70g caster sugar
80g dark soft brown sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
200g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
50g dark chocolate
50g white chocolate

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line two baking trays with baking paper or silicone liners.
Beat the butter until soft and fluffy. Add the caster and dark brown sugars and beat until combined.
Mix in the egg and vanilla (don’t worry if it looks a little scrambled) followed by the flour and baking powder. Mix until just combined.
Chop the white and dark chocolate into 1cm chunks. Work them into the dough until well incorporated.
Use an old fashioned ice cream scoop to measure out equal scoops of dough. Place them on the trays with 3-4cm space between each one. Flatten the balls slightly with your fingers until you have a thick disc rather than a mound.
Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. They should be lightly brown around the edges but still seem quite soft in the centre. (They firm up on cooling).
Allow to cool on the trays for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

Makes 9-12 cookies