Chocky Rocks

As she gets older, it's getting ever so slightly less frustrating cooking with the Showgirl. I try to channel my calm inner-earth-mother as packets of flour get dumped on the floor, eggs are cracked onto the benchtop, and fingers and a certain tongue are dipped in everything. But how can I resist when she insists on helping, pulling her little chair around into the kitchen to stand at the right level to mix and stir and learn and create.

Today we made Chocky Rocks. This recipe is handwritten in the book I left home with - a selection of recipes to take with me into my adult life. I made them over and over in my teen years - they're basically chocolate chip cookies, with the addition of cornflakes.  Some are mixed into the batter and become chewy with the moisture, then the cookies are rolled in more cornflakes resulting in a lovely crispy coating. And, as we learned today, the cornflake coating job is just perfect for not-quite-four-year-old hands.

Chocky Rocks

250g butter, softened

1 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups self-raising flour

200g dark chocolate chips

4 cups cornflakes

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat. Add vanilla. Stir through flour, then mix in chocolate chips and 2 cups of the cornflakes. Form into walnut sized balls and roll in the remaining cornflakes to coat.

Arrange on a lined baking tray with space between - these babies spread. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lovely and golden. Eat soonish - the cornflakes go a bit chewy within a day or so and make them seem staler than they actually are. Still yummy, though.