Chocolate chip cookies

Chocolate chippies
Originally uploaded by Cakelaw

Dear Daddy-Long-Legs,

I have missed you terribly since you left Lock Willow. Although my head tells me that I should know better, thoughts of you continue to haunt me.

I miss your voice, your piercing eyes, your stripey shirts, your cheeky grin and your quirky sense of humour. Lock Willow is nowhere near as fun now that you are gone.

Mrs Semple allowed me to bake yesterday. Knowing that you like chocolate chippies, I decided to bake my own chocolate chip cookies, even though you are not here to enjoy them. The heavenly aroma from these biscuits enveloped the whole kitchen, and it was so tempting to eat two (or three!) myself. They were soft, sweet, chocolatey and ever so good, and everyone at Lock Willow enjoyed them.

You told me once that you can bake. Just in case you feel inclined to try these biscuits yourself one day, here is the recipe:

2 cups self raising flour
pinch of salt
180g melted butter
1 lightly beaten egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup dark chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

Sift flour and salt into a bowl and set aside. Mix the melted butter and sugars together, then beat in the egg and vanilla essence. Fold through the flour and chocolate chips. Drop teaspoonfuls of mixture onto greased baking sheets, and bake for 15 minutes. Cool biscuits for 10 minutes on the trays before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

I hope you get a chance to try these biscuits some day Daddy - I am sure that you'd enjoy them.

Yours affectionately

Judy 'Cakelaw' Abbott

(with apologies to Jean Webster)