Basic Cookie Recipe and a few twists

The easiest cookies to do. They are an adaptation of Rachel Allen's recipe.


Ingredients for about 35 cookies. Prep time 10 mins. Cooking time about 10 mins.

• 225g butter, at room temperature
• 275g plain flour
• 50 gr Agave Nectar or 70g light brown soft sugar

1. Preheat the oven at 170 C if baking the same day.
2. Beat butter and sugar until soft and creamy.
3. Mix in flour.
4. Bring together with your hand. You will get a soft dough.
5. 2 options to form the cookies. Roll in log, chill for 30 mins then cut slices or roll wlanut size balls in your hands.
6. Put on baking tray, not to close as they expand slightly.
7. Stick in the oven for about 10 mins. Check after 8 mins. When they are light and gloden pale, you can take them out.
8. Cool on a wire rack.
9. Once cold and you can bare the thought, store in airtight container. They can be kept for 4/5 days, though if they make it to day number 2 let me know. Never been heard of.

The dough can be kept in the fridge for 5 days or frozen for a month.


Now for the TWISTS:
There are so many combinations. Just do what tickles your fancy and don't forget to share your ideas.

Here are a few examples to get you started.

Before adding the flour add the following ingredients and follow the recipe as above.

• Orange and ginger

Zest an orange, add 2 heaped tsps of ground ginger

• Citrus

Grate an orange, a lemon and a grapefruit.

• Too good for Rudolph

1 handful dried cranberries
1 handful chopped and roasted hazelnuts
2 bars of chopped white chocolate, from a 200g slab.
1 grated orange

• Smelling Christmas

1 tsp ground cinamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves

• Chocolate Addict

1 bar white chocolate, chopped
1 bar dark chocolate, chopped
1 bar milk chocolate, chopped
When I talk of bars its 1 one bar from a 100g slab of chocolate

• Chocolate Rehab

1 handful ground almond
Follow recipe, then when cool, dip in dark melted chocolate.
To melt chocolate, put 100 g chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Make sure the water is just simmering and not touching the bowl. Melt slowly, take off the heat then dip. Let them dry on baking parchment paper.