Chocolate Valentine cookies

MAKES ABOUT 9 LARGE (SEE BELOW) KITCHEN KIT Select two nonstick baking sheets and a heart-shaped cutter about 12cm across at the widest part, or alternatively a variety of heart sizes if you prefer. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and brush the baking sheets with vegetable oil. THE DOUGH Sift together 225g plain flour, 25g good-quality cocoa powder and ½ tsp each baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. In a small-medium pan gently heat 100g runny honey with 100g golden caster sugar and 50g unsalted butter, stirring until melted and smooth. Take off the heat, add the sifted dry ingredients and stir until crumbly, then add half a medium egg and work to a dough, adding a little more flour if it seems sticky. Tip on to a work surface, bring it into a ball and pat between your palms until you have a smooth and shiny dough. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to cool. Chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight. ROLL, CUT & BAKE Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to roughly the thickness of a £1 coin, without turning it over, to avoid flouring the top. With your selected cutters, cut out cookies, arranging them on the baking sheets as you go. Bake for about 12-14 minutes for larger cookies, or 8-10 minutes for smaller ones, allowing the lower tray a couple of minutes longer as necessary. Loosen the cookies with a palette knife straight away (it’s important to do this before they harden). Leave to cool. DECORATE & SERVE You can serve the cookies plain or decorate as you wish. We used white writing icing and pink confetti heart sprinkles from Sainsbury’s. The cookies will be crisp on the day of making, turning soft and chewy the day after.