The best – and easiest – chocolate chip cookies ever
If there’s one thing I’ve been glad to see a resurgence of during this pandemic, it’s baking. While we as a society have collectively been stuck in our houses, we’ve found solace in freshly baked bread, decadent cakes, gooey brownies and treacly tarts. There’s nothing more inspiring – or appetite-wetting – than scrolling through a seemingly endless feed of food.
Although I can’t say that the barren shelves in the baking aisle of almost every grocery store I visited gave me the same joy.
On the bright side, the scarcity of standard ingredients made me think simple and led me to a chocolate chip cookie recipe that is simply sublime. Originally from Cupcakes and Couscous, I initially found these little bites of heaven on Food24. (I opted for a local recipe because I prefer cookies that snap to those that are soft.)
One or two of these is just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth and get you through that afternoon slump. The recipe divides easily, so you only need to make as many as you need. And, best of all, they turn out alright even if you don’t have the exact ingredients. I’ve substituted the castor sugar for regular, the choc chips for a chopped Bournville slab and all-purpose flour for self-raising (just be sure to leave out the baking powder in that case), and they’ve turned out perfectly every time.
Classic chocolate chip cookies
Servings: Makes 20
Ingredients
100g butter, softened
120g castor sugar
1 large egg
¼ tsp vanilla extract
150g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
100g dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Cream the butter and castor sugar together until pale and fluffy.
- Mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Add the flour and baking powder and mix to combine. Lastly, mix in the chocolate chips.
- Wet your hands slightly and roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls. Arrange on the tray allowing room for spreading. Flatten each ball slightly with a fork that has been dipped in flour.
- Bake for 10 minutes. then rotate the tray 180 degrees and bake for a further 4 minutes or until the cookies are golden at the edges. Carefully transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. (They will be very soft but will harden on cooling.) Allow to cool before serving.
