Blueberry and white chocolate cookies

Fruity, creamy and soft inside, these blueberry and white chocolate cookies are sure to be a hit with everyone. This recipe is a variation on traditional chocolate chip cookies, you could add or substitute other ingredients to create your own type of cookie.

Ingredients

• 125g butter (at room temperature)
• 125g caster sugar
• 1 medium sized egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 125g oats
• 100g dried blueberries
• 100g white chocolate chunks (or chocolate chips)
• 150g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Equipment needed to make blueberry and white chocolate cookies

• Large baking bowl
• Wooden spoon to cream the butter and sugar together
• Chopping board and sharp knife to chop the chocolate into chunks
• Metal baking sheet
• Non-stick baking parchment

How to make blueberry and white chocolate cookies

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, vanilla essence and oats and mix together.

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Add the flour, baking powder, blueberries, chocolate chunks and mix together with a wooden spoon (not an electric mixer). The mixture will be quite dry and stiff at this stage but this is how it should be. I usually find it easier to finish off the mixing by hand.

Form biscuit shapes about 3 cm in diameter and place on non-stick baking sheets on baking trays, leaving a space between each cookie to allow room for expansion.

How to cook blueberry and white chocolate cookies

Cook one tray at a time in the centre of the oven at 180^oC, 350^oF, gas mark 4 until the edges just start to turn golden. This will take around 10 minutes but check regularly, say after 5 minutes, to avoid overcooking as they will cook quickly. The biscuits will still be soft when they are ready to be taken out of the oven and will set as they cool down. Don't be tempted to leave in the oven any longer as they will overcook and become hard. If you have an Aga, cook each tray of biscuits on the grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven with the cold plain shelf on the second set of runners.

The above quantities will make around 25 cookies.

Tips

1. If you don't have self raising flour then you can make your own by adding 2 teaspoons of baking powder to 150g plain flour.
2. If you don't have dried blueberries then other dried fruit can be substituted. Similarly, you could use dark chocolate chunks in place of white chocolate if preferred.
3. Remember to leave a space between the cookies to allow room for expansion during cooking.
4. The biscuits will be ready to be taken out of the oven when they have a pale golden colour at the edge. They will still be soft at this stage and it is easy to think they need to be cooked a little longer. Don't be tempted to leave the cookies in the oven for too long as they will easily become overcooked.
5. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days. I find that it is better to freeze them if they are to be kept any longer than two days so they can be enjoyed at their best. This recipe is ideal for bulk baking and freezing to give you a supply of homemade biscuits over the coming weeks.