Cakey Cookies

I'm new to the blogging concept but having just launched this site I thought I would dive-in and add a quick post...and what better way to start than an old favourite. Chocolate chip cookies. 

So on Sunday afternoon relaxing at home with my partner, he suddenly voiced his hankering for some of my cookies, and to be honest I was only glad to - I mean, who am I to resist such a reasonable request! So forthwith I went to the kitchen and made some of my faithful Cakey Cookies and in less than 1 hour we were enjoying some deliciously warm homemade delights.

You can't beat homemade chocolate
chip cookies with a glass of milk!

I got this recipe from when I did cooking at school (all those years ago) and they have been one of my favourites ever since. While I enjoy the chewy bakery type cookie, these ones I like for their slight cakiness, hence the name. The recipe produces a light, soft and crumbly texture and nice crisp edges.

In addition to the texture, I also like this recipe for the ingredients; they are made with margerine as opposed to butter - not only does this help with whipping up a batch in super-fast time - it also means they aren't packed with saturated fats; plus the the amount of sugar used is very little in comparison with a lot of cookie recipes so they aren't too sweet (probably more suitable for children too); and most important of all they are choc-a-block (pun intended) full of chocolate chunks!

The only downside I have found with this recipe is that they do not keep that well. No matter what type container I try, they tend to go soft in one day. So it just means you have to eat them while they are fresh - now isn't that a shame!?!

Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes approx 9-12 cookies depending on size):
100g margerine
50g soft brown sugar
1 egg
125g self-raising flour (or use plain flour with 1 level tsp of baking powder)
125g chocolate chips/chunks (personally I prefer chopping a tablet of chocolate to get nice big pieces)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract (depends on how vanillary you like things)

1) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2) Beat together the margerine and sugar. When nice and light, add the egg, and beat again. If it curdles, do not worry, it comes together in the next step.
3) Fold in the flour (and baking powder if you are using plain flour) and chocolate chunks until well mixed. Then add the vanilla extract. I usually take this opportunity to look at the mixture and see if there are enough chocolate chunks, if not I add a bit more.
4) On a greased baking sheet, place a good dessertspoonful of the mixture, flattening it down slightly with the back of the spoon. And continue, leaving a bit of space between them as they will spread slightly during baking.
5) Place them in the oven for approximately 15minutes until light golden brown. Once done, allow them to cool on the baking sheet for a minute before transferring to a cooling rack.