Chocolate Chip Chilli Cookies

This recipe comes from the recent Women's Weekly 'Cookies' cookbook. I must admit, the main reason I bought this book was for this recipe and it doesn't disapoint! The call for making candied chillies might seem like a complicated step, but the result is definitely worth it. These cookies are best eaten warm, while the chocolate is still warm and gooey.

For the biscuits:
250 grams butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup caster sugar
¾ cup bown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
2 cups plain flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
400 grams dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

For the candied chillies
¼ cup caster sugar
¼ cup water
4 fresh red thai chillies, finely chopped
First, preheat the oven to 180˚C and line two baking trays with baking paper.

Now make the candied chillies. Stir the sugar and the water in a small saucepan over heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the chilli and boil for 2 minutes. Cool and strain, discarding the syrup.

Now make the biscuits. Beat the butter, vanilla extract, sugars and egg in a bowl with an electric mixer until light an fluffy. Sift in the flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda in two batches. Then stir in the candied chilli and the chocolate.

Roll level tablespoons of the cookie dough into balls and place on on the baking trays about 5cm apart. Bake for about 12 minutes or until cooked and cool on trays.

Store in an airtight container.