I had family over for dinner a Christmas. After the usual exquisite affair (the food not the board gaming) I presented for dessert ‘a chocolate chip cookie’ (one for each and a few in reserve). There was a collective sigh of disappointment (to which I am well accustomed) but the mood quickened after the first bite. As the cookies were devoured, we collectively held hands and skipped joyously together into those sun-lit uplands. Nothing more to add really. Here’s the recipe.
Ingredients (makes 10-14 depending on size)
150g butter
100g vanilla sugar
50 g dark muscovado sugar
100 g light muscovado sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
250 grams flour
200 gram 70% dark chocolate roughly chopped/broken
1/2 teaspoon salt
Some points to consider:
Try to use the best quality butter you can. I also replace approx 30g of butter with tahini. It gives a complex and nutty taste.
For the sugars, you well can replace the sugars with any type as you like it…coconut sugar, demerara etc. I am all about the muscovado sugar so you will see that a lot.
For vanilla sugar I fill a jar with white sugar and 2 vanilla pods which is stored at least 10 days in advance. (I try to give store bought vanilla sugar a miss). If you don’t have this available then I would instead use vanilla extract/vanilla paste or a few teaspoons of vanilla sugar. Remember that your total sugar is 250g for this recipe. As you experiment, you will note that the proportion of sugar light to dark will change the depth of flavour. I find the above ‘blend’ suits most palates (small and large).
I also sometimes add a tablespoon or 2 of fresh orange juice and 1/3 zest of an oranges (blood orange when in season is my favourite) but then its strictly not just a chocolate chip).
Method
Cream the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl, add egg and mix well, add sifted flour, salt and mix well then mix in large broken chunks of chocolate
Leave in fridge overnight to settle (should of warned you about that earlier really)
The following day (if you can wait) use hands to create golf ball size portions of cookies and transfer to baking paper on oven tray
Bake at 160C fan for approx. 12 minutes. For 12 minutes these are crumbly on the inside. If you bake them longer they will become somewhat crunchier.