Baking Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our answer

Nigella's Chocolate Chip Cookies (from KITCHEN are fat cookies studded generously with chocolate chips. They should be slightly crisp on the outside but soft in the centre. If they puffed up and turned cakey then it usually means too much air has been incorporated into the cookie dough.

This can happen in two ways. The first is that too much leavening was used. In this case the levening is bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and you need to use ½ teaspoon. Use a 2.5ml measuring half teaspoon and make sure that it is a level measure. The second is that too much air was beaten into the mixture when the melted butter and sugar are mixed together and then the egg. Beat in the butter and sugars only until the they are combined and after adding the egg beat only until the egg has been incorporated and the mixture looks creamy and a little paler.