If, like me, you’re tired of baking whole cakes and then being, erm, obliged, to finish them off yourself, you might be fretting about the prospect of a large Easter chocolate cake calling your name for days after the festivities alongside the Easter eggs. These cookies are a little fancy, but manageably so. You could also simply make the praline for homemade chocolate truffles.

Warm chocolate chip, olive oil and peanut praline cookies

For 8 cookies
25 minutes for the cookies plus 30 minutes chilling
25 minutes for the praline plus 30 minutes chilling

2 eggs
125ml olive oil
125g light muscovado sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
180g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
150g good cooking chocolate or choc chips

For the praline
125g dry roasted peanuts
200g sugar
150g good chocolate

Whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla and olive oil together then fold in the flour and baking powder. Mix again until the batter is smooth then spoon through the chocolate chunks.

With an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, make heaps of cookie batter and set them on baking parchment and a baking tray. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

To make the praline, lightly crush the peanuts and spread them on a silicone mat. Heat the sugar in a heavy topped saucepan until it melts and turns golden. Be very careful as it is over 300c and will give a nasty burn!

When the caramel is ready, pour it over the peanuts and leave to cool. Once cool, grind 2/3 of it (leaving some to garnish the cookies) to a finish powder in your strongest blender. Melt the chocolate and mix into the sugary nuts. Leave to cool.

Heat the oven to 180C.

Bake the cookies for 12 – 14 minutes, until crisp on top but still soft. Remove from the oven. Top with the praline and peanut brittle and serve with a good ice cream. They are also fine once cooled.