Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies with a Victorian Flavour

These biscuits won't win any prizes for their beauty, that is for sure.

However, one bite reveals their inner beauty - a wonderful combination of dark chocolate, lemon zest and spice, all wrapped up in a crumbly and delicious, chocolate chip studded cookie.

I was out walking the dog (of course!) when I had the idea for using that fabulous flavour combination which I wrote about here to spice up my next batch of cookies, for the people who are working down at Cowslip Cottage.

This quantity makes an enormous batch, so you may want to halve the quantities, although they should store pretty well, given the chance.

Rich, Spicy, Chocolate Chip Cookies        Oven Temp 350 degrees

400g butter
50g good quality dark chocolate, melted
250g icing sugar
450g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
50g good quality cocoa powder
600g chocolate chips
freshly grated zest of a lemon
1 rounded tsp cinnamon

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, beat in the melted chocolate, sift in flour, salt, cocoa powder and cinnamon and then stir in the lemon zest and chocolate chips.  Treat the dough just as you would do for shortbread, work until it all comes together in a nice lump.

Take a dessertspoonful of dough, roll into a ball, place on a baking sheet, flatten, mark with a fork and then pop them into the oven for approximately 15 minutes.

Cool on a rack.

I hope you enjoy the flavour combination as much as my family do.   The cinnamon is not overpowering and the lemon zest simply becomes 'citrus' which works so wonderfully well with the rich, dark chocolate.

They are good.

Rich, Crumbly and full of Chocolate Chips

Practicality decided what I should bake yesterday.

We needed something indulgent, but practical, which could be enjoyed 'on the go' and which would also please the grandchildren, for it is half-term and they are constantly popping in and out of Parsonage Cottage  hoping for a snack.

I was sorely tempted to have a go at making some 'Hunting Nuts' to a recipe found in one of my Victorian recipe books but decided to save that fun for another time, for they are  flavoured with ginger, which is not to Merry and Hector't taste - yet!  Much safer to stick to good old chocolate chip cookies.

Max adores anything homemade, but if it comes with added chocolate then he is very happy indeed.   Chocolate chip cookies should please them all and will be handy for when the electrician and the plumber come in this week, to finish their work at Cowslip Cottage.

Luckily this recipe makes about five dozen cookies, so plenty to go round.

They are perfect with milk, and also with coffee.tea.

So that is the tea breaks sorted for the next week, now I need to get back to my painting.   Just the hallway, staircase and landing (plus ceilings) and one bedroom to go!




These are delicious but they are high-fat, high sugar, full of chocolate.  If you are on a health-kick, avoiding sugar, fat and chocolate, or are the fat police, then please look away now.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream 450g butter with 250g of icing sugar, sift in 500g plain flour and half a tsp salt, mix together with a teaspoonful of vanilla extract, then work in 600g of chocolate chips.

Line your baking trays with parchment, roll up your sleeves, tune into 'The Archer's' or whatever you like to listen to, then make dozens of dough balls.  We like medium sized ones, which take about a generous tablespoonful of dough.   Roll them in your hands, put them on the parchment, flatten a little with a fork.

Bake at 350 degrees for approx 12/15 minutes, or until they are ready.  Cool on a rack.

Store in an airtight tin, they will keep for a long time.