Chocolate cookies recipe

There's nothing more traditional than chocolate cookies and this is one of the easiest recipes to follow. 

Unlike our classic chocolate chip cookies recipe, these chocolate cookies are made with cocoa powder and packed with pecans and dark chocolate chunks. The dark chocolate adds a rich flavour and the pecan nuts give these cookies a little bit of extra crunch. The cocoa powder adds an all-over chocolate taste. But you can also spice up the recipe even more by grating the peel of an orange into the mix.

Ingredients

• 100g (3½oz) butter, softened
• 125g (4oz) light muscovado sugar
• Yolk from 1 med egg
• 125g (4oz) plain flour
• 30g (1oz) cocoa powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 100g bar dark chocolate (50-70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
• 60g (2oz) pecan nuts, chopped

2 baking sheets, lined with Teflon sheet

Method

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk, then sift in the flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda and mix well. Cool for 5 mins.
2. Add the chopped chocolate and nuts. Chill the mixture while the oven heats up to Gas Mark 5 or 190°C.
3. Divide the mixture into 10 and roll each portion into a ball. Arrange, spaced apart on the baking sheets and then press them to flatten them to about 1.5cm (½in) thick. Bake for 10-12 mins until risen and cracked but still a bit soft and gooey.
4. Cool for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Top tips for making chocolate cookies

Because this is such a simple recipe, the best thing you can do to bring your cookies to the next level is use high-quality ingredients. For example, top-tier butter won't have any sunflower or vegetable oils in them and they also produce a better cookie out of the oven.

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Sugar cookies recipe

Peanut butter cookies

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