Dark Cacao & Oak Smoked Salt Cookies

250g block margarine
100g golden caster sugar
50g light muscovado sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2tsp Hawkhead Oak Smoked Sea Salt Flakes
325g plain flour
150g Food Thoughts 70% Dark Cacao Melts
(or use any bar of dark chocolate, chopped into haphazard chunks and shards!)

1. Cream together the margarine and sugars until smooth. The paddle attachment of a free-standing mixer will make light work of this, though an electric handwhisk or a wooden spoon will also work.
2. Add the vanilla and Oak Smoked Sea Salt Flakes and combine thoroughly.
   
3. Roughly chop the Food Thoughts 70% Dark Cacao Melts into bite-sized shards. The nice thing about chopping these discs of chocolate is that they shatter into a variety of sizes, which makes for a fantastic sensation when eating! You can absolutely use any dark chocolate that you have to hand if you cannot source this specific brand.
4. Add the flour and chopped chocolate into the mixture and combine into a dough.
   
5. Remove the dough from the mixer and wrap in clingfilm, rolling it into one long log shape as you wrap. Make the width of the log to the same size as you would like your cookies to be as, once chilled, you will be cutting your cookies from this dough.
6. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
   
7. Once chilled, slice cookies from the log. You can make these as thick as you like and I have had as many as 24 cookies from this single batch. Personally, I prefer my cookies to be enormous if possible! If the cookies get a little squashed as you slice them, just squeeze them back into rounds with your hands. Arrange the cookies on lined baking sheets with a little room to spread out.
8. Refrigerate the cookies on their baking sheet for 10 minutes to keep the dough firm while you pre-heat the oven.
9. Just before baking, sprinkle each cookie with a little extra Oak Smoked Sea Salt Flakes. I love a little hit of salt from each bite but you can leave this step out if you prefer.
10. Bake in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until the cookies have a golden tinge to them. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for a further 10 minutes before eating them warm or allow them to cool completely and store in an airtight container. They won’t last long!