All-the-chocolate cookies

I don't know why I don't bake cookies more often. (Well, I do. I'd end up the size of a house because I'm not so good at resisting temptation when it's in a tin in my kitchen.) I always spend ages trying to think of new and interesting things to bake when really, chocolate cookies are always a success, considerably easier than pie and everyone likes them.


This is my default cookie recipe. It's a favourite because you can include whatever mix of chocolate you have lying about (or even dried fruit, if that's your thing). Nick was pleased as it doesn't include any strange ingredients or hidden vegetables.

All-the-chocolate cookies

(loosely based on the Australian Women's Weekly recipe for trip-choc cookies)

125g butter, chopped

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence

250g brown sugar (any sort - the darker it is, the deeper the flavour of the cookies)

1 egg

185g plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

35g cocoa

About 200g* of whatever chocolate you have, chopped into small bits. I used a mixture of dark chocolate, white chocolate and two Curly Wurlys snipped into bits. 

Preheat oven to 180 and line and grease two baking trays

Beat the butter, vanilla, sugar and egg together with an electric whisk, or by hand, until it's just smooth. Sift in the dry ingredients then stir in the chocolate.

Form the dough into little balls - about ping-pong ball sized - and place on your baking trays leaving lots of space of them to spread. If you're using something that will go quite liquidy when it melts (like Curly Wurlys...) be prepared that they will spread more.

Bake for ten minutes until they look like cookies and are cracked on top. Leave for five minutes before transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

*You can use more chocolate/other things if you want. I wouldn't go above 300g though, as there won't be enough cookie to stick them together.