Double Chocolate Orange Cookies
Double Chocolate Orange cookies
Full disclosure, this recipe is a riff on an incredible cookie recipe from Sarah Kieffer’s “100 Cookies”. Her recipe is for Double Chocolate Espresso cookies which are delightful. But, this recipe came from something of a Christmas tradition. Every year, I get at least one Chocolate Orange in my stocking. They are delicious and they make a really lovely addition to this cookie. I increase the orange flavor by adding the zest of an orange.
One tip, which I use every time I use zest in a recipe is to press the zest into the granulated sugar. Yes, this will dirty another bowl. But I promise you the results are so worth it. The sugar will turn orange and the citrus oil will infuse the sugar. If you are reading this and saying “Who has time for that?”, you can totally skip it and the cookies will still be good. Cocoa nibs are crunchy and slightly bitter with a deep chocolatey flavor. I really like the bitter-sweetness they add to this cookie. I usually find them in the bulk food store but you can leave them out if you don’t find them. I hope you bake and love them!
Double Chocolate Orange Cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (divided) *See Note*
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
The zest of one big orange
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg plus 1 large yolk
1 chocolate orange, chopped into bite-size pieces (you can also use 3/4 cup of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks)
2 tablespoons cacao nibs (optional)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line three sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Divide the 4 tablespoons of the butter into four pieces, and place them in a large bowl. Melt the remaining 10 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the butter until it is golden brown and smells nutty, about 3 to 5 minutes. Pour the browned butter and any bits of browned butter that is stuck to the bottom of the pan into the bowl with the room-temperature butter, and stir until everything is melted and combined.
In a small bowl, add the granulated sugar and orange zest. Press the zest into the sugar until it turns orange and there are no visible clumps of the orange zest left. Add the granulated sugar with orange zest, brown sugars, and vanilla into the butter bowl and whisk until just combined.
Whisk in the egg and the yolk until fully combined and the batter is smooth and glossy, about 45 seconds. Let the batter sit for 2 to 3 minutes, and then whisk again for another 45 seconds. Pour the flour mixture into the bowl and use a rubber spatula to combine. Just before the batter is fully together, mix in the chopped chocolate orange and cacao nibs, if using. The dough will be very shiny, slick, and dense. You can bake them like this and they will be extra flat and crisp. Or you can pop the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and they will be a little thicker.
Form the dough into 3 tablespoon-sized balls. I use a #20 cookie scoop to make this easier. Place 6 cookies on each sheet pan. Bake the cookies one pan at a time, rotating halfway through baking. For cookies with a crispy edge and tender center, bake until the cookies are a little darker around the edges and the centers are still slightly puffed, 10 to 12 minutes. For cookies with a crisp edge and firm center, bake until the cookies are darker brown around the edges and the centers have begun to collapse, 12-14 minutes.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 10 minutes, then move the cookies to the wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Note: I am not a huge fan of recipes that use tablespoons of butter but this one is particular. This is one cup of butter less two tablespoons. Personally, I prefer to weigh the butter with a scale. The 4 tablespoons weighs about 57 grams and the 10 tablespoons weighs 142 grams.