Recipe of the day: Nigella’s chocolate chip cookies

Nigella Lawson has compiled plenty of cookbooks, but only a few cookie recipes have been done by the chef.

She has finally perfected her chocolate chip cookie recipe, which produces the freshest cookies that are crispy on the outside and yummy and chewy in the middle.

“I may be picky, but to my mind or my mouth, a cookie that’s too crisp feels dry and disappointing and a cookie that’s too chewy tastes like dough. I want a bit of tender, fudgy chewiness but an edge of crisp bite, too,” Nigella said.

Nigella’s chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients 

• 150 grams soft unsalted butter
• 125 grams soft light brown sugar
• 100 grams caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg (fridge-cold)
• 1 egg yolk (fridge-cold)
• 300 grams plain flour
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 x 326 grams packet milk chocolate morsels or chips

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C Fan. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
2. Melt the butter and let it cool a bit. Put the brown and white sugars into a bowl, pour the slightly cooled, melted butter over them and beat together.
3. Beat in the vanilla, the cold egg and cold egg yolk until your mixture is light and creamy.
4. Slowly mix in the flour and bicarb until just blended, then fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Scoop the cookie dough into a 60ml/quarter cup round ice cream scoop and drop onto the prepared baking sheet, plopping the cookies down about 8cm apart. You will need to make these in two batches, keeping the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge between batches.
6. Bake for 15–17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks.