My Baking Adventure with The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook: Double Chocolate Cookies

After the success of my Pecan Pie a few weeks ago, I was eager to do some more baking for my new recipe series – My Baking Adventure with The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook. Although I wouldn’t be able to eat any of these cookies myself, I decided to make them for my family when I went home last weekend anyway as they all love chocolate! Apparently the cookies were delicious…my brother was first to try one and used the word “Amazing” to describe them. So this is definitely one for all chocolate-lovers out there!!

I made some changes along the way, like using milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate (hence why they’re so pale in comparison to the picture in the cookbook!). Something I’ve noted about the Hummingbird Bakery recipes so far is that the baking times and oven temperatures are always a bit off. I’ve had to bake both the Pecan Pie and these cookies for quite a lot longer than the stated times in the cookbook.

Makes 10-12 Cookies

Ingredients:

• 50g unsalted butter
• 450g milk chocolate
• 2 large eggs
• 170g soft light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 85g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C or gas mark 4, and line 3 baking trays with greaseproof paper

2. Place the butter and half of the chocolate in a bowl and melt it over a saucepan of simmering water (making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water) or in the microwave until it has melted and is smooth

3. Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract together until well combined using an electric whisk. Then pour in the chocolate mixture and mix it all together

4. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Stir a 1/3 of the chocolate mixture into the flour until mixed completely. Repeat this process with another 1/3 of the chocolate, and again with the final 1/3

5. Roughly chop the remaining chocolate, then mix it into the cookie batter

6. Arrange 3 or 4 equal amounts of the cookie mixture onto each of the prepared baking trays – make sure that they are spaced apart as they will spread when they bake

8. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the tops start to crack and look glossy. If they don’t seem completely set, don’t worry as they will set when they are cooling – the recipe said to bake them for 10-15 minutes but they were nowhere near done after this time and I had to keep them in for much longer!

9. Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the trays, before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely…or enjoy them slightly warm if you prefer!

Coming next time – Chocolate Brownies