INGREDIENTS
125g unsalted butter; 80g granulated sugar;
140g soft brown sugar; 1 large egg; 220g self raising flour; Pinch of salt; 1tsp vanilla; 200g chocolate chips; 50g chopped pecans (optional)
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C Fan and line two baking trays with greaseproof or baking paper.
2. Using an electric whisk, cream together the butter and sugars.
3. Add the egg and vanilla (you may need to scrape the butter off the sides.
4. Add flour, salt and chocolate chips and bring together just until the mixture resembles wet sand.
5. Roll into balls about the size of a walnut and space out on a baking tray leaving 3ins space between the balls.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes then leave to cool on the tray (the cookies will wrinkle and flatten as they cool).
■ TIPS: These cookies spread a lot so need to be made in batches, have a second tray lined and ready to put into the oven to speed things up (otherwise just make sure your baking tray has cooled before popping the next batch on).
You can substitute chocolate chips for Smarties or crushed Mini Eggs.
MY LOCKDOWN lifestyle has continued in the same vein as it began: exploring recipes… enjoying new wines… and discovering new drinks based on what I have in the house.
My DIY cocktail lockdown learning continues apace (thanks mainly to my accomplice daughter) and this time it’s a negroni! I bought Campari specially (I paid just over £15 from Tesco) so we could follow this recipe: Starlino Rosso Negroni.
Hotel Starlino has launched a new range of vermouths and aperitivos in the UK, Starlino Rosé and Starlino Rosso (Amazon and Proof Drink from £23 for a 75cl bottle).
Our intention was to follow the directions for Starlino’s negroni but I’ll be honest and say we
Eastern Standard (Soho House Tonic) which we amended slightly to suit what we had in our fridge.
The essential ingredient was gin, and I’d picked up a bottle of in my weekly shop.
In our shaker we muddled three mint leaves and three slices of cucumber, added 50ml of gin, the juice of a lime, and 10ml of sugar cane syrup.
We shook it vigorously with ice and then poured into a coupe glass with a thin slice of cucumber balanced on top.
It was amazing and felt so very decadent.
I’m loving my new-found cocktail life. On another day, for no other reason other than we could, we popped open a bottle of cava.
There doesn’t seem much to celebrate at the moment other than togetherness and so we felt like we needed a bubble or two to get by.
We had Tesco Finest Vintage Cava (£9) in the fridge and it had been calling our name every time we went in there for milk.
One day we brought it out to play. The bubbles played first, all flirty and flighty, and there were plenty of them. The cava had notes of crisp green apples and tropical fruits also nudged their way in, determined not to miss out.
They’d been waiting a long time to share their deliciousness. Finally, a quick nod to the Co-op, as I’m pretty much under orders to buy this wine every time I shop there:
(£7.25). This French red wine simply pops with ripe red fruits and is deliciously moreish.
My daughter discovered it during an essentials shop and now it’s always an essential buy.
We’ve sipped it watching box sets, and with balls of sausage meat tossed in spaghetti and flecks of fennel. It’s so smooth and a little spicy, says my daughter.
Stay safe and healthy.
■ Jane is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. Find her on social media and online as One Foot in the Grapes.