Recipes: Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love a good cup of tea and a biscuit – nothing in my eyes beats a Rich Tea in the dunking stakes but what I do love are big fat American style cookies. Think Millie’s Cookies but homemade and better and once you have made these you’ll never buy a shop made ones again!

These have been a firm favourite of your boarding house boys for a number of years now and are the perfect cookie to freeze in dough form ready to have in the freezer for an emergency cookie kinda day.

Ok, here is what you’ll need for 24 cookies…

You Will Need:

225g unsalted cubed butter, at room temperature

350g soft light brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

400g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

300g chocolate chips, you can even use smarties if you so wish!

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3 and line 3 baking trays with baking paper.

2. Pop the butter and sugar in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment, or use a handheld electric whisk, and cream until light and fluffy (usually about 4-5 minutes as this makes them super gooey!)

3. Add the eggs and a large spoonful of flour one at a time, mixing well.

4. Add the vanilla extract.

5. Add the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda and beat well until a smooth sticky dough forms.

6. Add the chocolate chips and give a jolly good stir.

7. Now place a tablespoon portion of the dough (I use an ice cream scoop to ensure same amount each time) and place about 8 dollops of dough on the baking tray and pop in the oven. They will spread but do not panic! Then keep an eye on them for 25 minutes – any less and the bottoms will be soggy.

8. Remove from the oven and leave in the tray for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool down.

If you don’t want to bake all 24 cookies carry out steps 2 – 7 but instead of popping in the oven place in the freezer to firm up then pop in a bag and remove when you wish to bake them and bake for 35 mins from frozen.

These taste amazing when sandwiched between vanilla ice cream or just with a large cup of tea!

Serve.