THE Cookie Recipe
I have shared this before but during lockdown I have perfected and already stellar recipe. I have mentioned this a couple if times in vlogs and on instagram stories and the requests for the link have been frequent so here we are with an updated, 2020 version of the only cookie recipe you need.
125g softened butter (salted/unsalted - whatever)
100g brown sugar (the darker the more caramelised they will be)
125g white sugar (caster preferably but it's not a deal breaker)
*it's worth noting that the ratio is not so important you have to stick with it to the letter. If you only have white or brown then go for it, it will alter the result but it will still work - 225g sugar TOTAL is key
1 egg (beaten - if you can be bothered)
1tsp vanilla extract (again - nice to have, not need to have)
225g self raising flour
Whatever you're adding as your 'chips'
*my preference is cadbury giant buttons but I've used kinder, hazelnuts, m&ms... Milo is also keen on the cookies with nothing added at all!
At this stage I throw everything in bar the flour and the chips til they're a paste of sorts. Not precious about creamings sugar/butter or (if I'm honest) even pre-beating the egg, since I use an electric whisk and it blasts it all well enough for me. I then add in the flour and lastly my chosen 'chips' and the next step is the one that I've discovered makes the biggest difference!
this next bit is important
Depending on just how softened your butter is and the temperature of the kitchen (all relevant since we've had some mega heatwaves recently) this next bit could be messy. I scoop out teaspoon sized balls of dough, roll them in my hands and put them in tupperware boxes in sets of 8. I can usually fill 4 of these boxes (so 32 cookies - is that right? My maths is dire! Apologies to the September teachers who will have to deal with the after math of my 'home schooling') and I put them... IN THE FREEZER!
You can cook them immediately, of course but for the ultimate store-bought perfection, this is a crucial step. It also means that whenever we fancy cookies I can pull a box from the freezer and 15 minutes later we have a fresh treat, warm from the oven. I am of the opinion that these cookies are best consumed while warm (I'm not even interested if they were baked more than an hour ago) so small batches just make sense.
how do we cook them???
Ok, Ok! If you're cooking immediately then you want them spaced out on a greased (If you can get reusable baking paper/silicone sheets that is ideal) tray at 180 for around 12mins. Keep an eye on them because they can be unpredicatable and they go from undercooked to burnt in the blink of an eye so this will be a learning curve from oven to oven but that time/temperature works for me.
I put them straight on to a cooling rack (they can get soggy if left to cool on the tray) and although they may seem too soft when they come out, they crisp up quickly so if you want gooey in the middle and crunchy on the outside then you're looking to find the sweet spot where they're just browning on top and whip them out on to a rack asap.
If you're baking from the freezer then turn up the time around 4 mins. 16mins at 180 works for me but again.. keep an eye on them! They tend to come out a little more perfect from the freezer but ultimately the taste is exactly the same.
The only time you'll catch me drinking a glass of (coldest of cold) milk is when these are fresh from the oven and I cannot recommend that combo enough. It's a cliche for a reason - it just works.
And with that I have imparted my one useful piece of information. If these cookies are my legacy after a decade of creating content on the internet, I wouldn't be mad about it at all.