This year, Jack and I spent the week between Christmas and New Year (you know, that odd Crimbo Limbo where you have absolutely no idea what day of the week it is and spend all of your time eating Celebrations and watching TV) in Tintagel, Cornwall. My family are lucky enough to have a second home there, right on the cliff and overlooking the old castle ruins. We had invited some friends of ours to spend New Year with us, so the day before their arrival I decided I would make some treats to welcome them upon arrival.
My plan was to kill two birds with one stone- make something yummy that would leave the house smelling homely and also save myself from scoffing the masses of leftover Christmas chocolate that was calling my name! Cookies are an easy, go to staple in my baking arsenal because they are quick to rustle up infinitely adaptable. If you realise half way through that you haven't got enough milk chocolate to make them 'choc chippy' enough you can just make up the rest of the required quantity in whatever you can lay your hands on. Personally I like to go all out and combine dark, milk and white chocolate or, in this case, a combination of those three and a handful of random celebrations just for good measure. If you don't fancy this much chocolate (are you ok?) you can swap some of it out for raisins, nuts or even peanut butter and a blob of jam (sounds weird, but try it!).
The crucial trick is to under bake the cookies to the point where, when you take them out of the oven, they are a smidge golden but don't actually look very cooked. Trust that they are and that they will firm up as they cool: the result is a deliciously chewy and irresistible cookie! So irresistible in fact that Jack 'accidentally' nibbled a chunk out of one whilst I was in the shower and the rest of them only lasted one afternoon - sorry Jonathan and April!
INGREDIENTS
200g good quality unsalted butter
300g caster sugar
1 large egg
350g self raising flour
200g chocolate (dark, milk, white or whatever you fancy)
a splash of milk
sea salt flakes
METHOD
Preheat oven to 200 fan. Cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until it is white and fluffy- about 5 minutes (I use my kitchen aid but it can be done with muscle power and a wooden spoon). Beat the egg lightly with a fork to break it up then mix in. Sift in the flour and then combine. Add the splash of milk and the chocolate and mix again until the cookie dough is well combined. Break off pieces of dough and roll into balls in the palms of your hands. Place onto baking trays lined with baking parchment and gently press down to flatten them. Be sure to leave plenty of space between each one as they will spread. Bake for no more than 10 minutes and then leave to cool on a wire wrack.
If you can resist tucking in before they are completely cool then well done you.