The big chocolate cookie
MAKES 16 PREP AND COOK TIME 25 MINUTES (+ REFRIGERATION TIME)
2 cups (300g) plain flour
½ cup (50g) cocoa powder ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda ½ teaspoon salt
180g butter, softened
1 cup (220g) brown sugar
¼ cup (55g) caster sugar 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup (190g) milk chocolate chips 100g dark chocolate, chopped Nutella, to serve, optional
1 Sift the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until pale and creamy. Beat in the extract, egg and egg yolk until just combined. Fold in the sifted dry ingredients. Stir in three-quarters of the choc chips and three- quarters of the chopped chocolate.
2 Place a 30cm x 60cm sheet of baking paper on the bench and add the cookie mixture to the centre. Form into a long log that is approximately 5cm in diameter; roll up to enclose in the baking paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
3 Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line two oven trays with baking paper.
4 Cut the cookie log into 2cm rounds; place onto prepared trays. Bake rounds for 13 minutes. Gently press the remaining chocolate chips and chopped chocolate onto the top of the cookies. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool on trays for 5 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.
5 Serve cookies with a dollop of Nutella, if desired. Cookie dough suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.