My go-to Chocolate Chip Cookie
There is simply no cure for the man-flu. But these salted, chocolate chip cookies are a good starting point.
There was a hint of snow in the air today, and we are well into mid-March. The other half has been feeling less than okay all week. By the time this weekend hit, he was positively rotten, roaming around our little London flat wrapped in a duvet. We were destined for 48 hours of shielding ourselves from the cold licking our windows outside. Hot toddies and soup were on rotation with naps and Netflix. Then I suggested freshly-baked cookies, which drew a smile from his little face peeking out from his feather-down fortress.
These cookies are foolproof. Really, they are - and I muck up a good portion of recipes I turn my hand to. They are very quick to make, and result in a lovely, slightly chewy cookie. I have reduced the amount of sugar in an old-favourite recipe of mine, as they were a tad sweet for my liking. Do not scrimp on the butter, as the moisture content in a cookie recipe is what helps them to come out nice and soft-centered. Chunky dark chocolate nicely offsets the sweetness of the dough, although this weekend we had a mix of milk and dark and that suited our slippered feet just fine. This recipe yields about 20 odd cookies, so feel free to halve it depending on your self-control.
Takes 25 minutes, makes about 20 cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 430g plain flour, sifted
- 1 Â― tsp bicarbonate of soda
- Pinch of salt
- 240g unsalted butter at room temperature (tip: cut the butter into small cubes so it can reach room temperature quicker)
- 230g brown sugar
- 180g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 140g very dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
- sea salt
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and the salt. Set aside.
3. Cream the butter and the sugars together for two minutes with an electric mixer. Gradually add the eggs, then the vanilla. Gently fold in the flour and the chocolate pieces.
4. When the dough has come together, break off pieces slightly smaller than a golf ball. Place onto the tray, 4 cm apart. Press down slightly, and sprinkle with sea salt.
5. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned.
6. Allow them to sit on the tray for a couple of minutes, and then transfer to a wire cooling rack with a wide spatula. Leave to cool a little bit, then serve still-warm with some milk. Heaven!
With Love, Kate
