Chocolate Chip Biscuits

Step 1: Heat the oven to 180C. Mix together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl. Combine the butter, both sugars and vanilla in a large bowl.

Step 2: Beat mix with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Then add the yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition; add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined. Add the chocolate and almond meal and mix until combined. If the mixture is too crumbly, add a little milk.

Step 3: Roll the dough into 1½ tablespoon-sized balls and place on a baking paper-lined baking tray about 5cm apart. Bake for 8 minutes and then, using a metal spatula, gently press each biscuit down slightly. Bake for a further 7 minutes and cool slightly before serving. Store in an airtight container.

Step 4: HINTS:

Step 5: WORK with half of the biscuit dough at a time. Too much handling of the dough makes the biscuits tough. Keep the other half refrigerated. Chilled dough is easier to handle.

Step 6: BAKE your biscuits on shiny, heavy aluminium baking trays. These trays with no sides are designed for easily sliding the biscuits on to a cooling rack. Dark baking trays may absorb heat, causing the biscuits to brown too much on the bottom; non-stick baking trays work well if not too dark. If you are using an insulated baking tray, your biscuits will require a slightly longer baking time.

Step 7: GREASE baking trays with cooking spray or solid shortening instead of butter or margarine. USE baking paper to eliminate the need for greasing baking trays. It also promotes even browning.

Step 8: BAKE one tray of biscuits at a time on the middle oven rack; if you need to bake more than one at a time, you should rotate the trays from the top rack to the bottom rack halfway through baking to encourage even browning.

Step 9: COOL baking trays between batches before re-using; wipe the surface of each with a paper towel.

Step 10: IF YOU are short of cooling racks place a sheet of baking paper on the bench top and sprinkle it with sugar. The biscuits will cool without getting soggy.

Step 11: COOL biscuits completely before storing them in airtight containers.