Chocolate And Almond Cookies

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour (500 ml)
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened (the bitter powder, 80 ml)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar (125 ml caster sugar)
• 8 ounces butter, soft (1 cup)
• 1 egg, large size
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 5 ounces chocolate, dark, semisweet, chopped quite fine (150 g)
• 1/2 cup almonds, nibbed (125 ml, or use flaked almonds, chopped)

Recipe

• 1 heat oven to 350 deg f / 180 deg. celsius.
• 2 line a cookie tin with baking paper. i find it easiest to grease the tin, flatten the baking paper over the grease, and lightly grease again.
• 3 in a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder (unsweetened), baking powder and salt.
• 4 put the superfine/caster sugar in another mixing bowl, add the butter, and whisk with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
• 5 add the egg and vanilla, and again whisk very well.
• 6 mix the flour-cocoa mixture into the sugar-butter mixture. at first it might seem as if the batter needs more liquid: don't add anything!
• 7 mix in the chopped chocolate and the almonds. once everything is well mixed in (use your hands, it works well), the batter will be quite soft.
• 8 (if you find the batter too soft you can chill it in the fridge for 30 mins.).
• 9 use roughly a tablespoon of batter per cookie, and roll into a ball. put the balls on the prepared tin, and press flat with the tines of a fork.
• 10 bake the cookies for 12 - 15 minutes, until the tops just start to make little cracks.
• 11 cool slightly in the tin, before removing to a wire rack. cool completely before storing in an airtight tin.