As we get more and more absorbed into the festive season, there’s one thing that must play a part – Chocolate. What would Christmas be without chocolate?

Now these cookies are the ultimate chocolate lovers dream. They are deeply chocolatey, studded with plenty of Chocolate Chips, warm toasty pecans and sweet bursts of raisin. The epitome of a festive chocolate chip cookie.

There is no holding back here, this is a time of year when we are allowed to indulge a little and these cookies offer pure unadulterated indulgence with their perfectly crisp edges and soft, fudgy, chewy interior.

Now how about winning yourself some luxury chocolates to aid the chocolate frenzy and even add to these cookies to send them over the top?

Hotel Chocolat are offering one lucky reader a fabulous selection of their finest dark chocolate creations with the The All Dark Collection featuring the Dark Everything Selection Truffles; Dark Ginger Puddles; a Mini Hazelnut Bûche; a bar of Saint Lucia Island Growers 100% Dark; and two 70% Dark with Cocoa Nibs nano slabs.

This collection worth £25 would make a fabulous gift (you could even give the separate components as small gifts) or a wonderful chocolate centrepiece over the Christmas celebrations.

You can totally leave out the pecans and raisins for a plain chocolate chip cookie, or do as I often do and split the dough, leave one with just chocolate chips and add (half the amount) the pecans and raisins to the other half. Or you could add vegan white chocolate chips or some orange zest for some extra pizzazz!

Ingredients: Makes about 36 cookies

• 200g/1 cup minus 2 tbsp vegan butter
• 100g/1/2 cup soft dark sugar
• 100g/1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp dark agave syrup (or golden syrup)
• 300g/2 1/2 cups plain flour
• 40g/1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 200g/1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 100g/1 cup pecan pieces
• 50g/1/3 cup raisins (I like to use cherry infused raisins)

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180’C/350’F and line one or two baking trays with parchment/
• Cream together the vegan butter, sugars, vanilla and syrup until well blended.
• Sift over the flour and cocoa powder and mix to a stiff dough. Work in the chocolate chips, pecans and raisins until uniformly dispersed.
• Place 2 tbsp balls (an ice cream scoop is good here) about 2 inches apart on your baking sheets. Press down with a glass or the palm of your hand as they don’t spread much during baking.
• Bake for 12 minutes then remove from the oven, leave for about a minute on the tray to firm up slightly then carefully transfer to a cooling rack to cool and harden.

Facebook|Twitter|Instagram|Pinterest