Comfort cook Chocolate chip cookies

Put down the bought packets: warm, home-baked biscuits are always on hand with this freezable recipe

Keeping the dough ready to bake in the freezer means you’re never more than 15 minutes away from enjoying these dangerously delicious cookies. And they keep well, too, once baked, though they never hang around for long.

— 200g unsalted butter, softened

— 200g caster sugar — 2 eggs, beaten

— 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

— ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

— 300g chocolate chips

Put the butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat together with an electric hand mixer or wooden

spoon or in a stand mixer until pale and fluffy. Then beat in the eggs until incorporated.

Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda together into the cookie mixture and mix in with a wooden spoon. Stir in the chocolate chips, then use your hands to bring the mixture together to form a dough.

Roll the dough on a lightly floured work surface into an even sausage shape around 4cm in diameter. Wrap tightly in cling film or foil and freeze for at least 20 minutes.

If baking now, preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. Line a baking sheet with nonstick baking paper.

Remove the dough from the freezer, unwrap and, using a sharp knife, slice into rounds about 5mm thick.

Lay the dough rounds, spaced apart, on the lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until pale golden brown.

Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to a month.