HALVA, DARK CHOC & SESAME COOKIES

my idea of the perfect chocolate chip cookie

Good morning!

I can hardly believe I’m saying this, after nearly two years in the making, my cookbook In for Dinner is published tomorrow! It feels surreal that something I have been working on for so long, talking about incessantly and feeling so much anticipation for will just simply be in bookshops from tomorrow. I am fizzing with excitement to share it with you, whilst also feeling a lot of anticipation and a dash of nerves.

In for Dinner is my baby, but tomorrow she will be all yours.

This cookie recipe is the last I will be sharing from the book ahead of publication. It was one of the recipes that took weeks and weeks to get right, so many failed attempts, rounds of testing and tweaking, until I got to the perfect spot. I just had a vision in my head of a chocolate chip cookie that was sweet but also deeply savoury, with a sesame energy running right the way through, on all levels, from the core of the cookie to the crispy golden crinkly edges. I’m very proud of the results and I can’t wait for you to try them.

If you are London based and would just like to eat one of these cookies (or two), I am doing a takeover of Fink’s Salt & Sweet in North London this weekend, May 3rd & 4th, and they will be on the counter along with the Comté, Sesame & Spring Onion Scones, Brown Sugar Vanilla Cake (which is vegan) and the PBJ Blondies. There will be books available to buy in the shop and Fink’s are offering a free coffee with every purchase of the book - plus I will be there on Saturday to say hi and sign copies!

If you’re still planning to order a copy of the book, you can get yours here.

A reminder that the In for Dinner book tour starts next week! Starting in my hometown of Ripon, then on to the Dulwich Book Festival where I will be interviewed by the lovely Felicity Cloake and on and on through May and June. I am so excited for these events and will be bringing lots of sweet treat tasters with me for you all to try. For all the booking links and full details, check out this book tour post.

I’d like to say a HUGE thank you for all your support so far, without which I would never have been able to write a book in the first place. In for Dinner is my love letter to food, family and community. I’ve written it to be beautiful but also useful, to help you get more out of your time and your money in the kitchen. I’ve been cooking since I was a little girl, learning to bake with my grandmas and making dinner for my family from as young as I can remember. I’ve always had a deep love for nourishing my friends and family with delicious food, and this book is really the epitome of that; delicious recipes to share with your family and friends.

I can’t wait for you to read it, cook from it and share it with your loved ones.

baby Rosie - clearly always had a deep love for Parmesan

Sending love, Rosie x

HALVA, DARK CHOC & SESAME COOKIES

Crunchy, chewy, salty, sweet, this cookie has it all. If you've never tried halva before, I highly recommend hunting it down - it's a sweet sesame treat that's sort of crumbly and soft in texture. When baked into this cookie it becomes a perfectly caramelised, nutty, chewy addition. You can find halva in most major supermarkets, but failing that, any Middle Eastern store will have it in abundance. These can also be cooked from frozen, and I always like to have a box in the freezer ready to go.

Makes 20 cookies

250g unsalted butter, softened

300g light brown sugar

1 egg

200g halva, cubed (150g for the cookie mix, 50g for topping)

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

250g plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp sea salt, plus more for sprinkling 150g oats (100g blended into a 'flour',

50g left whole)

1 tbsp sesame seeds, plus more for rolling

100g good-quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped

1. In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar until just combined. Add the egg, 150g of cubed halva and the vanilla and mix again until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

2. In a separate bowl combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, oats (both flour and whole), sesame seeds and chopped chocolate.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until a dough forms, then shape the cookies into 20 equal-sized balls, each weighing roughly 55g- I do this with an ice cream scoop so they are all the same size.

4. Roll each cookie ball in more sesame seeds. Using the remaining 50g of halva, press a piece of halva into the top of each cookie and put them on to a lined baking tray that fits into your freezer.

5. Freeze the shaped cookies for at least an hour, or until you are ready to bake. The cookies will last well in the freezer for up to 3 months like this.

6. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C/ 160°c fan/gas mark 4 and line a baking tray. Space the cookies out so they have enough room to double in size and sprinkle each one with a little flaky sea salt.

7. Bake for 12 minutes, then take the tray out and sharply tap it on a hard surface - this deflates the cookies and gives them a thin, crinkled texture. Put the tray back in the oven for a further 3 minutes.

8. Leave to cool completely on the tray, or until they are cool and firm enough to handle - there is nothing quite like a warm cookie fresh from the oven.