1. Have all the ingredients at room temperature for best results.
2. Always sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices to avoid lumps.
3. To speed up the softening of cold butter, slice and let stand for about 10 minutes.
4. Don't store chocolate in the fridge or anywhere that the temperature is likely to drop below 13C.
5. Melt chocolate VERY slowly. Milk chocolate and white chocolate melt at a lower temperature than dark chocolate so even more care must be taken.
6. Always use a good quality chocolate for baking such as Divine 70% dark chocolate.