Dark Chocolate Orange Cookies

Quite a long time ago I had posted on facebook the oranges I had worked on dehydrating for this winter. I had bought a ton of oranges at our local farmer's market while they were cheap. I am enjoying them in my tea or just as a tasty treat, but today I thought I would throw them into my baking. Pretty clever, eh? This particular recipe I've whipped together was for the monthly chocolate party hosted by Roxana's Home Baking. The theme this month is chocolate cookies. I love easy themes like this one.

The Hershey's special dark cocoa makes the outer chocolate cookie a bit bitter and rich. It really compliments the sweet and zesty orange cookie in the center. The dark chocolate and orange is a match made in heaven. The smell of these while they are baking is just as wonderful as biting into them. It really leaves a delicious aroma in the kitchen.

Can you see those beautiful little specks of orange throughout the center of this cookie? When I dehydrating the orange, I simply sliced the oranges and began drying them. The peel of the orange when dried gives the tongue a tingly pop of orange. So, naturally when I ground up the dried orange slices I just tossed the entire slice in. Once they were a powder, I put it through a sifter to get out any large chunks. No one likes to bite down on a hard piece of anything. It's a horrible feeling.

Since Christmas is rapidly approaching, make these freezer friendly cookies ahead of time and when you need them. They will be there waiting to impress your guests. I know as well as you do that everyone likes to bake this time of the year. It's such a crazy thing. Have I mentioned my father has put on 17 pounds? Yeah, I share my goodies.

Enjoy the dark chocolate orange cookies.

Dark Chocolate Orange Cookies

Author: Miranda Couse

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Servings 30 cookies

Calories 143 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Orange Centers

• ½ cup salted butter room temperature
• ¼ cup dried orange slices ground and sifted
• 1 T. orange zest
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Chocolate Dough

• ½ cup salted butter room temperature
• 2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate melted
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 T. Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla.
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

Orange Dough

• In a large mixing bowl, add in sugar, orange zest, and the ground oranges. Mix thoroughly. Add in the butter and mix on medium until light and fluffy.
• Add the egg and vanilla to the wet ingredients and mix on medium until completely combined.
• Add in all of the flour and mix on low so the flour doesn't cover the kitchen. The dough should be somewhat stuff so it's easy to shape.
• Set aside.

Chocolate Dough

• In a medium bowl, add in the sugar and cocoa powder. Mix until combined. Add in the butter and mix on medium is light and fluffy.
• To melt the chocolate, place it in the microwave for 20 second intervals. Mix after each time in the microwave. It would only take a few times to get a smooth, melted chocolate. Add the chocolate into the wet ingredients and mix on medium until incorporated.
• Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until everything is combined.
• Add in the flour and mix on low. Once again, this will help prevent the flour from flying all over. The dough will be stiff so it's easier to work with.
• Place the chocolate dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper and roll the dough out into a rectangle.
• Place the orange dough on the top layer of parchment paper and start rolling it to look like a long sausage. Keeping it on top of the chocolate dough will help measure how long the sausage like shaped dough should be.
• Once the dough is the appropriate size, remove the top layer of parchment paper and place the orange dough next to the end of the chocolate dough and begin rolling it until the chocolate dough is all rolled up.
• Give the dough another roll to release all the air bubbles. This will help prevent holes in the cookies.
• Wrap the cookies up in plastic wrap and foil to store in the freezer. Store in the freezer up to 2 months.
• Remove from the freezer and slice. Place them on a parchment covered baking sheet. Place them in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 14 minutes or until done.

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 59mgPotassium: 29mgSugar: 7gVitamin A: 210IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 0.8mg

(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)

Keyword Dark Chocolate Orange Cookies, Slice and Bake Cookies

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