Nearly every cookbook contains a recipe the author claims to be the best, or the only one you’ll need. These chocolate chip cookies, according to Emelia Jackson are the only chocolate chip cookies you’ll ever need. It’s a bold claim – I’ve made numerous chocolate chip cookies and have yet to find one that negates the need for any of the others. Perhaps, it’s not that they’re the best – rather that they serve as a base which you can use and adapt as you like. She shares 7 variations and I’ll add the 8th – brown the butter for deliciously caramel flavoured cookies.
The cookbook in question is Some of My Best Friends are Cookies, a title which I adore and would get the cookbook solely based on. It’s filled with over 80 cookie recipes from bar cookies to drop cookies, sandwich cookies to no-bake cookies and every variation in between. There are some crazy creative creations like the lemon, lime and bitters bars, classics like jammy thumbprints and ones that take you on a trip across the world like the Polish Kolackzi. Since getting the cookbook, we’ve tried a bunch – some of the more complicated ones, we’ve struggled with consistency (ahem cheesecake cookies), while the classics like the ones below came out perfectly. In any case, this cookbook is a treasure of inspiration and a chance to make your cookies not so basic.
Dietary Notes
Butter and flour are the most common ingredients (surprise). There are a few that don’t have butter or use an alternative flour – but this is for those who love dairy, sugar and gluten.
Best For
Anyone who loves cookies, especially bakers looking for inspiration.
Cooking Level
Intermediate. While there are the basic cookies, there are many that require some finesse in the kitchen from shaping, layering and icing.
Below is the recipe for “the only chocolate chip cookie you’ll ever need”. I opted for one of her variations – adding in 30 grams of freeze dried raspberries.
Ingredients
- 280 g plain all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sea salt flakes
- 150 g butter softened
- 150 g brown sugar
- 100 g super fine caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 g dark chocolate chips
- 30 g freeze dried raspberries
Instructions
- Combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Whisk and set aside.
- Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugars, egg and vanilla.
- Add all the dry ingredients to the butter and mix until combined. Add in the chocolate chips and freeze dried raspberries and mix until just combined – do not overmix as it will lead to a tough cookie.
- Refrigerate your cookies for 12-36 hours before baking. The longer you refrigerate them, the more flavour development will occur, the less the cookies will spread and the better the texture will be.
- When you’re ready to bake your cookies, preheat the oven to 180? fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Place six golf-ball sized rounds of dough on each tray, using about 50 grams of dough per cookie. The cookies will spread, so give them space to do their thing.
All My Best Friends are Cookies is published by Murdoch Books and distributed by Jonathan Ball Publishers. It is available here.
