Vintage Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm not sure what exactly makes these 'vintage'? According to the BBC Good Food website this is a 'retro' recipe (whatever that means!) Maybe they're meant to take you back to your childhood when enjoyed with a glass of milk? Anyway, they are yummy and definitely hit the the chocolately, sugary spot.  It has been a busy week at work (with another busy one coming up) so I decided I need to bake something to say thank you to my colleagues for their enthusiasm towards the maths week I organised but to also keep us going through the forthcoming busy days. I had said I would make Cadbury's Creme Egg brownies but with the sunshine today I felt something lighter was in order so decided to make this BBC Good Food recipe.

The bonus of this recipe is that it only needs one bowl and can be rustled up pretty quickly. The recipe makes approximately 20 soft and yummy cookies (depending on size).

Ingredients:

150g salted butter (softened)
80g light brown muscovado sugar
80g granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
225g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
200g plain chocolate chips or chunks

Method:
1) Preheat your oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
2) Put the butter and sugars in a large bowl and beat until creamy. Beat in the vanilla extract and egg.

3) Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt over the mixture and mix in with a wooden spoon. Add the chocolate chips and stir well.

4) Using a teaspoon, place small mounds of the mixture well apart on the baking trays.

5) Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until light brown on the edges and still slightly soft in the centre.

6) Leave on the tray for a couple of minutes to firm up and then transfer to a cooling rack.

7) Enjoy! (With a glass of milk or hot drink of your choice!)

Banana, walnut & chocolate chip loaf

Well 2013 is nearly at an end. I would like to wish all my readers a very happy new year. 2013 was the year I started writing this blog and I have really enjoyed recording all my baking adventures. I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. I was very lucky to receive a personalised 'Little Birdie Baking Blog' apron from my brother and sister-in-law (thanks Ian and Steph!) as one of my presents. It has already been used to make today's post!

Christmas is a time to catch up with family. Yesterday we went to a gathering of Mr Birdie's family and I of course offered to take a cake along. As usual I had some bananas that were beyond their best so decided to make a banana loaf. Now usually I would opt for my Wholewheat Banana Nut Loaf, which I have featured before but decided I would try something new. After some research I found this Paul Hollywood recipe on the BBC Good Food website. The beauty of this recipe is that it only requires one bowl. Apologies for the photos - I was at home at Devon and only had my mobile phone to take the photos with.

Ingredients:

4 ripe bananas (peeled)
250g caster sugar (I used golden)
2 eggs
140g butter (softened)
2 teaspoons baking powder
100g walnut pieces
100g chocolate chips

Method:
1) Heat oven 190C/170C (Fan)/Gas 5. Line a 900g/2lb load tin with baking parchment.
2) In a large bowl, mash together the bananas and the sugar with the back of a fork.

3) Add the eggs and mix well with an electric hand whisk until fully incorporated, then add the butter for a couple of minutes more to blend everything together (it won't completely blend together but don't worry - it will be fine).

4) Sieve in the flour and baking powder and fold together with a spatula.

5) Then add the walnuts and chocolate chips (I used chunks of chocolate instead as I had a spare bar). Give everything a final mix before tipping into the lined loaf tin.

6) Bake for 1 hour & 5 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean (I personally think Paul is being a little bit ambitious here. Mine took at least 1 1/2 hours! I covered mine over with foil towards the end as I didn't want it to catch too much. What I didn't realise was because I was using my Dad's gas oven instead of my electric one at home is that I should have turned it around so it was browner on one side than the other - oops!)
7) Leave to cool slightly in the tin, then turn out and serve cut into thick slices. Any uneaten cake will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

8) Enjoy!