The perfect chocolate chip cookie (?)

Here is the first instalment of the featured Cookbook of the Month for October - 'Kitchen' by Nigella Lawson. I have been busy bookmarking all the recipes I'd like to try this month and there are so many that I had to get started early! What better time to start than a long weekend

These cookies seemed like a good place to start after I read what Nigella had to say about her pursuit of the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe:

I've tried. I can't tell you how often I've tried. Many cookies have been baked, and many have been eaten. What do they say? Dirty work, but someone's got to do it. And the cookie recipe that follows i happy evidence that my hard work has not been for naught.

I've tried a lot of chocolate chip cookie recipes too (but probably not as many as Nigella though!) and I'll give you my review shortly, but first here is the recipe!

Chocolate chip cookies
(from Kitchen by Nigella Lawson)

(makes approx. 14)

150g soft unsalted butter
125g soft light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg, fridge-cold
1 egg yolk, fridge-cold
300g flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
326g milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius/gas mark 3. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

Melt the butter and let it cool a little. Put the brown and white sugars into a bowl, pour the slightly cooled, melted butter over them and beat together.

Beat in the vanilla, the cold egg and cold egg yolk until your mixture is light and creamy.

Slowly mix in the flour and bicarb until just blended, then fold in the chocolate chips.

Scoop the cookie dough into an American quarter-cup measure or a 60ml round ice-cream scoop and drop onto the prepared baking sheet, plopping the cookies down about 8cm apart. You will need to make these in 2 batches, keeping the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge between batches.

Bake for 15-17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks.

Make ahead note
The cookies can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container. Will keep for a total of 5 days.

Freeze Note
Unbaked cookie dough can be scooped onto parchment paper lined baking sheets and frozen until solid. Transfer frozen dough to resealable bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake direct from frozen, as directed in recipe but adding extra 2-3 minutes to baking time.

The Verdict

These cookies were tasty and I really enjoyed the texture - crisp on the edges with a slightly squidgy interior. Flavour wise they were good, a choc-chip cookie that I imagine children would devour. But for me I prefer a more grown-up chocolate taste, so I think I'd replace the milk chocolate chips with either semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips next time. Everyone's palate is different though, so you'll have to give these a go yourself!

Also, a note on the size of these cookies... If you follow Nigella's ice cream scoop tip (which is undoubtedly handy and quick, I cannot deny that), you will end up with HUGE cookies (pictured above). Some love the sort of cookies that are as big as your palm, but I myself am not a huge fan of this. I find them too much to eat, so I made some big ones, as well some smaller ones with my tablespoon scoop. Smaller ones (pictured below) of course cook quicker, and they fit a lot easier in my cookie jar :)

Stay tuned for the next instalment of Nigella's latest work!

Ladybird x