There is a light icing sugar dusting of snow in the garden this morning, the hens are tucking in to a large pan of apricot porridge (I swear they get better fed than we do) and it is a perfect day for making some indulgent cookies for elevenses! I am of the firm opinion that the more chocolate and nuts you put in a cookie, the better they become - a scientific project for the future perhaps!

Chocolate Peanut Walnut Cookies
Makes 15 (depending on how much of the cookie dough you eat before baking)

125g butter, softened
70g light brown sugar
70g caster sugar
1 large egg
2 tbsp peanut butter (either smooth or crunchie)
200g plain flour
1 tsp bicarb of soda
100g chocolate chips
100g chopped walnuts
50g milk or dark chocolate for decoration

Cream the butter, sugar and egg in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter, flour and bicarb and mix to a smooth dough with your hands. Add the walnuts and chocolate chips and mix to ensure they are evenly distributed. The dough should be soft and fairly sticky. Pull off small balls of the dough and place a few inches apart on a greased or lined baking tray. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes Gas Mark 5/375F/190/Aga Roasting oven. Turn the tray half way through cooking to ensure even baking. Leave to cool in a wire rack. Melt the chocolate for 1 minutes in a microwave (or in a bain marie if you do not have a microwave) and drizzle over the cookies using a fork.