Okay, okay, I admit it….I LOVE cookies! I love chocolate chip cookies, cherry and almond cookies, ginger cookies, chocolate and hazelnut cookies, maple and pecan cookies, chocolate and caramel cookies, chocolate chip and orange cookies, triple chocolate cookies, raspberry cookies, coconut cookies, oatmeal and raisin cookies, cranberry and white chocolate cookies, peanut cookies and the list goes on…

So imagine my delight when I opened my ‘Great British Bake Off Learn to Bake’ book and there was a recipe for Giant Cookies. Not just any cookies but GIANT ones. I suddenly had the urge to bake a batch of gooey, chocolatey naughtiness. 

Doubts filled my mind. Could I successfully bake my first ever cookies? What would happen if they turned into a chewy mess? Well, I could only try my best.

Ingredients

125g unsalted butter (room temperature)

75g light brown muscovado sugar

75g caster sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg (room temperature) 150g plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

PLUS 150g of your choice of extras: choc chips OR chopped nuts OR dried fruit OR mini sweets

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F
• Put the soft butter, both sugars and the vanilla into a large mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or electric mixer for about 2 minutes until the mixture is creamy, smooth and fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl every now and then so the ingredients get well mixed.
• Add the egg to the butter mixture and beat well for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as before.
• Add the flour and baking powder to the bowl and mix in with a wooden spoon until everything is completely blended.
• Tip all your chosen extras into the bowl and mix thoroughly into the cookie dough so they are evenly distributed.  You can use your hands for this.
• Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions.  Using your hands, shape each into a large, rough, sticky ball (almost the size of a tennis ball) and drop on to the lined baking sheets.  During baking the mixture will spread to make cookies about 13cm across, so leave plenty of room around each one.
• Place in the heated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and slightly darker around the edges.  Remove from the oven and set them on a wire rack.  Leave to cool completely and store in an airtight container and eat within 4 days.

Oh dear, look at the mess I made.

Choose my extras? They could only be milk chocolate chips and fudge pieces :)

Cooling down (I was so impatient at this point!)

Who doesn’t love chocolate chip cookies?

These Giant Cookies are crispy on the outside, slightly chewy on the inside and packed with flavour. They are insanely addictive! To most people, these probably look like giant chocolate chip and fudge cookies. But when I look at them, I see so much more. I see victory!

Keep smiling :)

Claire

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