Chocolate, hojicha and pecan cookies

Hojicha is the lesser-known Japanese green tea that’s slowly roasted, its leaves and stems gently coaxed over heat until they turn an olive-brown. What it loses in colour, it gains in flavour, with notes of toasted grain, caramel, coffee and a faint smokiness. It’s a tea I reach for when I want complexity, depth and a rounded flavour.

150g chocolate (60-70 per cent cocoa solids), roughly chopped

Put the butter in a medium saucepan and place over a low heat. When it has melted, remove from the heat and whisk in the hojicha powder until smooth. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the tea to bloom; this brief infusion helps the tea dissolve fully and deepens its flavour.

Sift the plain flour, cornflour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

Add the brown sugar, caster sugar and vanilla extract to the hojicha butter, whisking until smooth and glossy. Add the egg, egg yolk and milk, whisking until the mixture thickens and becomes cohesive.

Scrape the mixture into the dry, sifted ingredients and fold gently until almost combined. Add the chopped chocolate and pecans, folding until evenly distributed. The dough will be thick and soft; cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm slightly.

Divide the dough into golf ball-sized portions (about 45g each) and roll into spheres. Place on a lined tray – they can sit together closely at this stage – then cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional) and line two large baking trays with baking paper. When the oven reaches the right temperature, arrange the balls on the prepared trays, spacing them about 8cm apart to allow for spreading. Bake for 12-13 minutes, until the edges are set but the centres remain slightly soft. (They might look slightly underdone; this is exactly right. They’ll firm as they cool.)

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