Chocolate and salted peanut cookies

Cherie Lyden, founder of award-winning Coeliac Australia accredited gluten-free bakery Wholegreen Bakery has given traditional chocolate chip cookies a makeover with the addition of peanuts, making the perfect salty sweet cookie.  This one bowl mixture comes together very quickly with a hand mixer and can be rolled into balls and frozen for up to one month, ready to satisfy for any urgent cookie cravings.

Makes 18 cookies - gluten free

150g butter

⅓ cup (60g)brown sugar

⅓ cup (65g) raw caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 ¼ cup (205g) gluten-free plain flour

½ teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

180g bar of dark cooking chocolate, broken into small pieces

¾ cup (115g) salted peanuts

Line three large baking trays with baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugars in a Smeg stand mixer using the stiff beater attachment or use a hand mixer on medium speed, until creamy.

Beat in the vanilla and egg on medium speed and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Sift in dry ingredients and mix on low speed until JUST mixed.

Add the chocolate and peanuts and mix gently to fold through. The dough will now be soft and sticky and need to chill for 20 minutes.

Roll the dough into 40g balls spread out 10 cm apart onto the lined trays.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or longer.  This will rest and chill the dough so when it bakes, it keeps its shape and doesn’t spread too far.

Preheat the oven to 180℃ /350℉ (160℃ /315℉ fan-forced) and bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating the trays after 8 minutes, until lightly golden.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool and harden. These cookies are also delicious when eaten warm.

Storage

These biscuits stay fresh in an airtight container for 7 days. Once rolled into balls, the dough can be frozen for up to 1 month. To bake,  simply defrost for 5 minutes at room temperature, slightly flatten and cook as above.