13 Apr Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’ve had so many requests for the recipe from people who missed it on IrelandAM so here it is! This is a very straightforward recipe that we use for the café and a great one to make with the kids.

Preheat your oven to 175C and have ready a non-stick oven tray or a tray lined with parchment paper.

150g soft butter – it must be room temperature and please use real butter, not margarine
125g soft light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
a drop of vanilla extract
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
300g plain white flour
1/4 teaspoon bread soda
Lots of chocolate chips – at least 100g (or alternatives – see below*)

You can use a food mixer or mix by hand if you have strong arms! In a bowl mix together the soft butter and the sugars until well blended. Add in the vanilla and the eggs and mix again until the eggs are absorbed into the mix.
Add the flour and bread soda and mix until the flour is just incorporated. You don’t want to overmix at this stage as the cookies will be tough. I sometimes stop the mixer just before the last of the flour disappears and finish the mixing by hand. Then add in copious amounts of chocolate chips and mix together.

*I prefer to use dark chocolate chips, but you can use milk or white chocolate, chop up a chocolate bar if you don’t have chips, You can also add nuts such as peanuts, macadamia, pecans, whatever takes your fancy. Another favourite with the kids is to use smarties or M&M’s instead of the chocolate chips. 

Take a potato/ice cream scoop and scoop mounds of cookie dough onto the oven tray. Leave plenty of space between the cookies to allow expansion and no matter how tempting it is, DO NOT FLATTEN THE DOUGH MOUNDS!!
Add some extra chocolate chips on top of the cookies (or whatever filling you are using) and place them in the centre of the pre-heated oven baking for 15 minutes. The cookies will spread and rise in the oven, but when you take them out after the cooking time the dough will still be soft and the cookies will deflate somewhat. This is normal. Leave them on the tray for about 5 minutes and then carefully transfer to a cooling rack with a spatula or fish slice (something wide and flat!) As the cookies cool they will crisp on the outside but will remain soft and chewy in the centre.

These are at their most delicious eaten whist still slightly warm but they will keep for several days in an airtight tin or jar – but don’t store them until they are completely cold first.

If you bake them, let me know! I hope you enjoy them x