Wrinkled chocolate & anise cookies

Star anise does not live up to its starry name here; rather, it’s very much the support act. The flavour is hard to put your finger on - challenge people to see if they can taste it. What they will notice is how it intensifies the dark chocolate, bringing out the umami and giving an almost smoky depth. Spicing is a great trick to make average chocolate taste more expensive.

These very grown-up, chewy, salty-not-too-sweet chocolate cookies are some of the best around, and so simple t