We are old friends with Joanie Triantafyllides and in the same bridge group.  She's a very good bridge player, an excellent hostess and she makes the most wonderful cookies, that have us exclaiming with every bite.  Here is a recipe Joanie’s mother, Tig, used to make, when they lived in Hawaii.

JOANIE’S  CHOCOLATE DROP COOKIES

250 g (1 cup + 1 heaped tbsp) butter, at room temperature

400 g (2 cups) caster sugar

2 eggs

120 g (4 oz) dark chocolate, melted and cooled

Vanilla

422.5 g (3¼ cups) sifted flour mixed with

4 tbsp baking powder and

½ tsp salt

125 ml (½ cup) milk

          Whip the butter and sugar until light and creamy.   Then add the eggs, one at a time, whipping until the egg is incorporated, before adding the second.  Stir in the vanilla and the cool, melted chocolate until no streaks remain.  Then sift in the flour mixture in three parts alternately with the milk, beating the batter thoroughly after each addition.

         With the help of two teaspoons, drop small mounds of the batter, well spaced apart, on a baking tin, lined with baking parchment and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 13-15 minutes.   Remove from the oven and after 5 minutes, transfer the cookies, with the help of a spatula, on a cake rack to cool completely.