Natalie Makes: January 2012

I don't think anybody could dislike this cookie recipe; it makes fantastic, coffe-shop-sized cookies that are crisp on the outside yet soft and slightly squidgey on the inside. It was passed to me by a friend who got it from one of her friends and I have made it so often that it is now second nature. Be warned, though, the cookies will magically disappear! It is perfectly acceptable to make the dough as below and freeze half before cooking...

Ingredients (makes 24 great big squidgey cookies.....)

6oz softened butter or margerine
6oz caster sugar
6oz soft brown sugar
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
12oz SR flour
a 200g bar of chocolate chopped into chunks. I usually use 250g for luck **

**NB you could replace some of the chocolate with dried fruit, fudge or similar. The fudge will melt & spread but I think we can live with slightly messy looking cookies can't we. You could use chocolate chips but they seem a bit on the small side to me; I like my chocolate chunky! When I'm chopping my chocolate I find it easiest to leave the bar whole, lie it on a chopping board and cut the bar lengthways then widthways like this;

1. Pre-heat the oven to 175 *C, grease and line your baking trays

2. Beat butter/ marge & sugar together until creamy;

3. Beat in the egg and vanilla thoroughtly;

4. Sift in flour & fold in until combined;

5. Stir in the chocolate chunks (I used white chocolate & strawberry and milk chocolate this time around!);

6. Bake heaped dessertspoonfuls 6 to a tray for 10-12 minutes (they spread out quite a bit and should be only very slightly golden when they are done. they will sink down & go flat but that's the plan;