“A brilliant idea for a book and a must-have.” – Nigella Lawson

There are times when nothing but a warm chocolate chip cookie will hit the spot. Bad day at work? Chocolate chip cookie. A great day at work? Chocolate chip cookie.

The need for an emergency solitary cookie or two can strike at any time, but baking recipes typically serve large groups, which is perfect for a party, a celebration or a crowd, but not when there’s just one (or two) of you and you would rather not spend the money on making a big batch or be faced with eating the same thing all week.

In Small Batch Cookies, Edd Kimber showed that good things really can come in small packages. For this new book he wants to focus on cookies, probably the easiest – and arguably most popular – kind of baking there is. Nothing has quite the allure of a cookie straight out of the oven! The classic cookie is chocolate chip, but there is no one single perfect version – the variations are endless and range from double and triple chocolate to dark chocolate and cherry, and white chocolate and lemon. Other less familiar but no less delicious types of cookie include vanilla, peanut butter, ginger, oat and raisin and coconut. The recipes also include vegan cookies and cookies for those with allergies and intolerances.

“You’re always safe with Edd Kimber.” – Diana Henry on One Tin Bakes Easy

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Knobbly Chocolate Oat Cookies

One of the classic British biscuits, a knobbly chocolate oat cookie is an incredibly moreish treat. Toasty from brown sugar and oats, it’s also crisp and a little bit crumbly. Sold in multiple varieties, I think it is fair to say that the chocolate-coated version reigns supreme and is therefore what I set out to replicate.

It’s rare that I would claim to make something better than the original, but these knock the commercial version out of the park. Incredibly easy to make, they are the ultimate treat to dunk in a big mug of tea.

35g (1¼ oz/¼ cup + ½ tablespoon) wholemeal plain (all-purpose) flour

30g (1 oz/2 tablespoons) light brown sugar

30g (1 oz/⅓/ cup) porridge oats (see Note)

¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

35g (¼ 0z/2½ tablespoons) unsalted butter

½ tablespoon honey

50g (1¾ oz) dark or milk chocolate, melted, for coating (optional)

To make the cookies, add the flour, sugar, oats, bicarbonate of soda and salt to a small bowl and mix together to combine. Melt the butter and honey together in a small saucepan set over a low heat, or using a microwave, then pour into the dry ingredients, mixing together to form a dough. The cookie dough will be a little crumbly but that is as it should be, so don’t worry.

Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before baking.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C Fan) 350°F, Gas Mark 4 and line a baking tray (sheet pan) with parchment paper.

Form the cookie dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each one into a ball. Place on the prepared baking tray and use a flat-bottomed drinking glass to press into rounds just over 7 cm (2¾ in) in diameter. Once pressed flat, the edges of the cookies will have cracked, so use a round cookie cutter to scoot back into neat, round 7 cm (2¾ in) circles.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown across the entire surface with the edges just a touch darker.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

If coating them, spoon a little chocolate onto each of the cookies and spread to the edges, setting aside until the chocolate has set.

If stored in a sealed container, these cookies will keep for up to a week.

NOTE: For these cookies you don’t want to use jumbo rolled oats, you want something a little smaller, like regular porridge oats or even quick-cook oats. If all you have is jumbo or traditional rolled oats, break them down with a couple of pulses in a food processor.

 

Recipe published with permission from Octopus Books.