Hello there! Autumn has kicked in and most of you love having something warm to drink by the window. Let's say goodbye to September in the best way possible!
So, what better way to accompany your tea or coffee than cookies? I personally cannot think of anything better!
I love cookies and I am crazy about trying cookies from different countries. The other day, I had some galettes bretonnes by my favourite La Mère Poulard.
I tried these a few years back while I was in Spain and have loved them ever since. Their buttery yet crunchy texture makes them ideal for dunking!
Then it occurred to me that homemade is always better and so I decided to make my own cookies! Cookie monster approves. I promise it's not difficult - you don't even have to go to the dark side for these, but of course you can if you want to. It's nice there, they have even more cookies. Also, my browser keeps telling me that cookies help websites remember, so I thought I could use some help with my memory, too!
I'm saying that it's not as difficult as it might seem, because I've had trouble making decent cookies in the past, but I realised that was only because I like experimenting. So, as long as you stick to the recipe, have no fear. Let me tell you a secret, though... I did experiment a little this time, too! But only a wee bit, so they turned out just fine (or more than fine, according to the lucky people who got to taste them!) Oh well, it seems like it's my guilty pLizure to use creativity in every way possible! Guilty as charged.
This post is all about two things: fragrant flower bouquets and crunchy cookie bouquets. Lovely autumn colours.
I got inspiration from a dear friend who generously shared her favourite cookie recipe with me - better share recipes than cookies, people! - so I'm thankful for that, and from a yummy book I got, whose pages are now a bit moist because of uncontrollable drooling - no, I don't own any pets.
I mean look at it. See what I mean?
So, here is my version:
For approximately 30-35 cookies, you will need:
150 gr salted butter, softened
100 gr light brown muscovado sugar or demerara
60 gr granulated sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
220 gr plain flour
½ tbsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tbsp salt
200 gr chocolate chips
To begin with, you can preheat the oven to 170°C fan. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
Make sure that your butter is softened, so that you don't have a hard time beating it. With a hand mixer, beat the butter with the sugars until you get a creamy mixture. Add the egg and then the vanilla extract and beat until incorporated and fluffy.
I used demerara sugar instead of brown sugar, because I wanted to try it for quite some time and it did turn out quite well. It has a fragrant toffee flavour and can be used instead of brown sugar. Muscovado sugar is another type of cane sugar, yet this one has a very moist texture and a strong molasses flavour.
It's now time to add the flour. When handling flour, it's always a good idea to sieve it first. If you cannot do this, skip it, but bear in mind that it's for your cookies' own good. So, add the flour, soda and salt to the buttery sugary egg mixture and Inc(orporate). After all, we're DeLizcacy Inc. here - that's what we do, we incorporate stuff and we do it well.
Don't forget to add the chocolate chips!
Oh, look at them dancing!
Use a teaspoon to place the dough on the tray. Place one teaspoon each time, lightly squish it if you like, and make sure that you leave some space in between each cookie. If you are not going to bake the cookies right away, you should keep the dough in the fridge until it's baking time.
Bake in the oven for approximately 12-14 minutes until light brown on the edges and still slightly soft in the centre. You don't want to leave them until golden brown this time! They taste so much better when soft and squishy.
