Chocolate Chip Cookies – Take Two


You may be wondering why I am writing about chocolate chip cookies again? Well, I am someone who likes to try different recipes even if I have found one that already works perfectly well. Today I decided to try Jo Wheatley’s recipe for chocolate chip cookies that feature in her ‘A Passion for Baking Book’. They are different to the Hummingbird Bakery ones I have made recently – although this isn’t a bad thing. I can’t describe exactly how they are different other than I think they have a more biscuity texture rather than a cookie (although this may be down to me getting the sugar quantities horrifically wrong and if I’m being really truthful probably baking them for a couple of minutes too much). They will be winging their way to our friends Emma and John, who have just become parents for the first time to the gorgeous Leo. I thought they might need some sugar and chocolate!

I managed to make 14 cookies (although as you will read later this is probably because I mistakenly upped the amount of demerara sugar by nearly double the amount – oops!)

Ingredients:

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200g unsalted butter (softened)
200g light soft brown sugar
125g demerara sugar
2 large eggs (beaten)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
400g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
salt (a pinch of)
200g dark chocolate (roughly chopped)

Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3 and line 4 baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
2) Put the butter and sugars in a large bowl and mix (using an electric handwhisk – alternatively use a freestanding electric mixer) until light and fluffy (this is where I mistakenly added 200g of demerara sugar rather than 125g – oops! It didn’t seem to have too much of an ill effect.)

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3) Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well between each addition and scraping any unmixed ingredients from the side with a rubber spatula. Add the vanilla extract and mix on the lowest speed until combined.
4) Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt into the bowl and mix again until thoroughly combined.

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5) Roughly chop the chocolate into chunks and fold into the cookie dough.

6) Scoop the dough into even-sized mounds. Place 3-4 cookies on each baking tray, allowing space between them to spread during cooking.

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7) Bake the batches in batches on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and sharply bang the baking trays on the work surface to deflate the cookies, then return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until pale golden brown.
8) Allow the cookies to cool on the baking trays for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks until cold.
9) Enjoy with a drink of your choice (alternatively I think they’d be delicious served warm with ice cream!)

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