Speckled chocolate egg M&S cookies

This is my homebaked version of the viral M&S cookies. Soft and chewy with a subtle malty sweetness, these are packed with crunchy speckled chocolate eggs and both white and milk chocolate. Everything you love about the original, only better because nothing beats a cookie fresh from your own oven.

Time to prep : 15 minutes + 1hr chill time

Time to bake : 12 minutes

Makes : 10

Ingredients

120g butter

80g light brown sugar

80g caster sugar

1 tbsp black treacle

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

220g plain flour

1 tbsp Horlicks (or Ovaltine) powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp fine salt

40g cornflakes, roughly crushed

60g white chocolate buttons, chopped

60g milk chocolate buttons, chopped

120g speckled chocolate eggs, roughly crushed

Method

1. In a saucepan over a low heat (or in the microwave), melt the butter.

2. Add both sugars to a large mixing bowl and then pour in the melted butter, whisk until smooth with no clumps. Add in the black treacle, egg and vanilla. Whisk together again until combined.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, add the flour, Horlicks, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Mix until combined.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together with a spatula until a soft dough forms and no flour streaks remain. Fold in the crushed cornflakes and most of the white and milk chocolate buttons, reserving some for topping.

5. Gently fold through most of the crushed speckled chocolate eggs, reserving some for topping.

6. Use an ice cream scoop or large tablespoon to scoop out the dough into10 portions (around 100g each), roll each into a ball and arrange on a lined tray or plate. Press a few extra speckled egg pieces and chocolate chips on top, then chill for at least 1 hour* (or overnight).

7. Pre-heat a fan oven to 160ºC and line two baking trays with baking paper.

8. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until the edges are set and just turning golden, but the centres still look soft and underbaked. This is the perfect timing for soft and chewy centres, the cookies will continue to bake and set on their hot trays, even outside the oven.

9. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack.

Nutritional Information

(per cookie)

360 calories

4g protein, 42g carbs, 17g fat

Good to know

• Chilling the dough is a key step. Please don't skip it. It firms up the melted butter and helps rehydrate the dough for cookies that spread a lot less in the oven and hold their shape better, as well as improving texture and flavour.

• Once fully cooled, store the cookies in an airtight tin or container for up to 5 days.

• Freeze unbaked dough balls on a tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding 2 extra minutes if needed.

• You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature, then warm briefly in the microwave to bring back the softness.