21 October 2011

JUST A COOKIE


Y'know, I'm not sure the internet has been great for the world of food and baking.

I mean, of course it's allowed for inspiring and aspiring cooks to gain some kudos, and I for one have learnt a lot from various foody blogs and sites.

But it's also made things a whole lot more complicated.


Biscuits can't just be biscuits, they have to have some incredible flourish, iced to within an inch of their life and photographed stunningly. Brownies are nothing if not infused with a multitude of flavours and swirled with cheesecake. Whole blogs dedicate themselves to finding the 'best' cupcakes around, topped and filled to bust, wrapped in lacy casings and looking far too good to be edible.

I'm the first to admit that I revel in all of this. I think it's both astounding and incredible that such things can be done with food. And, my particular favourite, sugar.

But honestly, there are some times when all I (and I'm sure plenty of you) want is a cookie.

Do I want it stuffed with rainbows and flavoured with essence of unicorn?

No, no I do not. Ew.

Nor do I want to do what most recipes state is 'essential' and buy about three types of sugar and top-quality chocolate.

I want to mix together some bog-standard butter, flour and sugar, whack in some chocolate and EAT.

So, for anyone who just wants a cookie, fail-safe and faff free, read on.



INGREDIENTS

Pre-heat the oven to 190 C // 375 F // GM 5 and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper/liner.

In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the butter to soften it well and add the sugar. Beat them together to form a grainy paste.


Sift in the flour gradually and mix  until combined. 


Pour in the milk and continue to mix until incorporated.


Now simply chop up the chocolate (I used all the cupboard remnants we had) and add to the dough. Mix through to ensure the chips are well spread (unless of course you're planning to make one particularly chocolatey one....I salute you)

Lot's of things work in this recipe instead of chocolate. We've tried Peanut M&Ms (nom), Minstrels (delish, but turn green when cooked) and Reisen (the one). Experiment!

Split into 16 evenly sized pieces (simply quarter, and quarter again) and roll into balls. Place these onto the pre-lined baking tray and pop into the oven.


If you're a crisp-cookie fan (see bottom left), and want something with a biscuit-like texture, bake for 12-15 minutes.

If, like me, you prefer a chewy cookie (see bottom right), bake for 10-12 minutes. And remember, along with rainbows this recipe lacks any eggs, so you shouldn't be afraid to slightly under-bake. 


Simplicity at it's best.

x

*No unicorns were harmed in the making of these cookies.




If anyone would like to look at the competition I'm currently involved in, click here to see the entries and learn more. Huge thank-yous to anyone who has voted for me already!

20 comments:

Evie said...

they.look.amazing!

Anonymous said...

these cookies look lush, danni! hahah, i agree with you completely (and laughed a lot at 'essence of unicorn'!).

beth xo
ramz and the flock

Anonymous said...

Beautifully written (as in down to earth and what some of us kitchen orientated ladies like to hear).
I love your recipe posts (especially how you do your ingredients!)- keep em coming!

Lucy Loves To Blog said...

Oh my god, they look amazing! So going to make them on Sunday! I know what you mean, baking should be fun and why does it matter if things look a little messy as long as they taste good! And your photos are great!

Amy said...

These posts always make me so hungry! The imagery is just beautiful. I really look forward to your friday posts.

http://the-cameras-lying.blogspot.com/

herecomesthesun said...

Your recipes always make my mouth water!

Roza said...

YUMMMMM
xxx
www.alittlebitofroza.blogspot.com

Jess Heath MUFX said...

Oh deaaaar they look amazing!

Chelsea Finn said...

Haha I loved this post and I definitely agree. There are so many intense recipes and that is incredible but sometimes I just want a simple treat! These look delicious.

<3Chelsea Elizabeth
http://www.organizedxxmess.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I love this post but it has made me so hungry haha, they look soooo good! xx

http://antid0tes.blogspot.com/

Shanah said...

Omg, I am so in the mood for cookies now.. Just looking at these pictures is (almost) making me drool all over the place, gee :p

Carla said...

loooks yummy!! i so wanna eat cookies right now!

daisychain said...

so basically, my latest blog post has been answered...just read your damn blog every friday! SORTED!

Unknown said...

Yummy. I recently tried my hand at baking cookies but they didn't come out as well as these.

Sarah
xo

www.almostdelightful.com

Shanah said...

Thank you so much for your opinion on the Nikon D3100, very helpful! ;)

Michelle Loreto said...

OM. NOM. NOM. These are PERFECT cookies and just the way I like my biscuits - rustic and not over the top! Jealous.

x Michelle | thefeatherden.net

katymitten said...

the first photo now makes me want to go eat cookies.. and at this point, i'm actually going to buy some!x

fritha louise said...

They look SO GOOD. I'm with you on the over-complicated thing. When I was living abroad last year I was trying to find a simple scone recipe but really struggled to track one down online that didn't have about a million different ingredients impossible to get in Austria, like buttermilk and sour cream. They don't even have self-raising flour there which makes things difficult enough to begin with!

StephanieDJL said...

mmm yes please!

Jennifer Lawrence said...

Not a Good Post

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