Cookies Recipes 12 Food

BASIC COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Cream the butter in a large bowl with a wooden spoon or in a stand mixer until it is soft. Add the sugar and keep beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. Sift in the flour and add the optional ingredients, if you're using them. Bring the mixture together with your hands in a figure-of-eight motion until it forms a dough. You can freeze the dough at this point.
• Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and place them slightly apart from each other on a baking sheet (you don't need to butter or line it). Flatten the balls a little with the palm of your hand and bake them in the oven for around 10-12 mins until they are golden brown and slightly firm on top. Leave the cookies on a cooling rack for around 15 mins before serving.

EASY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line two baking sheets with parchment. Cream the butter and sugars together until very light and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla. Once combined, stir in the flour, bicarb, chocolate and ¼ tsp salt.
• Scoop 10 large tbsps of the mixture onto the trays, leaving enough space between each to allow for spreading. Bake for 10-12 mins or until firm at the edges but still soft in the middle - they will harden a little as they cool. Leave to cool on the tray for a few mins before eating warm, or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Will keep for three days in an airtight container.

CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix the butter and sugar together using an electric whisk or hand whisk until very light and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla. Fold in the flour, baking powder, chocolate and ¼ tsp salt as quickly as you can. Don't overwork the dough as this will toughen the cookies.
• For the best flavour, leave the mixture overnight: either cover the bowl and chill, or roll the mixture into balls and chill.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line two baking sheets with parchment. Divide the mixture into balls, the craggier the balls, the rougher the cookies will look. If you want to give the dough more texture, tear the balls in half and squidge them lightly back together. Space out evenly on the baking sheets, leaving enough space between each to allow for spreading.
• Bake the fresh cookies for 8-10 mins and the chilled ones for 10-12 mins, or until browned and a little crisp at the edges but still very soft in the middle - they will harden a little as they cool. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes before eating warm, or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Will keep for three days in an airtight container.