CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Baking egg-free sweets can be fiddly, especially when it comes to texture-sensitive treats, such as cookies. Cakes can be more forgiving, but cookies are delicate.

These have been my favourites for years now, because they are very easy to make, do not require many ingredients, and yield a relatively small batch, which is perfect for us. Especially with large dark chocolate callets or pieces of a good milk chocolate bar.

These do require a bit of chilling, though. Chilled dough has a deeper flavour, a stronger aroma, and a better, chewier texture, which is what we like. I usually make them right after breakfast, so they are nice and ready to bake after lunch, for a nice sweet treat. You can refrigerate them for up to eight hours, so they suit your baking needs.

Even though many enjoy them with a glass of cold milk, my preferred way of enjoying them is with a cup of espresso. The strong, almost bitter coffee flavour is a perfect match with a sweet, fragrant chocolate chip cookie.

Ingredients
120 grams plain flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
60 grams dark brown sugar
45 grams granulated sugar
50 ml vegetable oil
30 grams vanilla yoghurt
1 heaped teaspoon vanilla bean paste
50 grams chocolate callets or milk chocolate pieces

Preparation

Take a large bowl and add in the vegetable oil, yoghurt, and vanilla, and whisk vigorously until blended. Add in the sugars, and whisk again until it is all mixed in, and the sugar starts to melt slowly. Sift in the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until the dough just comes together. Add in the chocolate callets, and mix into the dough. Using a cookie scoop, place eight mounts of the dough on a large baking sheet lined with baking parchment, at least five centimetres apart, since they will spread during baking.

Snugly cover them in cling film, but be careful not to press them down, and place them in the refrigerator for at least an hour, and up to eight hours. When you are ready to bake, uncover them, and bake in a preheated oven, at 180°C, for 8-10 minutes. Watch them carefully, as they are small and can overbake easily. If you like your cookies soft, take them out of the oven after the edges have started browning lightly. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes or so, and then serve with milk or coffee. Yields 8 cookies.

Baker's note: These can be made fully vegan, by using beet sugar, soya yoghurt, and vegan chocolate callets.