Chocolate Chunk Pantry Cookies

. September, 2015
Photography by Claire Aldous.
Chocolate Chunk Pantry Cookies

This is my easy, go-to cookie recipe as I usually have all the ingredients in the pantry. You can ring the changes by using chopped nuts, dried apricots, white chocolate, raisins and other spices to flavour the dough.

INGREDIENTS

170 grams butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup caster sugar
2 x #7 eggs (large)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups plain flour
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup shredded coconut
1 tablespoon finely ground espresso coffee*
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon sea salt
12 dates, chopped roughly
150 grams dark chocolate, chopped roughly
To finish
150 grams dark chocolate, chopped roughly, optional

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 170°C fan bake

Whisk the butter, both of the sugars, eggs and the vanilla together in a bowl. 

In a separate large bowl, combine all of the remaining ingredients. Pour in the butter mixture and stir to combine well. 

Place tablespoons of the dough on a lined baking tray about 4cm apart and flatten a little with the back of a fork. I put 12 on a tray and bake them in batches. 

Bake for 10 minutes for soft cookies or 15 minutes for crisper cookies. Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven, top each one with extra chopped chocolate if using. The residual heat will soften the chocolate. 

Transfer to a cooling rack and repeat with the remaining mixture. Store the cookies in an airtight container for 3 days. Makes about 24 cookies depending on their size 

*This is finely ground coffee that is used to make plunger or espresso coffee.