Sunday, November 1, 2009

Dark Chocolate & Orange Cookies


It's been a while since I've baked anything for Sweet and Simple Bakes. Since last January, actually, when I made two batches of Christmas Morning Muffins without managing to learn anything at all about converting ingredients from metric measurements to whatever we call "cups." Even though I discovered an excellent measurement conversion website, I still just don't get it. For example, the conversion that I calculated for sugar turned out to be 7/8 cup. In addition to being an "odd" measurement, I thought that was a lot of sugar for this recipe, so I rounded down to 3/4 cup...

So this might be an adventure.

Here is the original recipe for White Chocolate & Orange Cookies. I thought about using white chocolate chips, but then I thought about how unfair it would be to Number One, to finally bake some cookies, except that he can't stand white chocolate Anything. I decided to go with chocolate chips instead, and while at the grocery store I ran across some Extra Dark Chocolate Chips from Guittard's. Extra Dark Chocolate complements Orange perfectly. And here we go!

A
fter I zested the orange, I chopped the long strips up a bit so they wouldn't hang out of the cookies. Orange zest smells so good! After it was combined with the butter and vanilla, the mixing bowl smelled like a Creamsicle! Very encouraging! I'm not a "sifter" so I just threw the dry ingredients in the bowl after the zest and mixed everything up.

Good news! The cookie dough looked like cookie dough! It tasted amazing, you could eat it with a spoon if you were so inclined. I rolled the cookies into balls and flattened slightly, as directed. I tasted the first cookie just seconds out of the oven, and it was begging me for some pecans. So I quickly chopped up some pecans and tossed them in with the rest of the dough. Now the rest of the dough is as happy as I am. Incidentally, you do have to flatten the dough balls or they just sort of stay ball-shaped. Trust me, I tried it.

Although my cookies don't look like they flattened out as much as the originals, these little gems are cute and round and have the just right ratio of orange to chocolate to pecans. Somehow I don't think white chocolate would have tasted anywhere near this good.

To see all the other participants' cookies, go to
Sweet and Simple Bakes.


Dark Chocolate & Orange Cookies


Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup plain flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1/2 pound chocolate chips (white or milk or dark chocolate)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

Beat the butter and sugar. Add the egg, orange zest and vanilla extract.

Sift together the dry ingredients.
Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until combined; stir in chocolate chips.

Roll into balls. Use your fingers to flatten onto a non-stick baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool for five minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.

When cool, store in an airtight container for up to four to five days.

13 comments:

Katy ~ said...

You are just too cute. I ended up buying a scale for about $30 I think it was that weights both metric and standard weights. Too much math to figure out 7/8 of a cup LOL. Much easier just to weigh it. Plus I just received a measuring cup that is in centimeters (or is it liters? LOL). I am ready to go!

These cookies do sound excellent. Orange and chocolate ~ a loving partnership for sure.

Min said...

Katy! My mind doesn't work like that--I even have a scale!! I never think about weights. Duh. Where were you when I was making these? ;-) I'll try to remember that for next time...and maybe I'll try another batch of these in the meantime! Thanks!

♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ said...

Hello Mini,
am so gald to be visiting somebody who made this recipe special,well we have to wait awhile till the list of round-ups is out but for now finished nibbling into those scrumptious cookies coz they have gone faster than hot cakes at my end.Pecans is surely an interesting addition

Maria♥ said...

Cookies look great!

Thanks for taking part and hope you will join us in our next bake.

Maria
x

Anonymous said...

Perfect cookies

lilmizlynn said...

Your cookies look great. I love the smell of oranges too.. Easy and simple recipe yet so yummy!!! xoxo

Anonymous said...

You ate the cookie dough raw? I don't know anyone around here who did that! ;)

Rosie of BooksAndBakes

Chele said...

Great looking cookies - I love how yours have managed a little more 'substance' to them, I would have liked mine to do that too lol. Love how the orange zest is so evident int he finished product too. Yum!

Lucie said...

They look delicious! Lovely Blog.
Best wishes Lucie x

http://cookingatmarystow.blogspot.com/

Joanne said...

Yummy looking cookies! Great job. Sometimes the conversions get the best of me but then I go by the end result batter and if it needs something add it. That might change the recipe a bit but it usually works.

Caties Cakes and Cookies said...

I love how you can see the orange zest throughout your cookies! I agree, dark chocolate and orange is a winning combination!!

Heather said...

These cookies must be delicious with dark chocolate. I think I'll try mine with bittersweet chips for my next round.

Anonymous said...

The best I've ever made!

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