Choc Chunk Cookies

I have quite a serious addiction to ice cream. It is the one food stuff I find it impossible to resist and once a tub is open it doesn’t last long in my freezer! This summer as well as eating ice cream I discovered the joys of making my own, experimenting with various flavour combinations….but this left me with an excess of egg whites that I just didn’t know how to use up (especially as I’m not a big fan of meringue). So I divided the egg whites into food bags and bunged them in the freezer until I could discover a use for them. Not too long ago however, I stumbled across a cookie recipe that only required egg whites….so finally I am starting to make a dent on my egg white reserves!!

INGREDIENTS (makes at least 30 cookies – depending on how big you make them!)

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup soft margarine

2 large egg whites

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

150g good quality dark chocolate

2 cups plain flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 deg F / 180 deg C

Line 2 baking trays with non stick parchment.

In a large mixing bowl beat the sugar and margarine with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. Add the flour, oats and baking powder and mix until a thick dough forms.

In a separate, clean bowl whisk the eggs whites up until soft peaks are formed. Then gradually fold the egg whites into the dough mix, a spoonful at a time.

Finally break the chocolate into large chunks (I find bashing the chocolate bar with the end of a rolling pin normally works well!) and fold these into the mixture.

Use a dessert spoon to dollop small amount of the mixture onto the baking tray, leaving a couple of centimetres between each dollop to allow the cookies to spread during baking. Press down each dollop of mixture slightly using the back of a floured fork or spoon. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookies just start to turn golden in colour. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Not Quite Nigella, which was originally taken from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld