Why aren't my cookies chewy?

You would think that baking cookies would be really simple but there my friend you would be mistaken because if you want to recreate the soft, chewy cookies that you would find at a bakery or shop, well I don’t want to say that it is an exact science….but it kind of is.

Generally speaking I have found there are two different types of biscuits:

1. the traditional shortbread type 
2. cookies: either of the chewy or crunchy varieties

Obviously there are many variations with different flavours and textures etc. yet the main difference in these two types that I have noticed is the addition of an egg or two.

Egg-actly the right amount

Eggs are used in baking for a variety of reasons including leavening, structure or binding, richness and even colour. Adding an extra yolk, as I will be doing in my recipe later on, will give my cookies a richer flavour and adds the moisture that helps to keep the cookies soft.

Type of sugar

A lot of cookie recipes that I have seen ask for you to use two different sugars and this is not just because they want to make your life more difficult. Cookies made with white sugar or sweetener have the tendency to be hard and crunchy whereas if you use brown sugar or molasses; hey presto yummy soft cookie.

A mixture of both will give you the best of both worlds.

Chill your dough

Cookie dough that has just been mixed and is still slightly warm is more likely to spread out in the oven. If your cookies are too thin they will no doubt be crunchy.  As with most dough based recipes I find that is always a good idea to chill the mix in the fridge for half an hour .

Cooking time

If you leave the tray in the oven just a moment too long your soft chewy cookies will be ruined so remember what Mad Eye Moody taught you: constant vigilance.

Remove the cookies from the oven when they are lightly golden around the edges yet still soft on top. They will be very soft to the touch so leave them to rest on the baking tray (they may still be cooking at this point) before moving to a cooling rack.

Right well now we’ve covered all of that troubleshooting stuff its about time that I let you in on the recipe right?

250g plain flour

2g baking powder

170g (melted) butter

200g brown sugar

100g caster sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

325g chocolate chips/chunks 

Cream the butter and sugars in a bowl until light and fluffy. 

Beat in the eggs and vanilla before adding in the flour and baking powder. 

Stir until combined.

Finally add the chocolate chips or whatever else you are putting in the cookies.

Chill the dough in the fridge for half an hour 

Preheat the oven to 170c

Spoon a heaped teaspoon or walnut sized blob onto a baking tray but don’t flatten it or try to make it look even as the flatter the cookie the more likely it is to be crunchy.


Bake for 15-17 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges.

Remove from the oven but leave the cookies on the tray for a few minutes as they are still cooking and are very soft. If you try to move them too soon your cookies will break.

Dinner At The Manor: Secret Supper Club

Supper clubs are sprouting up across Britain (and the world) and it seems that I was rather late to the party. I went to my very first supper club last night and it was totally divine. 

What is a supper club? I hear you ask, well its a bit like ‘Come Dine With Me’ except there’s no score cards involved, snooping around the house or a £1000 in prize money….so maybe it isn’t like ‘Come Dine With Me’ at all.

A Supper club is basically a cross between a dinner party and a restaurant for a very select number of people. Its a simple concept that has been taken up by top chefs and foodies alike allowing you to show off your culinary skills to paying guests whether it be once a month or even just a couple of times a year . 

Maybe I should try setting up my own supper club?….although maybe it would be more like a ‘pudding club’ if I ran it. 

Dinner At The Manor, a secret supper club in Leeds, is in its fifth year now (so is my blog, so cheers to being five!) and has proven to be extremely popular. Indeed if you want to go to one of their supper clubs you better act quickly as places get filled up very very quickly. Many of the guests last night (all first-timers to the Manor) had tried to go to an event before but the places were sold out so quickly that they missed out. My mother and I included.

Dan and Susie (our chefs for the evening) normally base their evenings around a theme or a particular cookbook. I love this idea as many of the cookbooks I own get put on the shelf to gather dust and I will only ever use one or two recipes from them . 

The theme for last night was ‘Italian small plates’ featuring many culinary delights from around Tuscany and Florence. It was inspired by Susie’s recent trip to that area of Italy and as we had also been there not that long ago….well it was fate wasn’t it! You could go and read about our trip here if you wanted to.

Past themes have included a Byzantine Feast and Leeds Indie Food to list only the most recent. 

One of the things I loved about this secret supper club is that they only told you the location and menu a week before so anticipation was high! 

Upon arrival at the manor we were greeted with a Compon Spritz cocktail and I was very much impressed that a non-alcoholic version was also available most probably for the ones who were driving but I liked how well thought out the sentiment was.

Polpette with mozerlla and tomato pictured with my non-alcoholic Compon Spritz

Chicken liver and balsamic onion crostini

The food was absolutely divine and I particularly enjoyed the succulent pork belly and my absolute favourite the apricot, lemon and almond frangipane tart with vanilla risotto semi-freddo.  

Sprouting broccoli with pancetta and hot olive sauce

Prosciutto and butternut squash with ricotta

The small dishes which came to nine courses in total included many flavour combinations which I would not have necessarily thought of putting together such as the prosciutto, butternut squash and ricotta yet I would recommend that you try it because its truly delicious. 

Chilli crab risotto with samphire

Pork belly, radicchio and hazelnuts

The chilli crab risotto with samphire went down particularly well with the other guests although as I am not a fan of chilli it was a bit too spicy for me. Nevertheless I loved the creamy texture of the risotto juxtaposed with the crunchiness of the samphire.

White peach sorbet 

Apricot, lemon and almond frangipane tart with vanilla risotto semi-freddo and apricot

Amaretto chocolate truffle and tea (or coffee)

A final word on supper clubs: heaven for food lovers!

The tale of Andrew Duhon and Cullen Skink

This week I found myself back up in Scotland to see Andrew Duhon. 

The country folk singer from New Orleans makes a small UK tour every summer (well at for the past 4 or 5 years) and I was fortunate enough to catch him at Oakwell Festival last year. 

Upon hearing his melodic southern drawl I was instantly hooked and so would it seem was my mother for whom I bought his latest album and we have been listening to little else ever since. 

As I mentioned above Andrew Duhon takes a trip around the UK every summer and I would be lying if I said that I wasn't closely keeping an eye out on this years tour dates. 

The first dates released were for London on both the 21st and 22nd June.  However those dang train tickets were going to prove a bit too costly so that put those out of the race. 

Bother. 

I watched with bated breath as dates for Kent and Warwickshire came in….surely that meant that he was working his way up north?  Apparently I was right yet it appeared to be quite a jump up north as from Warwickshire Andrew Duhon went to the Ilse Of Mull. 

Really?!? 

Indeed there were to be three Scottish dates before he journeyed back down South via Suffolk and Portsmouth before journeying home. 

Great.

However this tale has a happy yet somewhat bizarre end as for the second time in so many weeks I found myself strapped in the car on the way to Scotland for a gig. Yup I'm just that cool.

The week actually started down in Dorset for my dear friends' Wedding. Congratulations again Jess and Daryl. I donned my tartan dress for a night of frivolity, cake, trifle and a whole lot of ceilidh dancing…..

After a quick pit stop at home we travelled all the way up north to our cottage in Scotland where we were to stay just one day before carrying on up to Aviemore. 

Aviemore  located on the edge of the Cairgorms in the highlands of Scotland is the home to many a mountaineer, cyclists and general outdoor enthusiast so you can imagine that I was a bit like a fish out of water. 

Nevertheless I had my trusty book with me. I was reading Starborn by Lucy Hounsom….it's the first book of a trilogy which normally I would be very excited about except I was in the middle of nowhere with no Waterstones in sight and I need the next book dammit! I finished reading [the book] the day after I started it so yes it really is that good. 

Anyway where was I?............

Upon looking to see where the were any good cafes around Aviemore I stumbled across the Rothiemurchus visitor centre and in particular the Druie restaurant and café. 

 Reviews for the eatery were excellent and the Cullen Skink came highly recommended. I therefore didn't have much choice in the matter my decision was made for me. 

Cullen Skink (hahaha that name though) may  be more commonly known as a type of fish chowder and is traditionally made with mackerel and smoked haddock. Mine was served with dark soda bread and was totally scrumptious….better than the reviews. 

Indeed it was that good that I returned the next day for some more soup yet this time I opted for the soup of the day which was pea and mint with a cheese scone. 

Andrew Duhon was playing at the Old Bridge Inn just outside of Aviemore so I put my tartan frock on and ventured off to the pub bright and early so that we could get good seats. 

The main problem with concerts/gigs in pubs is that the people who aren't necessarily there for the music feel obliged to talk over it thus disturbing everyone else who has come for just  that reason…..and  nearly 300 miles at that.