This is the story of a little cookie that looked humble and unassuming, but was actually a buttery, chocolatey killer in disguise.

I’m serious. This cookie has committed manslaughter. It has slaughtered my man for any other cookie. Every time I make them they disappear at a frightening speed, and now that DH has two cookie-lover-apprentices in the house, things are only getting worse.

There’s nothing to these, which is why they are so good. (I mean bad.) They’re basically a chocolate shortbread, but that makes them sound boring or something from a grandma’s tea table. (I love tea with grandmas, really.) The ingredients list has only eight things, and they’re simple.

But the result isn’t simple. The result is slightly crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle, with slightly bitter dark chocolate that’s buttery at the end. And the salt on the top somehow balances out the background sweet note. It’s amazing how something so easy and basic can provide so much enjoyment. And so many adjectives.

One last note that Little e would want me to mention: because these have no eggs, it’s fine to eat the raw dough. Which is what she calls them. The ones-that-don’t-have-eggs-so-I-can-eat-the-dough cookies. Also known as…

Salted Dark Chocolate Biscuits

Adapted from Nigella Lawson’s recipe that can be found here or here

Ingredients

300g flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp table salt

35 g cocoa powder

250g softened butter

120 sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Sea salt or kosher salt for finishing

Preheat the oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with parchment, or grease with butter. Whisk or sieve together the flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa in a bowl. Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer) until pale and fluffy, then add the vanilla. Then turn the mixer down to the lowest speed and add the flour mixture. It will take a moment for the flour to be incorporated, but don’t worry, it will all combine into a dark, solid dough. Pinch off bits that you then roll between your palms and place on the cookie sheet; we make them slightly smaller than golf balls. They don’t spread much, so about two inches between them is fine. Once the trays are full, take a fork and press down on the balls, then sprinkle with a little sea or kosher salt.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating the trays around halfway. The cookies don’t darken when they’re ready, but when they are slightly firm and can be gently lifted up to find the bottom not raw anymore, they’re done. They’ll harden up as they cool. Leave on the trays for five minutes, then transfer with a spatula to a rack. These are best at room temperature and on the first day, but will last about three days in an airtight container.

XO

Ria