Chestnut Choc Chip Cookies

December has been unusually busy and all the plans I had for festive baking have gone right out of the window. However I'm officially on my Christmas holiday, so am trying to catch up and these Chestnut Choc Chip Cookies are my first offering. I've been planning this recipe for a while now, ever since I saw a chestnut biscuit recipe and thought I could make it better!

The cookies are very crisp and the chestnut gives them a real bite (a bit like ground rice in shortbread actually, but these cookies aren't crumbly like that is). Southern Chap describes them as "grown up" biscuits because of the dark chocolate chips I've put in them. If you encounter quite solid choc chips when cutting out the cookies, then get through them by tapping the cutter down with your rolling pin. This makes quite a lot of dough, so I've put a little into the freezer to use in January when we need a little warm cookie cheer!

Chestnut Choc Chip Cookies

200g cooked peeled chestnuts

275g golden caster sugar

200g unsalted butter, softened

225g plain flour

1/4 heaped tsp baking powder

100g chocolate chips (I used Bourneville chips, but any will do)

Whiz the chestnuts and sugar together in a processor for a few minutes, until the chestnuts are completely broken down and it looks like a granular paste. Add the butter and whiz again until completely incorporated, then do the same with the flour and baking powder. The dough should come together nicely. Take the dough out of the processor and place on a sheet of cling flim, then gently knead in the chocolate chips. Wrap up in the cling film and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 150C, 130C fan, gas 2 and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Dust a clean work surface with a little flour and roll out the chilled dough to about 1cm thick and cut out with cookie cutters (I used snowflakes, but of course any will do!), the remaining dough can be mashed back together and re-rolled or it can also be formed into a cylinder and rounds sliced off if you don't have cutters. Bake for 25 minutes, then cool on a wire rack, and nibble with decadent hot chocolate, or just a nice hot cuppa.