You will need
1 x 390 g Ina Paarman’s Choc Chip Cookie Mix
125 g butter, at room temperature
1 extra large egg, at room temperature
grated zest from one orange
½ t (2.5 ml) almond essence
orange juice, squeezed from zested orange
± 25 g flaked almonds
Method
Adjust oven rack to one slot above the middle shelf. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Line one large or two smaller baking trays with baking paper.
In a medium size mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the egg, orange zest and almond essence. Keep on beating for another minute. Don’t be concerned if the mixture looks curdled.
Open the Choc Chip packet and add choc chips to the dry mix. Add dry mix to the creamed mixture.
Use a spatula to blend the ingredients together. When a crumbly mixture forms, use your hand to lightly bring everything together. Roll rounded teaspoons of the mixture into balls. Place them 5 cm apart on the prepared trays. Use your fingers to flatten the cookies. Press down quite firmly so they end up being about ½ cm thick. Brush the tops of the cookies with orange juice. Sprinkle with almonds and press them in lightly with your hand.
Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, until golden.
Remove the baking tray from the oven and leave the cookies on the baking tray to firm up before gently lifting them onto a cooling rack. Allow the cookies to cool down completely before storing in an airtight container.
