dillymug 
I made these during the Easter holidays and completely forgot about posting this – oops! It was lovely to be able to enjoy 2 weeks of no work rather than trying to cram everything into a week when it’s half term. I whipped these up during an afternoon when the weather was very changeable with sunshine one minute and heavy showers the next. I fancied a spot of cookie baking and after a quick flick through some cookery books and my Pinterest boards I found this recipe in my Great British Bake Off ‘How To Bake’ book.
These are small, soft cookies with a crunchy edge rather than larger, American style cookies. The recipe states it will make 24 but I only managed to make 21 cookies – I think I might have been a little generous with my heaped teaspoons! They make a good sweet treat and would be perfect to enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee. The best thing about the recipe is that it only requires one bowl so there’s not much washing up afterwards! Kept in an airtight container these cookies will keep for 4 days (if they last that long!)
Ingredients:
125g unsalted butter (softened)
50g caster sugar
50g light brown muscovado sugar
1 large egg (at room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
150g plain flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
50g pecan or walnut pieces
100g chocolate pieces (good quality)
Method:
1) Preheat your oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Line 1-2 baking sheets with baking parchement.
2) Put the soft butter into a mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk or use a freestanding mixer (you can of course use a wooden spoon if you fancy a workout!). Add the sugars and beat well until the mixture looks fluffy. Lightly beat the egg with the vanilla, then gradually beat into the mixture.
3) Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into the bowl and mix in with a wooden spoon. When thoroughly combined work in the nuts and chocolate pieces.
4) Put heaped teaspoons of the dough onto your prepared baking sheets, spacing well apart to allow for spreading. Bake in batches if necessary, for 8-10 minutes until the biscuits are lightly golden with darker brown edges. Rotate the sheets halfway through to ensure the cookies cook evenly.
5) Remove from the oven and leave the biscuits on the baking sheets to cool and firm up for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar if you wish!
