Chocolate and ginger combines beautifully. You can try sandwiching these cookies together in pairs using a good quality vanilla ice cream for a super quick dessert.

Ingredients: (Makes 12)

• 115 g/4 oz plain flour, sifted
• 40 g/1½ oz self-raising flour, sifted
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 55 g/2 oz light brown sugar
• 55 g/2 oz caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 drops vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 85 g/3 oz plain chocolate, roughly chopped
• 55 g/2 oz crystallized stem ginger, finely chopped
• 55 g/2 oz icing sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons orange juice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF/Gas mark 3. Put the first 7 ingredients in a food processor or bowl. Gradually add the oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, and process or stir until the mixture comes together to form a soft, crumbly dough. Stir in the chocolate and ginger and knead well. Divide the dough into 12 and roll into balls. Arrange well spaced apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, then flatten each with the back of a spoon. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden.

Remove from the oven and cool for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Sift the icing sugar into a small bowl and stir in enough orange juice to form a smooth paste. Using a fork, drizzle the icing backwards and forwards across each cookie to make a criss-cross pattern. Allow the icing to set, then serve.

Store un-frosted in an airtight container for up to 5 days.