It’s been half term for me and for my kids this week.  I love my job but I really needed a few days to catch up on things.  My son has been working on a film project and had a few friends over to help him out with it.  When there’s a houseful of hungry teenagers there’s always a need to have cookies about.  Especially chocolate chip ones.

On Tuesday three of my son’s friends were round at our house and I was at home doing jobs. I don’t mind doing this but very soon the mind starts to wander and the boredom sets in.  This is also when my baking addiction starts and I think of things I can create.  It was a great opportunity to test out a recipe from my giant Great British Bake Off Calendar which is hanging up in my kitchen.  February’s recipe was for chocolate chip cookies which on the picture were sandwiched together with vanilla ice cream.  Though I didn’t have any vanilla ice cream left, the kids had troughed it all.

I’m a huge fan of Sugar and Crumbs’ natural flavour cocoa powders and icing sugars and was keen to use some flavoured cocoa powder in my cookies. I had a choice of lime, orange, coconut or black cherry flavour.  Knowing that all varieties were a great choice it was a difficult decision but in the end I  went along with chocolate orange.  A winning combination.

The cookies took minutes to prepare.  Butter and brown sugar was creamed together in a bowl then a beaten egg and some vanilla extract was added to the mixture.  In another bowl baking powder, plain flour and the cocoa powder was sifted together and folded into the wet ingredients.  Finally I put in a packet of chocolate chips which I had found in my baking cupboard.

Once the dough was combined I chilled it for about half an hour in the fridge. This made it easier to handle. I always use an ice cream scoop to measure out cookie dough so I get even portions.  They are always put well spaced on lined baking sheets as cookies of this type spread out. About halfway through the cooking time I always take the tray out of the oven and bang it down on top of the cooker. This flattens the cookies down and then they return to the oven to finish off. I don’t cook them for as long as they should be cooked as I like my cookies chewy.

 When my son and his friends had finished filming the cookies were a welcome treat. I put a couple aside for my daughter to try when she came in from work but they vanished. I tried one myself and the cookies were gooey and chewy with the chocolate pieces melting into the whole cookies. The orange flavour in the cocoa powder worked really well. Judging by the response I got from the cookies I will definitely be baking these again.

Happy Baking!

Love Sam xx