Lemon and chocolate chip biscuits recipe

I’m always keen to get N interested in and learning cooking skills. One of his favourite things to do is bake. And specifically to bake cookies.

Of course cookies are easy, so are great for children to make alone. N can do all the mixing by hand, the rolling out of the cookie dough, and deal with the oven. He’s still a little wary of getting them out of the oven, but he’s getting there.

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Usually he just bakes chocolate chip cookies, but last time he searched through his recipe book for the basic cookies.he spotted the raisin ones. We rarely have raisins or sultanas in the house because no-one eats them, apart from the odd occasion where I might need them for a recipe. And that’s really rare. 

He decided he would use chocolate chips instead. I suggested maybe he make lemon cookies which he agreed with but still wanted the chocolate chips in. So lemon and chocolate chip biscuits t was, with a total random combination that turned out ok in the end.

If you’d rather lemon and raisin just switch the chocolate for the equivalent raisins. If you want a stronger lemon flavour, you can add more zest, but you don’t want too much otherwise you won’t taste the chocolate and it might taste a bit washing up liquid-y (not that I’ve ever tasted it but what I can imagine it tastes like).

It’s an easy recipe for children to make and it’s fast, so good for impatient bakers.  The great thing about a basic biscuit dough is that you can add whatever ingredients or toppings you want.

The end biscuit is a British style cookie rather than a larger gooey US style cookie. They should have a reasonable snap when you break them. You can of course not cook them as long as they’ll be a bit softer in the middle.

As with most cookie or biscuit recipes, it starts with creaming the butter and sugar together in a bowl. Then add the flour plus any flavourings or extra additions.

We rolled out the dough on a floured surface, then used a cutter to make the biscuits.

If you want freehand biscuits, you could make small balls from the dough, flatten slightly. Then you need to bake them for 10-12 minutes. You can find the full recipe below.

We use:

• an old Jamie Oliver non stick baking sheet, try this alternative baking sheet or try silicon baking mats
• wire cooling racks
• traditional rolling pin

These lemon and chocolate chip biscuits are great to have as a morning or afternoon break, or use as an accompaniment to a cold mousse dessert like my lemon and raspberry fool.

What’s the favourite homemade biscuit or cookie in your house?

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