Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Ingredients

• 175g / 12 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter , softened 
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (light or normal, not dark)
• 1/3 cup white sugar , caster / superfine
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 egg yolks , at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract/essence
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup rice flour (sub with plain/all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups flour , plain/all purpose
• 200g dark or semi-sweet chocolate block , chopped into pretty small pieces

Instructions

1. Place butter, salt and both sugars in a bowl. Beat on speed 5 for 1 minute until it's soft, creamy and fluffy.
2. Add yolks and vanilla - beat for 1 minute until well incorporated.
3. Add baking powder, rice flour and half the plain flour. Beat until you can't see flour anymore, then add remaining flour and beat again until incorporated.
4. Mixture will be fairly clump and thick, but if you press between your fingers, it should stick together (rather than being dry and crumbly).
5. Use a wooden spoon to stir chocolate through.
6. Tip out onto a work surface then press together into a 22cm / 9" log. Wrap in cling wrap or paper, twisting to seal the ends.
7. Refrigerate 1.5 - 2 hours

Baking:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan).
2. Line 2 trays with baking/parchment paper. Put one shelf in the middle of the oven, and the other underneath.
3. Remove from fridge, unwrap.
4. Use a serrated knife to slice into 1.75cm / 2/3" thick slices. Saw carefully through choc chunks. If it falls apart on edges, just press if back together, no big deal. Place 6 on each tray.
5. Bake 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 170°C/340°F (150°C fan), switch trays (Note 5)
6. Bake for a further 15 minutes until surface is light golden and edges are a bit golden.
7. Remove from oven and cool completely on trays - this makes them crunchy.

BUTTER SOFTENING TIP 

If it's too cold for the butter to soften by leaving it out on the counter, or you forgot, then use this trick:

cut into 1 cm cubes (or for US sticks, slice 1/3" thick) and place in single layer on small plate

place 2 cups water in a microwave proof jug or bowl. Microwave on high for 2 - 3 minutes until just before boiling

working quickly, remove jug, put plate in microwave and shut door, DO NOT TURN MICROWAVE ON! Leave for 10 minutes - the residual heat in the microwave will soften the butter perfectly!

if still not soft enough (eg cut too big, microwave has lower power), then just repeat (but for round 2, check after a few minutes)

Do not try microwaving the butter - even the greatest experts run a high risk of pockets of melted butter = cookies won't work!