White Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is dedicated to 10B.

I adore these cookies; they are chewy, soft and fudgy. I can confirm that they are good because my class of 28 greedy teenage girls devoured them all! I think the secret is to have quite big chunks of chocolate, and not to overbake them. This recipe is adapted from Lorraine Pascale’s cookie recipe.

On these cold, last days of winter, as spring creeps over the bare trees and damp pavements, I find nothing more comforting or theraputic than a good spot of baking (especially if chocolate’s involved). These are much more subtly chocolatey than some of my other posts recently. Kids and adults alike will love these (eat them warm – they’re amazing). Sorry that I have no photos, but you’ll have to trust me on this one!

Lorraine suggests to use some strong white bread flour as well as plain flour, which I think worked well, but if you have none, don’t panic! Just use all plain flour instead. Whatever happens, you will have a cookie that just melt in your mouth… Also I like to add macadamia nuts to give it a bit of crunch.

White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 12 cookies
You need:
125g/4.5oz butter
17g/6oz soft light brown sugar
1 egg
150g/5oz plain flour
50g/2oz strong white bread flour (if you have none, then do 200g plain four)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
175g/6oz white chocolate, chopped into rough chunks

1) Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Line two large trays with baking paper.

2) In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg and then stir in the flours until you have a smooth, slightly sticky mixture.

3) Fold in all the white chocolate and then roll up your sleeves. Divide the dough into 12 roughly equal balls and place 6 on each baking sheet. Flatten the balls to about 1-1.5cm thick pancakes and make sure they are spread out, as they grow when baked.

4) Bake for 10-12 minutes in the oven (they will still be soft to touch). Remove from the oven, and after 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Share these around or eat warm by yourself… crumble on top of ice cream. I am feeling so hungry now, I may have to bake some more to eat.

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Birthday Chocolate Cookies
Makes 30

200g/7oz dark chocolate
50g/2oz butter
397g/14oz can of condensed milk
225g/8oz self-raising flour
75g/3oz white chocolate chips or buttons

1) Line 3 baking trays with greaseproof baking paper. In a large pan, melt the chocolate and butter until it’s all melted. Take off the heat and stir in the condensed milk, cool.

2) Mix in the flour and chocolate buttons (don’t panic, the mixture is meant to become stiff), then preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan.

3) Put large teaspoons of mixture on the trays, well space out. Flatten slightly into a disc shape. Bake for 15 minutes (no more – you have been warned) although they are soft when they come out the oven, they will firm up quickly. Cool them on a cooling rack.

This recipe easily doubles, and as I found, works well when you are baking for obscene amounts of hungry teenagers. Careful not to eat half the mixture before it reaches the oven, and maybe nab a cookie or two before everyone gobbles them all – greedy.