Nigel Slater’s Chocolate Cookies
Not having a television, I don’t get to see cookery programmes very often. However, I do remember seeing an episode of Nigel Slater’s Simple Suppers a year or so ago where Nigel made some sumptuous chocolate cookies that have stayed in my mind ever since. When fans Janice of Farmersgirl Kitchen and Sue of A Little Bit of Heaven on a Plate announced a new blog event Dish of the Month, I knew exactly what I wanted to make – in spite of my Healthy January.
As regular readers know, I am incapable of following a recipe exactly as stated – I tend to use recipes as guidelines and like to think that all good recipes are written for this purpose anyway. You will find Nigel’s recipe here. Really and truly, I tried hard and fully intended to follow it precisely, because when it comes down to it, who am I to argue with the great Nigel? But then again, I couldn’t actually bring myself to use all white flour. Not only do I like to get a little roughage into my baked goods by using spelt or wholemeal flour, but I think it makes them tastier too. As Nigel’s recipe is meant to be eaten with raspberries, but hey, it’s not raspberry season at the moment, I thought I’d use some raspberry chocolate instead, thereby coming up with my own chocolate, hazelnut and raspberry cookies. I used two bars of Divine’s Fairtrade 70% dark chocolate with raspberries.
Although Nigel didn’t specify in the recipe to place the cookies well apart, I am an experienced baker and knew that’s what I really ought to do. But, I was in a hurry and wanted to get them all on the same baking sheet. Plus I’ve had a horrible virus which has lasted for over three weeks now and I’m not really thinking straight – that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it! So, the inevitable happened and these wonderful cookies spread and all merged into one.
The smell of roasting hazelnuts is just one of the best and in the process of creating these cookies, the house was filled with their gorgeous smell. So, when they came out of the oven, I just couldn’t resist eating one straight away. It was warm, soft and toothsome and would make a delicious dessert in its own right with a scoop of ice-cream.
Elizabeth
16th January 2013 at 8:06 amMmmm those sound lovely, especially with the raspberry chocolate. Yum!
Choclette
17th January 2013 at 11:02 amThanks Elizabeth, too yum by half and I really shouldn’t have made them – eek!
belleau kitchen
16th January 2013 at 9:25 amoooh… they do look lovely and gooey and gorgeous… I love a good chocolate cookie but i’m going to have to live vicariously through you here as my flobby belly is not allowing me any such goodness this month!.. great new challaenge too, I must have missed that one and am off to explore!
Choclette
17th January 2013 at 11:06 amHehe Dom. these aren’t really designed for January and are a bit of an aberration, but hey, it’s cold and grey and I’m trying to be good most of the time :-S
At least your flobby belly should be nicely bronzed in all that Californian sunshine 😉
Susie @ Fold in the Flour
16th January 2013 at 9:29 amOh my goodness, I could really do with one of these right now! They look so gorgeous and just ready to sink your teeth into. And I love irregular cookies – it’s a clear sign that they are home made. 🙂
Choclette
17th January 2013 at 11:07 amThank you Susie – regularity has never been my strong point 😉
Suelle
16th January 2013 at 9:36 amChocolate brownies in biscuit form sounds a very good reason for trying the recipe!
Choclette
18th January 2013 at 1:54 pmA very good reason indeed Suelle. I’m very surprised these aren’t called brownie cookies, I think I’d rename them.
Alida
16th January 2013 at 11:31 amA real treat to beat the winter blues. We all need something like this right now! Yummy recipe Choclette.
Choclette
18th January 2013 at 1:55 pmVery true Alida, January can be a bit of a bleak month, especially if we stick to a rigid diet 😉
Jo
16th January 2013 at 12:22 pmChocolate brownies in biscuit form… sounds like the best biscuit ever!
Choclette
18th January 2013 at 1:56 pmJo, they are so good, you have just persuaded me to go and hunt out the tin 😉
Johanna GGG
16th January 2013 at 1:28 pmthese sound amazing – I got to try the divine raspberry chocolate last year when we were in the uk and it is really good – would love to be able to pick it up locally for baking but it is raspberry season here and shamefully I haven’t been appreciating the fresh one (too busy eating cherries)
Choclette
18th January 2013 at 1:57 pmToo busy eating cherries, sounds like a very reasonable excuse to me – what a wonderful thought.
Sarah, Maison Cupcake
16th January 2013 at 1:57 pmMmm they look pleasingly chewy cookies. I only have volume 1 of Kitchen Diaries and the dessert options are a bit thin on the ground!
Choclette
18th January 2013 at 1:59 pmThanks Sarah. I don’t have Kitchen Diaries at all,, only Tender Vol 1, but most of Nigel’s recipes can be found online – I had no problem tracking this one down.
Janice Pattie
16th January 2013 at 8:57 pmI’m sure Nigel would approve of your adaptations to his recipe. They look fantastic. Thank you for joining us for Dish of the Month 🙂
Choclette
18th January 2013 at 2:00 pmA lovely challenge Janice and a good excuse to make some chocolatey NS recipes I’ve not made before.
Camilla @Fabfood4all
16th January 2013 at 9:06 pmOh they look divine and I have a large bag of hazlenuts needing a project so if we are snowed in on Friday I know what I’ll be doing with my daughter!
Choclette
19th January 2013 at 10:51 amThese biscuits are a wonderful way to use a bag of hazelnuts – taste gorgeous but smell so fantastic too.
thelittleloaf
17th January 2013 at 8:05 amThese look absolutely delicious – almost a cross between a brownie and a cookie. Yum.
Choclette
19th January 2013 at 10:53 amGot it exactly. I would rename them, chocolate hazelnut brownie cookies.
Hazel
17th January 2013 at 1:27 pmThey look like they wouldn’t last long in my house! Wow! They look so good 🙂 Yum!
*waves hello* from a new follower, Hazel x
Choclette
19th January 2013 at 10:54 amWelcome Hazel and thank you for following and for your comment 🙂
At Anna's kitchen table
17th January 2013 at 8:51 pmGood for you, experimenting! I tend to stick to recipes slavishly. They look delish.
Choclette
28th January 2013 at 2:48 pmThanks Anna – I just can’t seem to help myself.
Susan heavenonaplate
17th January 2013 at 9:02 pmThank you for joining in and with such a scrummy recipe that you added your own stamp on.
Choclette
28th January 2013 at 2:50 pmSue, this was such a good excuse to make these cookies – not that I need much of an excuse really.
franglaiskitchen.com
17th January 2013 at 10:03 pmwhat a gorgeous recipe and I am always in search of the perfect choc chip cookies these do look very chewy and yummY!
Choclette
28th January 2013 at 2:54 pmThe trouble I find, is that I keep thinking I’ve found the perfect biscuit, but then find my mood has changed. Sometimes chewy is good, other times I’m after crunchy – hey ho.
Jen Price
18th January 2013 at 4:51 pmI’m a bit like you sometimes when it comes to tweaking recipes, it makes the final bake more interesting. I’ve done the cookie merging thing before, it means you get to have a giant one if you want though! I like the sound of the raspberry chocolate, sounds like it would give the cookies a bit of a zing.
Choclette
28th January 2013 at 2:55 pmThanks Jen. Merging cookies is my speciality. I’m always trying to cram too many on a tray to avoid having to bake twice – you’d think I’d have learnt by now!
MaryMoh
18th January 2013 at 9:12 pmMmmm….love these any time. I love when it’s soft and chewy which means I can never resist trying them as soon as them they are out of the oven 😀
Choclette
28th January 2013 at 3:03 pmOh yes, Mary Moh, biscuits warm out of the oven are the best of all.
Karen S Booth
19th January 2013 at 1:06 pmA LOVELY recipe Choclette and one that I must make soon! They look chewy too, which is the way I like them! Karen
Choclette
28th January 2013 at 3:02 pmThanks Karen, these are most definitely chewy and for the most part I’m with you on this. Sometimes though, it’s nice to have a crunchy biscuit for dunking.
Phil in the Kitchen
19th January 2013 at 3:27 pmThose are seriously yummy sounding chocolate cookies. Brownies in biscuit form sounds like a dream come true on a cold day.
Choclette
28th January 2013 at 3:01 pmSadly for me Phil, brownies in biscuit form sound perfect on any day.
Nicola
19th January 2013 at 8:41 pmThese cookies look absolutely gorgeous. I love chocolate and raspberries together, great idea to use that chocolate 🙂
Choclette
28th January 2013 at 3:00 pmThanks Nicola – raspberries and chocolate are a great combination, though if it was summer I think Nigel’s original idea of accompanying the cookies with fresh raspberries would be fabulous.
nyssapod
28th January 2013 at 8:22 amThey look tasty! Like you, I prefer to include wholemeal flour in my baking. I think in my case it is because my mum always used half and half wholemeal and white flour and I got a taste for it.
Choclette
28th January 2013 at 2:58 pmThank you. I was bought up on wholemeal flour and it was only when I started this blog that I experimented with adding some white flour – it felt very daring.
Lucy Taylor
12th February 2013 at 7:58 pmYou can’t beat the combination of chocolate & hazlenut in my opinion. These look absolutely delicious!