The flavor pairing of chocolate and orange always reminds me of the holidays. I can’t explain exactly why: perhaps it’s because citrus really comes to life and reaches peak brightness in the winter, or because I remember seeing the orange foil balls and blue box in the stores we only went into at Christmas time. Upon further research, it appears that I’m not crazy for associating these flavors with the holidays.
Terry’s Chocolate Oranges have been around since 1932 and the marketing for the produce is heaviest around Christmas-time. This explains why this British confection only really makes it’s appearance in Christmas candy aisle in US stores.
So it turns out that it’s not totally unheard of for me to consider these Double Chocolate Orange Cookies a Christmas cookie. Even better, they go beyond just being Christmas appropriate and are a great cookie to last throughout the winter!
These cookies, as just about all of my chocolate-based cookies, use both cocoa powder and melted chocolate in the dough. Cocoa powder itself has a tendency to dry out dough. Adding a bit of melted chocolate helps to add a bit of moisture to the dough which keeps the cookies chewy and soft in the middle.
The citrus from the orange brings life to the deep, rich flavor of the bittersweet chocolate and the sprinkling of salt on top helps to cut a bit of that bittersweetness as well. Those two additions create a cookie that’s well-balanced with a bright, fresh scent thanks to the orange zest. They’re perfecting for a winter morning–or night–and will help keep spirits high as snow begins to cover the ground.
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cookies
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- 56 grams bittersweet chocolate chips (1/3 cup)
- 1/2 cup butter cold and cubed
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg large
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp dark cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 orange zest only
- 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
- coarse/flaked sea salt for sprinkling
Ingredients
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- In a small, microwavable bowl, melt 56 grams (1/3 cup) or bittersweet chocolate chips. Start at 30 seconds on high, stir, and then heat at 15 second intervals until completely melted. Set aside to cool.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a medium bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the cold, cubed butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. About 3-5 minutes.
- Add in the egg and vanilla, one at a time. Mix until combined after each addition. Add in the cooled, melted chocolate and mix until fully combined; scrape down the edges of the mixing bowl with a spatula.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, dark cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and orange zest. Add these dry ingredients to the mixing bowl 1/2 at a time, mixing until the dough just begins to come together.
- Stir in the bittersweet chocolate chip and the milk chocolate chips. Allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a large ice cream scoop or a large spoon, scoop the dough onto the prepared sheets (about 3 Tbsp worth of dough if using a regular spoon). Sprinkle some coarse or flaked sea salt on the top of each cookie. Bake 15-17 minutes and immediately transfer to a wire cooling rack or a cool baking sheet.