Who doesn’t love baking? Whether you’re spending an afternoon with the family or making a quick snack, it’s a fun way to get creative and often has delicious results. Only, the preparation and potential for mess can be a little off-putting.

Fortunately, baking doesn’t always have to end with a clean-up operation. If you like freshly made chocolate cookies, but aren’t a fan of mess, stick around - this may just be the recipe for you.

All you need is 150g plain flour, 240g chocolate or hazelnut spread, and one large egg. In three easy steps, with those three ingredients, you can bake seriously morish cookies in no time at all – we’ll show you how:

Step one: get your kitchen gadgets ready…

Got your ingredients sorted? Now preheat the oven to 180°C so that it’s ready when the time comes to get baking, dig out a baking tray and line it with baking paper.

You’ll also need to dig out your trusty stand mixer or hand mixer (whatever you prefer) in order to combine the mixture. You can always use a bit of elbow grease, but a good mixer makes the process a lot faster with smoother results. If you’re new to baking and need help finding the right gadget, take a look at our top tech to help create the perfect bake.

Step two: make the dough

Add all your ingredients to a bowl and get ready to mix. Either set your stand mixer to its ‘mix’ setting or crank up the power on your hand mixer. If you don’t have either, get ready to roll up your sleeves and get mixing (and don’t forget to treat yourself to a food mixer for next time)!

Once the mixture has become firmer, the time has come to make the individual cookies. Take two tablespoons of the mixture at a time and roll it into a ball, then place it on the baking tray. When you’ve made the last cookie, flatten each of them slightly by pressing down with your palm. Now, they’re ready to bake.

Step three: bake!

Your oven should be at the perfect temperature by now, and the cookies are on the tray ready for baking. Put them in for around 10 minutes and pop the kettle on in the meantime. If you’re using a fan oven, the cookies will probably bake even faster as hot air spreads evenly around. Steam ovens add plenty of oomph to baking too, so it’s worth setting a timer for 8 minutes and having a quick check to be on the safe side.

When the timer goes, take the baking tray out, switch the oven off and leave the cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes. Then tuck in.

There you have it, deliciously chocolatey soft-in-the-middle cookies in just 20 minutes. Of course, the right kitchen tech can speed up the prep work, and even help level up your baking skills and move on to more complicated recipes. From breadmakers to steam ovens, we’ve got all the tech you need to become a star baker.