Chocolate Cookies: A Classic Delight

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

• • 100g butter (room temperature)
  • 90g powdered sugar

• • 50ml vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 25g cocoa powder

• • 300g wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Steps to Make Chocolate Cookies

Step 1: Preheat the Oven and Prepare the Baking Sheet

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it with butter or oil. This will prevent the cookies from sticking and ensure they bake evenly.

Step 2: Mix the Wet Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and powdered sugar. Using an electric mixer or a whisk, beat the mixture together until it becomes light and fluffy. This step is important, as it creates the base for the cookies’ soft texture. Add the vegetable oil to the butter-sugar mixture and continue mixing until well combined. Then, crack the egg into the bowl, and beat everything together until the mixture is smooth and homogenous.

Step 3: Add Dry Ingredients

In a separate bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder. Sifting is essential because it helps to prevent lumps in your dry ingredients, ensuring the cookies have a smooth texture. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring gently until fully incorporated. You should now have a soft dough that is slightly sticky but manageable.

Step 4: Form the Cookies

Take small portions of the dough and roll them into balls. Depending on the size of the cookies you want, you can make them as small or as large as you prefer. A tablespoon-sized scoop of dough works well for medium-sized cookies. Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each one to allow for spreading as they bake.

If you like, you can slightly flatten the dough balls with the back of a spoon or your fingers to create more uniform-shaped cookies, but this step is optional. If you prefer your cookies to have a crinkled look, don’t flatten them.

Step 5: Bake the Cookies

Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are firm and the center is slightly soft. The cookies will continue to cook and firm up slightly after you remove them from the oven, so be careful not to overbake them.

Once they’re done, take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This cooling time allows the cookies to set and become easier to handle.

Step 6: Enjoy!

Once the cookies are cool, they are ready to be enjoyed. Serve them with a glass of milk, or enjoy them on their own as a sweet treat any time of the day. If you have any leftover cookies (though they’re unlikely to last long!), store them in an airtight container to keep them fresh.