by Anna Horne.
Baking is my first love and having kids has given me the perfect reason to tinker in the kitchen and indulge my passion. Of course it’s all for them.
In my quest for the ultimate cookie and having tried and tested many a recipe these are up there as striking the balance between crispy baked edge and slightly undercooked gooey centre. I’ve made these with many a chocolate addition but the Curly Whirly is my current fav. You add these towards the end of the baking time to soften but keep them intact. The result is pretty special.
Make these for a bake sale, for friends or for a Friday night in with a chick flick. They have surprisingly few calories for something so seemingly indulgent. (Ok, that’s obviously a lie, sorry.)
Makes 15
Prep time: 10 mins plus 30 mins in refrigerator
Cooking time: 11 mins
INGREDIENTS
150g butter, softened
200g light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
250g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
5 Curly Whirly bars, each cut into 3
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until well mixed. Add the egg and vanilla and mix again until smooth.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix well until it forms a stiff dough. Place in the fridge for half an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 190C, 170C fan, gas mark 3.
- Line 2 baking trays with parchment and have 2 extra pieces ready. The cookies spread out so it’s easiest to bake in two batches.
- Using an ice cream scoop or two spoons, form balls of dough and place 4 on each tray. Don’t flatten them.
- Place the first two trays in the oven and bake for 8 minutes until spread but are not quite cooked. Remove from the oven and place a piece of Curly Whirly on top of each cookie. Return to the oven for a further 3 minutes then remove. They will be browned round the edge but still soft looking in the centre. Carefully slide the baking paper off the tray and set the cookies aside to cool.
- Repeat with the remaining mixture using the two fresh pieces of baking paper on the trays.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then see how long they last!
PIMP IT
You could use anything you like in place of the Curly Whirlys. Why not use up some of the never-ending Easter Chocolate? Smarties or Minstrels would work and the hard shell means you could place these on top or stir them through the mixture at the beginning of baking as they will hold up more to the heat.
MAKE AHEAD
This is a great recipe to freeze. Make up to the ball stage minus the chocolate then freeze on a baking sheet well covered with cling film. Once the dough balls are frozen you can transfer them to a freezer bag and remove a few to bake as required.
I believe the cookies will last for a few days in an airtight tin. To be honest, I’ve never done that though – they don’t last long enough!
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