1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the margarine, sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well.
2. Sift the self-raising and all-purpose flours, cocoa powder and baking powder over the creamed mixture, and stir to combine thoroughly. Add the chocolate, nuts and milk, and mix together.
3. Place tablespoonfuls of the mixture on the baking sheets, arranging them well apart so they have space to spread during baking. Flatten slightly with the back of a fork, then bake for about 15 minutes or until soft and springy.
4. Leave the cookies to cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve them while still slightly warm or leave until cold. They can be kept in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Chocolate chunk and nut cookies variations: Use walnuts or pecans instead of macadamia nuts. • For cherry and almond cookies, use white all-purpose flour instead of the cocoa powder, and substitute 60 g dried sour cherries and 60 g flaked almonds for the chocolate chunks and macadamia nuts. If you want a pronounced almond flavour, use 1⁄4 teaspoon almond extract instead of vanilla extract.

preparation time 15 mins
cooking time 15 mins
makes 12 cookies

PER COOKIE

235 calories
3 g protein
15 g total fat
4 g saturated fat
19 mg cholesterol
23 g total carbohydrate
12 g sugars
1 g fibre
127 mg sodium

Plain chocolate is a good source of copper and provides useful amounts of iron. The scientific name of the cocoa bean tree is Theobroma cacao, which means “food of the gods.” Casanova was reputed to drink hot chocolate before his nightly conquests—in fact, he was said to prefer chocolate to champagne.