When customers cannot go to them, furniture company Ikea, fast-food conglomerate McDonald's and the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel chain make tracks to get to them.

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, these companies and others have published hitherto secret recipes for food that their customers have enjoyed.

Now, thanks to their largesse, we can make these at home.

British sandwich chain Pret A Manger has done the same, publishing its chocolate chunk cookie recipe.

I tried out the simple recipe and was amply rewarded with eight very large cookies. How good they taste will depend on the quality of the butter and chocolate you use. I used Kerrygold unsalted and two kinds of Lindt dark chocolate bars, one with 70 per cent cacao and the other with 85 per cent cacao.

Here's the recipe from the company's website.

PRET A MANGER'S DARK CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

110g unsalted butter

170g caster sugar

85g light brown sugar

1 egg

190g self-raising flour

3g salt

120g large dark chocolate buttons

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Melt the butter in a saucepan or microwave, until just melted (but not hot).

2. Using a stand mixer or electric beaters, beat the butter with the caster and brown sugars until well combined. Add the egg and beat on low speed until just incorporated - 10 to 15 seconds or so. Don't overbeat as this will result in a firm dough.

3. Add the flour and salt. Mix until a smooth dough forms - again, be careful not to overmix.

4. Add the chocolate buttons to the dough and combine with your hands. For a good distribution of chocolate, don't be afraid to break up some of the buttons into pieces or chop them slightly beforehand.

5. Scoop out eight balls of dough and place on a non-stick or lined baking tray. Make sure there is plenty of space between them as the dough will spread out in the oven. Press them down lightly with your palm to flatten them out a little and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the cookies look puffed up and golden. Let them cook on the pan for about 30 minutes as they will settle and sink into a dense buttery cookie. Best enjoyed warm (or place in an airtight container and eat within three days).

Makes eight

TIPS

1. If you don't have soft light brown sugar, use soft dark brown sugar.

2. I used chopped up dark chocolate bars instead of chocolate buttons.

3. Space the cookie dough well apart on the baking sheet as the cookies spread a lot. Bake them on two trays if you have to.

4. Sprinkle some coarse sea salt on the balls of dough before baking - you'll be glad you did.