You know those highly addictive rainbow cookies you can get at the supermarket? Well, they’re pretty easy to make at home, and I’ve recently started freezing the dough in a roll shape so I can just slice off as many cookies as I feel I need, then place them in a hot oven and 10 minutes later they’re hot and gooey and good to go. The rest of the dough goes back in the freezer until next time!
Our home is back on the market again and we’re pulling out all the stops – so every time we know we’ve got people over to view it, we’ll casually pop some of these cookies in the oven to give the kitchen that home baking smell (apple turnovers are great for this too). You’ll be surprised how long these cookie rolls will last you – I’ve had a roll in the freezer for nearly a month, and I keep slicing little bits off to take to work, nibble in front of the TV, or offer to friends when they come round. As the dough only takes five minutes to make, and you’re bound to already have most of the ingredients in your cupboard, it would be a shame not to give this a go!
I mixed in a bit of Nutella which helps keep the cookies soft and gooey in the middle. Other variations have included mixing in peanut butter (also very lovely), and even marshmallow fluff!
Ready?
You will need:
- 1 roll of cellophane or clingfilm
- 2 and a half cups of all-purpose flour (that’s 340 grams)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla essence
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine table salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) of salted butter, softened
- 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar (about 192 grams)
- 2 eggs
- 4 tablespoons Nutella
- 3/4 cups of roughly chopped smarties or M&Ms (both the crispy kind and the chocolate kind work for this)
Method:
1. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Next, cream together the butter and sugar, scraping the bowl while mixing.
Add in the eggs, the vanilla essence and the Nutella.
Now add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time, mixing after each addition, until it’s all blended together. Keep scraping the sides of the bowl to combine everything.
Fold in the chopped M&Ms or smarties.
3. Spoon the dough onto a long piece of cellophane / clingfilm, then roll it into a tight sausage.
Twist the ends so it doesn’t seep out. Want cookies now? Skip step 4, cut the dough into discs and place them in the oven for 10 minutes. Dough too runny? Place the roll in the fridge for a while, or the freezer for 20 minutes to firm it up. Want to save the cookies for another time? Carry on with the next step.
4. Place the in the freezer so it holds its shape. Leave it in there for as long as you like (within reason! I’m talking days, weeks or a couple of months here, not years), then just take it out whenever you fancy cutting off some slices.
5. Right. Ready to bake some cookies? Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with baking paper / parchment paper, then slice off as many cookies as you like and lay them flat on the baking sheet.
Obviously, the thicker the slices are the bigger the cookies will be, and the further apart you’ll have to place the cookies as they’ll otherwise melt to form one giant one (mmmm, good idea or bad idea?).
6. Bake the cookies for around 10 minutes, until golden brown. Yum!
