chewy chocolate chip cookies

These big chewy cookies come originally from The River Cottage Family Cookbook. I use a bag of chocolate chips instead of chopping up a bar to cut down the workload even more, making them perfect for after school cooking with the kids. They are easy-peasy, taking no more than 10 minutes to make, and 10 to bake. They are also an excellent ice-cream sandwich cookie, simply fill with chocolate or vanilla ice-cream when they are completely cooled and return to the freezer to firm up a little before passing out to the troops.

Ingredients

125g salted butter
100g caster sugar
75g soft light brown sugar
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
150g plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
100g milk chocolate chips

Method
Gently melt the butter in a small saucepan. Put both sugars into a mixing bowl, pour in the melted butter and beat well with a wooden spoon. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl and stir them in, then add the chocolate. You should have a pretty sloppy sort of mixture.

Dot heaped dessertspoonfuls of the mixture on to 2 baking sheets lined with baking parchment, leaving a good 4cm in between each one as they really spread out. Place in an oven preheated to 190C and bake for 8–10 minutes, until the cookies are turning pale golden brown.

Remove from the oven and leave on the baking sheets for a couple of minutes to firm up. Then carefully lift the baking parchment on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Inevitably they will be eaten as soon as they are cool enough not to burn fingers. Makes  about 16 very large cookies.

P.S. These are Holly Stephens favorite cookie, so I hope you make them up to standard, mammy Sinead. No pressure, like!