Chocolate, Almond and Raisin Cookies

We fancied doing a little baking the other day, and what better than a batch of freshly baked, slightly gooey cookies?  As we are on a budget these days, we decided to flavour them with whatever odds and ends we could find in the kitchen cupboard and that happened to be: a few milk chocolate chips and a bar of milk chocolate, a bag of almonds and some raisins. Yummy! So, very simple recipe (adapted from a Nigella recipe) and here it is for you to try!

Chocolate, Almond and Raisin Cookies

Makes about 12

Ingredients

150 g margarine

150 g caster sugar

75 g dark brown soft sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk 

300 g flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

150 g milk chocolate - chips or chunks

100 g almonds, soaked, skins removed and chopped

50 g raisins, chopped

Method

1. First of all preheat your oven. We baked at 160C fan, or for conventional bake at 170C/gas mark 3. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Meanwhile, melt your margarine in a small saucepan.

2.  Beat together your melted margarine and both sugars until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla so that you have a creamy mixture before folding in the flour and bicarb. 

3. Fold in the chocolate chunks, almonds and raisins. Dollop 12 cookie dough blobs onto the prepared tray and bake for 15 minutes until golden and still soft. Cool on a wire rack but don't expect them to last long!