Shona Karim Khan: Sometimes I cheat and make these from a packet recipe, although there’s something funny about the packet recipes that I buy, no matter how vigilant I am at the oven, they always manage to burn. (I used to be so vigilant that I opened the oven door every two minutes to check on them, but then they didn’t cook at all, and just melted into a soggy mess.)
I suppose it might not be a fault with the packet recipe, as to be honest, they still burn when I make them from scratch; maybe there’s something wrong with the oven; I remember reading somewhere that French ovens cook from the bottom up, that’s why all those French fruit tarts come out with such perfectly crisp, golden bases.
Which is what happens to my cookies; only just a bit too crisp, and more charcoal than golden. I’ve given up trying to get them right; what I do now is just add double the amount of chocolate chips you’re meant to; if you do that, I find that
most people will eat them anyway,
no matter how bitter and
burnt the biscuit is.