Dairy-free soft chocolate cookies

As soon as I saw Lily Pebbles post a video on IGTV last week showing her brookie recipe (looks like a cookie but tastes like a brownie) I knew I had to have a go at baking them this weekend. I've struggled in the past with baking cookies as they always ended up spreading into one another in the oven and would come out a complete mess, so I was a little apprehensive about making these. However (!) they retained their shape and didn't come out a mess, so I class that as a success. 

I made a quarter of the original recipe (I managed to make 13 cookies and as there's only myself and Tom able to eat them at the moment, I didn't want to make 50+!). What I like about these (aside from the fact they keep their shape in the oven) is that they crackle on top so they have a slightly cripsy outer layer, but inside is soft and chewy. I don't think I would class these as a cross between a cookie and a brownie as they were not as gooey as a brownie, but were more cakey inside. That being said they tasted super yummy and I think this will be my go to recipe anytime I want to make some chocolate cookies! 

Ingredients

25g cocoa powder 

100g caster sugar

30ml (I used 6 teaspoons) vegetable oil

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

75g flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

15g icing sugar

Prep: 20 mins (plus cooling time)

Cook: 12 mins

Method

Mix together the cocoa powder, caster sugar and vegetable oil in a mixing bowl. 

Beat the egg into the mixture.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl and fold in. 

Once combined, chill in the fridge for a couple of hours (or I put it in the freezer for half an hour).

After the mixture has chilled, preheat your oven to 180c/gas mark 4, and line baking trays with greaseproof paper. 

Sprinkle some icing sugar onto a plate and using a teaspoon (or tablespoon if you want larger cookies!) spoon and roll the mixture into balls, and then roll in the icing sugar.

Place onto the baking tray and press down slightly. 

Repeat until all of the mixture is used up.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 - 12 minutes. If you press lightly onto the side of the cookies and they retain their shape, then your cookies are ready! If you make an indent, leave them in the oven for a few minutes more.

Let the cookies cool for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Tuck in!

Despite being apprehensive to make these, they were actually really easy to make, didn't take too long and didn't create too much washing up - my favourite kind of recipe. Another time I may add in some chocolate chips for extra chocolatey softness.

Jess x