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This is one of my favourite cookie recipes, the only down side to it is that the cookies never last very long in my house!

Ingredients

115g / 4oz Butter or Margarine
115g / 4oz Sugar
1 egg (lightly beaten)
5ml / 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
175g / 6 oz Plain Flour
175g / 6 oz Plain Chocolate Chips

1. Before you start turn on the oven to heat up to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4

2. Lightly grease two or three large baking trays. Or if you have the reusuable non-stick liners like I have which are great use them.

3. Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl with a wooden spoon or an electric whisk (electric whisk is much easier although more washing) until pale and fluffy.

4. Beat in the egg and vanilla essence

5. Sift the flour over the mixture and fold in with the chocolate chips.

6. Spoon tablespoons of the mixture on to the baking sheets. Leave plenty of space between each blob of mixture as they will spread when cooking. You don't have to flatten the mixture this will happen naturally whilst it is cooking and adds to the softer texture.

7. Bake in the oven for 10 mins or when a golden colour starts appearing around the edge.

8. Allow to cool for a minute on the baking tray as this allows them to harden and makes it easier to lift off onto a cooling rack.

These cookies are lovely as they are but you can alter the recipe to your own taste. I tend not to buy chocolate chips as although less hassle are more expensive. I like to buy Belgian Cooking Chocolate (found in the baking section of the supermarket) it has more flavour but not as dear as the ordinary Belgian Chocolate. You then just chop in roughly into small pieces. I use a mixture of plain and milk chocolate but have also made them with some white chocolate as well which is really nice.

If you don't like chocolate (is there anyone who doesn't?) then you can substitute raisins for the chocolate. You could make chocolate and nut cookies by using around 75g of chocolate and the same of nuts (hazelnuts would work well). If you want double choc chip cookies then substitute 1 tblsp of flour for cocoa powder.

The cookies also freeze really well. Just store them in a plastic freezer-proof container and take out the required number as you need them, they defrost really quickly and are ideal for visitors coming round when you don't have time to bake or pop to the shops.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Learn more about this author, Alison Moss.
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