Chocolate Freckle Cookies

Hah! Eureka! I created (accidentally stumbled) on a new cookie recipe! I feel very productive and successful today. A very rewarding feeling it is when a routine baking session turns out so well. I’m over the moon!

I’ve been meaning to try my hand out at making chocolate freckle cookies ever since I first saw them being made at a shopping centre kiosk in Melbourne Central. I really loved the idea and the look of having a chocolate button covered in hundreds-n-thousands sitting puuuuurrtty on a crunchie cookie. Simple concept but looks fancy … and who doesn’t love the sight of hundreds-n-thousands? But that was years ago and I soon forgot all about the notion of making my own.

Then last week I was browsing around the discount stores (as I do every Saturday) when I decided to pop into Big Bazaar, and I came across a bunch of chocolate freckles. I didn’t know they sold them here in the Netherlands so this was a good find. Picked up 2 packets and happily trotted home with my purchase. Dreams of making chocolate freckle cookies immediately resurfaced.

So, what I like about this recipe is that its super easy and its super cheap to make. Actually I shouldn’t say that coz I know for a fact that cheap ingredients back home in Malaysia don’t exist. Sad but true. What I also like is the texture of the cookie. I’m usually a huge fan of the chewy, cakey cookie, but for this recipe only a crispy one would do and that’s exactly how it turned out. Despite the 200g hazelnut spread that is used to make the batter you don’t actually taste it too much.

Ingredients:

• 125 g butter, room temp
• 200 g hazelnut spread
• 75 g brown sugar
• 55 g white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 275 g flour

METHOD :

1. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Cream butter and hazelnut spread until light and fluffy.
3. Add the sugars and cream for about 5 – 10 mins*.
4. Scrape down the bowl. Add vanilla extract and the egg, followed by the milk.
5. Meanwhile sift the flour, baking soda and the salt together. Add all at once and combine until everything just comes together. DO NOT OVER MIX. The batter will be soft and quite pasty so don’t panic … this is to be expected.
6. Using a mini ice-cream scoop dollop batter onto the parchment paper, ensuring you give them lots of room to expand and spread out.
7. Bake them for 12 – 15 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown.
8. The minute you remove the cookies from the oven you need to smoosh a chocolate freckle onto the center of each cookie before they crisp up. The heat from the cookies will melt the bottoms of the chocolate and fuse them together.
9. Transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

*Tip: If you do not cream the sugar into the butter completely then you risk creating hot spots.