Dark Chocolate Drop Cookies

One of the most versatile party foods are freshly home baked cookies, and you can never go wrong with Chocolate Chip Cookies. :) They are comforting and perfect for the family, catering to the young and old. These cookies are definitely a hit with the children, teenagers devour them, has remained as a secret indulgence for adults, and is the perfect sweet with a cup a tea for the elderly.

There are many different variations of chocolate chip cookie recipes floating on the internet, written in cookbooks, or passed down through generations as precious as rubies. One of my favourite recipes which are proven as a crowd pleaser is a product of many hours surfing the web and flipping through pages, and experimenting. (I’d like to take a moment to say thanks to my friends for being my guinea pigs, and it is a relief to see the results are far from a disappointment).

This particular recipe is simple to follow and the ingredients can be easily bought in the supermarket. The preparation process is minimised by using an electric mixer, but there is nothing wrong with going the traditional way of using manual labour to mix the batter. In the end, the mouth-watering cookies are just as rich and sweet, with bountiful of chocolate drops combined with the buttery goodness that melts in your mouth.

Chocolate Pearl Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

• 225g butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp hot water
• ½ tsp salt
•  2 tsp vanilla essence
• 325g low grade flour
• 300g dark chocolate drops  

Method:

1. Cream butter together with the white and brown sugar until light, smooth and fluffy. It does not matter which one you put in first, but make sure to split each into three steps instead of pouring it all in one go. 
2. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Make sure the first egg has been combined with the cream batter before adding the second. This ensures the cookie batter's consistency and does not make the egg curdle. 
3. Stir in the vanilla essence.
4. Dissolve the baking soda and salt into hot water and pour into the cookie batter.
5. Fold in the flour in three or four parts, while stirring the dry and wet ingredients together using big actions. Add the chocolate drops and stir to combine. 
6. Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Scoop a table spoon sized ball on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Leaving at least 2cm gap between each cookie ball. 
7. Bake at 175°c for 10 minutes. Once done, leave on the wire rack to cool until dough and chocolate slightly hardens as it can be easily broken when still hot. 

Approved by the Cookie Monster! 

Note:

*Sift the flour 3-4 times and set aside before starting.
* Soften the butter and make sure the egg is at room temperature by taking it out of the fridge 30min beforehand.