Chocolate chip cookies!

the amount of love i feel for chocolate chip cookies is too great to put into words. my packed lunches would not be the same without one, which is why i'm constantly on the hunt for the perfect recipe. i found this one in The River Cottage Family Cookbook, so much thanks to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall!

i used 70% cocoa chocolate, but you can use stronger or sweeter chocolate according to what you prefer, i just love the contrast between the sweetness of the cookie and the bitterness of the chocolate.

the finished dough is quite loose compared to some other cookie recipes, this is down to the fact that it uses melted butter not solid, but i had no trouble using it anyway.

it may seem a bit over cautious to only put 5 on a sheet, but these spread out A LOT and for some reason they never taste as nice when they meet and you have to cut them apart.

the recipe said it made 12 cookies, but i got 15, so i guess it all depends on the size of your blobs. in the last set of five cookies, i found some neglected white chocolate buttons and crushed them up and mixed them in.

Ingredients;
100g good dark chocolate chopped into medium sized chunks
125g unsalted butter
100g golden caster sugar
75g soft brown sugar
1 egg
150g plain flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

melt the butter in a small pan and add it to the sugars in a bowl, mixing thoroughly.

carefully mix in the egg and vanilla extract.

sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, and combine.

add the chocolate and mix, being carefull not to overmix or break the chocolate down.

put dessert spoonfulls onto baking sheets lined with baking parchment, giving them plenty of room, the will spread out to about 2-3 times the size.

place in the oven at 180 degrees for 8-10 minutes. if you have a dodgy oven like mine it would be advisable to turn them around halfway through so they get brown all over.

when you take them out, i'd leave them on the sheet to harden for a few minutes so it will be easy to put them onto the cooking rack.

eat slighty warm and melty with an ice cold glass of milk. yums.