Chocolate Chip Cookies

Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Line two baking trays with baking parchment. Roughly chop the dark chocolate into 1-2cm pieces.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt and set aside. In a separate bowl, use an electric whisk to beat the butter and sugars together for 2 mins until light and fluffy (if you're whisking by hand, it will take longer).

Add the eggs, one by one, to the butter and sugar mixture and beat until just incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.

Sift in the flour then gently fold to combine. Fold in the chocolate pieces.

When the dough has come together, break off pieces and form them into balls roughly the size of a golf ball. Pop them on your prepared baking trays, leaving a good 8cm between them. Gently press down on each one then sprinkle the tops with the salt.

Slide into the oven to bake for 8 mins then remove from the oven and gently press each cookie flat with a spatula (this is optional – you may prefer to leave them to rise slightly). Return to the oven to bake for another 3–5 mins, or until lightly brown.

Remove from the oven and leave the cookies to cool on the tray for 10 mins before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.