biscuits on a hot day - choc chip and wholemeal?

Despite the Great British Bake Off being back on the TV for a whole week, there has been a dearth of baking in this house. With Kitty's first day back at school, there is a call for biscuits, so I am revisiting this recipe, and I'm going to mess with it.

Although many of us hanker for one of those chewy chocolate chip cookies you see in speciality cookie shops as we nurse a cup of tea at home, somehow when you have them to hand, or you follow the chewy chocolate chip cookie recipes those biscuits deliver too powerful a sugary hit. Even when eaten with coffee. Hence the logic of adding wholemeal flour, and some milk powder. Why milk powder? Because it adds a bit of chewy without too much extra sweetness, after all, some biscuits use condensed milk. Also the powdered stuff is easy to store and doesn't add liquid to the mix.

So, the questions fly, how to get an even biscuit in terms of mix and measure? I like this mixture, which is quite easy to handle, even with two spoons. I have yet to buy myself an ice cream scoop, but I think it might be the way to go. I saw someone using one for biscuit mixture, dolloping out even mounds, and I have to concur: the logic is good. The scoop works for ice cream, it works for the more solid mash, and it works well for biscuit mix. Alright, cookie dough, if you insist on going all American. Add scoop to the shopping list.

Set the oven to Gas Mark 4/350F/180C and line several baking sheets with baking parchment.

Ingredients

• 150g butter
• 50g vanilla caster sugar approx. 2 tbsp
• 90g soft brown sugar approx. 3 tbsp
• 1 egg
• vanilla essence
• 100g plain white flour
• 75g plain wholemeal flour
• 2tbsp powdered milk
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 150g plain chocolate chopped into pieces – I like them the size of a large square pea

Method

1. Beat together the butter and the sugars, adding the vanilla essence.
2. Beat in the egg.
3. Add the flour and keep beating.
4. Add the chocolate pieces.
5. Use two spoons and drop large teaspoonsful of mixture onto the sheet, allowing plenty of room to spread. 

Cook for around 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool before removing from baking sheet, or you may lose most of the chocolate.

Makes around 18 large biscuits.

the chocolate chunks are still warm...