Recipe: muscovado dark chocolate chunk cookies by Matt Adlard
Soft and chewy, this recipe delivers the optimum cookie texture

Every baker needs a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, said Matt Adlard. I like them slightly crispy on the outside, with a soft and chewy centre. By using muscovado sugar, we get more of that molasses flavour and the cookie retains more moisture, resulting in the perfect texture. I always use the best chocolate I can get my hands on for these, as it makes a huge difference in the flavour.
Ingredients: makes 12
- 110g unsalted butter, softened
- 120g dark muscovado sugar
- 80g granulated/caster sugar
- 2g sea salt
- 50g eggs
- 225g all-purpose/plain flour
- 5g corn flour
- 5g baking soda
- 2g baking powder
- 180g chopped dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, plus more for topping
- Special equipment: stand mixer, with paddle attachment 3 × baking trays/sheets cookie cutter
Method
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugars and salt. Beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, pausing to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the eggs and beat until they have been fully incorporated, scraping down the sides to make sure all the butter is also incorporated.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, corn flour, baking soda and baking powder.
- Place a sieve over the stand mixer bowl and sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed just until the flour has been incorporated.
- Add the chopped dark chocolate and mix again to incorporate.
- Roll the dough into 65g balls in your hand and place them on a baking tray. Cover with plastic wrap/cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C. Working in batches, place 6 dough balls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Press a few more bits of chopped dark chocolate into the top of the balls.
- Place the tray in the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until lightly golden.
- Remove the tray from the oven and, while still hot, take a cutter slightly larger than the cookie and quickly rotate it around the cookie. This neatens up the edges and gives a perfectly round cookie.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
Recipe from "Bake It Better: 70 Show-Stopping Recipes to Level Up Your Baking Skills" by Matt Adlard, published by DK at £20. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £15.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.
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