Super Soft chocolate orange cookies
Soft cookies. Everyone loves them. Prefect with a cup of tea. Or a couple of hours after dinner when you need just a little bit more to eat. My dad is the king of the biscuit. He will never ask for them. But put them in front of him and they are going before you turn around.
I am not a fan of hard biscuits. Never have been. I like a cookie that bends, rather than snaps. These little beauties meet the brief. Add whatever flavours you like. Lemon & poppy seed. Fennel seeds. Anything goes as long as you like it. Let your imagination run wild.
These are great fun to make with kids too. They are so quick to make that the little ones do not have to wait long to be able to eat the result of their labours. This recipe makes about 15 cookies. Scale up if you are catering for lots of people. No-one eats just one.
Ingredients
150g butter or cooking substitute
150g soft brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
Zest of one orange
180g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g dark chocolate chips
1/4 tsp allspice
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180 degrees (160 degrees fan).
Soften butter or baking substitute so it is really soft. I put it in the microwave (on defrost) for about 1 minute. Beat together with the sugar until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and the orange zest. Then mix in the flour, allspice and baking powder. Finally stir through the chocolate chips. The mixture will be fairly soft.
Line 2 baking trays with baking paper and spoon small tablespoons of mixtiure onto the trays. Leave large gaps between each cookie as they will spread a lot.
Cook for about 10 mins until the cookies start to brown at the edges. Place the trays on a bench and leave them to cool. They will firm up slightly but not too much.
Serve with your hot drink of choice whatever time of day you feel the need for a soft and yummy sugar rush.