Double choc-chip cookies

• By Nick Camilleri Preziosi and Alex Mattei

These quantities are enough for 15-20 large cookies.

You will need:

30g of good quality dark chocolate (at least 60 per cent cocoa solids), 140g of all-purpose flour, one and a half teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, a pinch of salt, 90g of unsalted butter (at room temperature), two tablespoonfuls of vegetable shortening, 165g of soft light-brown sugar, 60g of granulated sugar, an egg (at room temperature), a teaspoonful of real vanilla extract, 180g of good quality dark chocolate chips (at least 60 per cent cocoa solids). You will also need a baking-paper and large oven-trays or baking-sheets.

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3/160C. Line three oven-trays with baking-paper. Melt 30g of chocolate in a double-boiler (bain-marie). This should take only a couple of minutes. Set it aside to cool. Mix together the flour, baking-powder and salt. In another bowl, using a wooden spoon, beat the butter, vegetable shortening, brown sugar and granulated sugar until it is fluffy. Add the melted chocolate, the egg and vanilla, and mix again. Now mix in the dry ingredients until everything is almost blended together, and then add the chocolate chips and continue to mix. You should now have smooth, rich dough. Spoon this onto baking-paper on large oven-trays (about 10 blobs per tray). Bake these for 15 to 20 minutes. If yours is a fan oven, don’t use the fan. Bake one tray at a time. Watch them very carefully as they can burn within seconds. They are ready once they start to puff up and change colour. Place them on a wire rack to cool, and keep them in an airtight container.