recipe :: chocolate chip cookies

Sometimes all it takes is a little organisation and thought and suddenly you have occupied children and full tummies. Today two recipes - one for play-dough and one for biscuit dough (like what I did there??)

The play-dough does not need cooking which makes it super quick and easy. You will need:

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 teaspoons food colouring

Simply mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and when the dough combines, turn it out onto a floured board and knead for a good minute or two until it comes fully together. Add children to the mix for some fun...

The other dough recipe is for chocolate chip cookies from River Cottage Everyday. Don't mix them up!

You will need:

• 125g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 75g soft light brown sugar
• 1 medium egg, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 150g plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 100g dark chocolate broken into smallish pieces

Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5. Gently melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the sugars and beat well until dissolved. Scrape this into a mixing bowl and beat in the egg and the vanilla extract. Sift in the flour and baking powder and stir this in, then add the chocolate pieces. The mixture should be pretty soft and sloppy. Put parchment on two baking trays and then dot tablespoons of the mixture onto the baking parchment, leaving a good space between each one as they spread quite a bit. Bake for about 8-10 minutes. When cooked leave on the baking tray for a minute or two to firm up a little, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.