Chocolate Chip Biscuits

 Busy day in the kitchen today as I prepare for a weekend of feeding our guests...we have a 50th birthday for Lucy at the house and her and her family and friends all need catering for in between their jaunts out and about in Champagne.

So I set about to prepare aperitifs for the weekend and the odd dessert...Courgette and Feta cheese slice, Gougere's with Rosemary and Comte cheese, Pastry spirals, Savoury Cake with chorizo, Pita Crisps...all put away in tins and jar and dishes stacked and sorted...job done

A patter on the stairs only to get a request from Liliana to make our firm family favourite Chocolate Chip Biscuits...her turn to take over the oven.


So time to share...I have been making this recipe since I was about 10 years old back in our family kitchen in rural New Zealand where I found a great amount of joy in working my way through any available cookbook as a way of entertaining myself as a child and teenager.

The most popular choice was always 'The Edmonds Cookbook' which was produced by a company that sold 'Sure to Rise' Baking Powder amongst other things. I can honestly say that I have made at least 90% of the recipes in this book over the years. A staple in any NZ cooks bookshelf!

The measurements for the dry ingredients are in cups not grams which I have noticed is the curious difference between recipes from New Zealand and Europe....

CHOCOLATE CHIP BISCUITS

1. Cream together the ingredients below till light and fluffy:

125 grams of butter
1/4 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk

2. Add 1 1/2 cups of plain flour and 1 teaspoon of Baking Powder and mix in well...then add 1/2 cup of chopped chocolate or chocolate chips.

3. Take tablespoonfuls and roll into balls, put onto a tray and squash with a floured fork

4. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 mins...sometimes less if you have a hot oven so check after 10 mins...

5. Makes around 20 biscuits unless you are like Liliana and love the biscuit dough raw!!