Hine’s mint treat

BAKING TO PERFECTION: Hine Nikora Porou was back in the kitchen last week baking school holiday treat. Pictures by Hine Nikora Porou and friends

Hine Nikora Porou was back in the kitchen last week baking school holiday treats. Among other delights, she whipped up a few batches of mint chocolate chip cookies, ‘a favourite family treat’.

She learned the recipe in cooking classes at Ilminster Intermediate and has added a few variations of her own.

1½ cups of chocolate chips (save ½ cup for the end)

1 cup of butter

1½ cups of brown sugar (packed in)

2 teaspoons of mint flavouring

2 eggs

2¼ cups of flour

¼ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of baking powder

• Pre-heat oven to bake at 190°C.

• Line a baking tray with baking paper.

• In a large bowl, mix the brown sugar and butter together until it reaches a creamy texture. (I used a mixer for roughly 8 minutes on high)

• Beat in the eggs and mint flavour and mix well.

• Sift in the flour, salt, baking powder and mix in chocolate chips until they are combined.

• Put a rounded tablespoon of dough onto the tray and leave 5cm of space between each cookie. (Tip: you can also use an ice cream scooper to get the perfect size).

• Press the leftover chocolate chips into the top of your cookies.

• Bake for 10 minutes or until golden around the edges.

• Place on a cooling rack and serve.

• Swap the mint flavour for vanilla extract.

• Swap the chocolate chips for Smarties.

• Swap mint flavour for vanilla extract.

• Use: ½ cup white chocolate

• ½ cup milk chocolate

• ½ cup of dark chocolate.