Remember the "non-traditional" wedding cake the Duke and Duchess of Sussex opted for back in 2018? Claire Ptak and six further bakers took five days to create the lemon and elderflower cake adorned with fresh peonies and roses, so it's hard to forget! Now, Claire - who owns London-based bespoke cake company Violet - has revealed her mouth-watering cookie recipe, perfect for using up the leftover mountains of chocolate in everyone's house following the Easter weekend. And fear not, they are much simpler to make than Harry and Meghan's elaborate creation!
Claire Ptak made a lemon and elderflower cake for Harry and Meghan's wedding
Unlike the 200 Amalfi lemons and ten bottles of Sandringham Elderflower Cordial that were used in the royals' recipe, Claire's cookies follow the traditional recipe with just one unusual twist. Instead of using whole eggs, the baker uses just the yolks to create delicious cookies with a "beautiful texture." After stating that "everybody’s been making my chocolate chip cookies" on Instagram, Claire posted a picture of her cookie recipe from her book The Violet Bakery Cookbook, giving fans a sneak peek at how to recreate her delicious concoction. "Here you go! Those of you that don’t have the book have been asking for this recipe. Special special release!!!" she wrote in the caption.
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The Violet Bakery Cookbook by Claire Ptak, £43.31, Amazon
In the picture, she explained where the idea for the egg yolk-only recipe came from. "Nearly everyone has their own recipe for chocolate chip cookies, but when taking a course by French pastry chef Pierre Herme in Paris in 2006, I learned the technique of using egg yolks to dramatically change the texture of a dish." So her recipe took inspiration from Pierre's cookies! However, she did admit one small change to the recipe for a better result - while the text clearly states bake for 18 minutes, she told fans to reduce the baking time to just 12 minutes.
Claire explained that using the egg yolks only creates a better texture
Although the ingredients and instructions are visible in the Instagram picture, she still encouraged fans to pick up her recipe book which is available from Amazon or via local booksellers. With plenty of time on our hands amid the COVID-19 lockdown, we can't think of a better time to get creative in the kitchen!
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Claire Ptak's egg yolk chocolate chip cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 250 g unsalted butter, softened
- 200g light brown sugar
- 100g caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3 egg yolks
- 325g plain flour
- 1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 250g dark chocolate chips or broken-up bar of your favourite chocolate (or Easter chocolate!)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Beat the butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer until combined but not too creamy. Add the vanilla and the egg yolks and mix well.
- In another bowl combine the flour, salt, and baking soda and whisk together well. Add this to the butter and egg mixture along with the chocolate, and mix until combined.
- Scoop individual portions of cookie dough onto a lined baking tray. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C for fan), line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the cookies. If you are baking from frozen, allow the cookies 5 to 10 minutes out of the freezer before placing in the oven.
- Bake for 12 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
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