I’m dipping into another baking book Christmas present for
my next bake. This time it’s Baking Made Easy by Lorraine Pascale. I really
liked Lorraine’s TV programs as she obviously loves making yummy food but isn’t
afraid to make things easy (or even cheat a little) to get there. Her book has
some simple classics but also other things that have a very modern twist. There
is also a tips and tricks bit with lots of useful info.
This evening I decided to cheer myself up with some
chocolate cookies. This is something that I have baked a lot in the past but
usually use the ready made packet mixes. Cookies are something I really love
and buy from the supermarket too so I always have high expectations!
This recipe uses an electric mixer to mix together the ingredients.
First, I creamed the light brown sugar and softened butter (which, in a first, I
remembered to get out of the fridge well beforehand) then added an egg and
vanilla extract. At this point the recipe said not to panic if it looked a bit
wrong, but I am pleased to say at no point did mine look like a disaster! Then
I added the flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and cocoa powder. In Lorraine’s recipes
she always uses plain flour and bicarb rather than self raising. The mixture
then formed a really stiff dough and I “mashed in” the chocolate chips; white,
milk and dark.
The recipe says to make 8 or 9 large cookies but I got 8
large and 3 slightly smaller. The balls of dough were set onto lined baking
trays and put in the oven. One thing I have always got wrong with cookies in
the past is the cooking time. I tend to panic that the cookies look far too
soft, leave them in too long, and then they turn out really, really hard. So
this time I followed instructions to the letter, telling myself they were meant
to look soft and gooey when they came out of the oven. And I am glad that I
did!
Wow. I am so impressed with these cookies. They might even
be the best thing I have ever baked. First, they are very chocolaty (which is
always a good thing in my opinion) with just the right amount of chips. Second,
they have a crisp outside and a very soft inside which is just how I like them.
Other people might prefer if they were left in the oven for a tiny bit longer.
They might be a bit chewier then. When I
tried them they were still a little warm so we will have to see what they are
like completely cool and also when they are a few days old (if they last that
long!!).
Update: Everyone at work also agreed that they were awesome, even cold. They didn't last very long at all...
Update: Everyone at work also agreed that they were awesome, even cold. They didn't last very long at all...
I once got told that things that were crisp on the outside and still squishy on the inside was because the oven temperature was too hot. Perfect for the type of cookie you like!
ReplyDeleteIf you wanted to make a chewy cookie do you reckon you could do so by reducing the oven temperature and cooking for longer?
Yes, having faith that things would be ok was the main thing. Maybe I will try your suggestion next time I make them (because there will be many next times).
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