Chocolate Chips and Macadamia Nut Cookies

Any Famous Amos Cookies fans out there?????

Whenever I walked pass this cookie shop, the buttery-chocolatey aroma will lure me into it and I will feel a sudden urge to buy a few pieces. However, I always suppressed my desire after checking out the price. What?!?! S$5++ for 100g!! That will give you about 4-5 pieces perhaps. With that price tag, I chose to satisfy my craving but just inhaling the cookies. Haha.

One fine day, I was feeling rather depressed due to some work issues and thinking of buying something sweet to cheer myself up. It was at this moment I walked pass one of Famous Amos shop. The right place at the right time! Since I was feeling down, I decided to indulge myself in these extravagant cookies. Mistake! Big mistake!
The cookies tasted horrible! Well, at least in my opinion, they tasted way out of my standards. At the first bite, it tasted overly sweet followed by a awfully bitter after-taste. The cookie was more to the soft texture which is not to my liking.
I had to force the rest of the cookies down my throat as I didn't want to waste my money but I swear to myself I am not going to buy the cookies from this shop ever again! No matter how nice the smell is!

So I went online in search of some chocolate chips cookies recipes and began my "experiment" of baking the cookies to my liking. As I prefer cookies that are not overly sweet, with a crunchy texture and a slightly burnt after taste, the "experiment" took me some time.
After many attempts, I finally found this recipe which was in my honest opinion the best version.


Recipe from Bear Naked Food

Ingredients (makes 80 - 100 cookies)

• 300g self raising flour
• 250g unsalted butter - softened at room temperature
• 150g dark brown sugar
• 113g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp coffee oil/emulsion
• 1 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 25g instant oats - grind to power in blender
• 25g ground almond powder
• 250g semi-sweet chocolate chips

Optional ingredient

• Macadamia nuts - pulse lightly in blender

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Beat the egg with coffee emulsion and vanilla essence in a small bowl, cover with cling wrap and let it infuse for at least 2 hours or overnight in fridge. Bring to room temperature before use.
2. Preheat oven to 160C (no fan force).
3. Beat the softened butter, salt and sugar (both dark brown and caster sugar) in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
4. Add in egg mixture (from Step 1), ground oats and ground almond powder. Mix well.
5. Add in chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Mix well.
6. Lastly, sift in the flour and fold into the mixture.
7. For small cookies - use a small teaspoon to scoop from the dough. Drop the dough onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Or you can roll them into mini balls. Place them slightly apart and bake for 20 mins or until golden brown.
8. For large cookies - use a tablespoon to scoop from the dough. Follow the same steps as the small cookies. Bake for 27-30 mins or until golden brown.
9. Once they are done, place them on a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in air tight containers.
10. They will taste even better the next day as the flavour develop further.

 **NOTE**

•  The dough will expand during the baking process. So do ensure the cookies are placed at a distance apart unless you want to end up with ONE BIG cookie. I made the mistake of placing them too close and ended up with a cookie "pizza".
• I prefer to add flour first, followed by the chocolate chips as I feel it's very challenging to fold/mix the dough if I add in the chocolate chips first.
• You can add in any other ingredient which you think can complement the cookie well.
• I personally prefer bite size cookies where it's easier to put the whole cookie into my mouth.
• If the dough is too soft to manage, put it into the fridge for a while.
• Scooping of the dough using a spoon may require some technique. So rolling them into balls may be another option. But do bear in mind the warmth of your hand/palm may soften the dough. So you need to work quickly.
• The dough may be too soft to use cookie cutters. But there is no stopping you from trying!
• The cookies will stay crisp in an air tight container for about a week.

Beat the egg, coffee emulsion and vanilla essence
together and leave in fridge for 2 hours or overnight

Add in salt to softened butter

Add in sugar

It may look like a lot of sugar but the taste is just nice

Beat the mixture

Until light and fluffy

Add in egg mixture

Add in ground oats

Add in ground almond powder

Mix well

Add in flour and mix well.

Add in chopped macadamia nuts

Here comes my favourite part - Chocolate Chips!

Beat or fold well. I prefer to beat.

Scoop using a teaspoon/tablespoon

Before baking

After baking

By this time, my princess will be attracted to the aroma
like a bee to nectar.

 

 

Frankly, this recipe is not that difficult to work on. You just need to make sure you prepare all the ingredients well before hand and then add in one by one. So easy right?
I usually get my princess to help with the "bait" that she gets to savour them later. Aha! With that promise, she will become the most capable assistant. Haha.
I do cherish such bonding time with her though. Not only can I get her to develop an interest in baking, I also get to see her creativity as well when she came up with funny/weird cookie shapes.

Now I can have all the chocolate chips and macadamia nuts cookies without breaking my piggy bank.

So so so good until you can't stop at one!

You can see the exclusive container
for the princess