Recipe: muscovado pieces of dark chocolate

Every baker needs a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, Matt Adlard said. I like them slightly crispy on the outside, with a soft and chewy center. By using muscovado sugar, we get more molasses flavor and the cookie retains more moisture, resulting in a perfect texture. I always use the best chocolate I can get my hands on for these because it makes a huge difference in taste.

Ingredients: Makes 12

• 110 g of unsalted butter, softened
• 120 g dark muscovado sugar
• 80 g of granulated/powdered sugar
• 2 g of sea salt
• 50 g of eggs
• 225g all-purpose/plain flour
• 5 g of corn flour
• 5 g of baking soda
• 2 g of baking powder
• 180g chopped dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, plus extra for topping
• Special equipment: stand mixer, with paddle attachment 3 x baking trays/cookie cutter trays

Method

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugars and salt. Beat on medium-high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed.
• Add the eggs and beat until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides to make sure all the butter is incorporated.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and baking powder.
• Place a sieve over the bowl of a mixer and sift the dry ingredients into the wet. Mix on low speed until the flour is incorporated.
• Add the chopped dark chocolate and stir again to incorporate.
• Form the dough into balls weighing 65 g in your hands and place them on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap / cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 170°C. Place 6 dough balls on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Press a few more pieces of chopped dark chocolate into the balls.
• Place the tray in the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden.
• Remove the tray from the oven and while it is still hot, take a cookie cutter slightly larger than the biscuit and quickly rotate it around the biscuit. This will smooth the edges and create a perfectly round cookie.
• Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Bake it Better: 70 Amazing Recipes to Improve Your Baking Skills by Matt Adlard, published by DK for £20. To shop The Week Bookshop for £15.99 call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.

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