Chocolate cookies have always been my happy cookie type. So this was no surprise to me that I was hungry for a creative good chocolate cookie. I have a couple of good chocolate cookies on my site like; Peppermint Mocha Cookies and Mexican Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, but I wanted citrus with my chocolate this week.
Having decided that chocolate would be my feature flavor, what do I put with it? I love the taste of oranges, and doing research, I found that chocolate and orange go well together. So it only seems fitting that a nut joins the party in making this cookie. Of course, walnuts are always a crowd-pleaser, but I wanted something different and not the same old same old type of nut.
Hazelnuts are a nut that I googled for more information. I found a website (Medical News Today) that gives the eight benefits of eating hazelnut. The one advantage that I chose to zero in on Hazelnuts was it is said to help reduce weight gain. I love cookies way too much.
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup All-purpose flour
- ¾ cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- ¼ tsp Baking powder
- 12 TBSP Butter unsalted
- ½ cup Sugar white
- 1 cup Light brown sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 TBSP Orange juice fresh 1 orange
- 2 TBSP Orange zest 1 orange
- 1 cup Hazelnuts plus more for topping
- 2 Eggs
- ¼ tsp Kosher Salt
Making Easy Chocolate Cookies
To prep for making my cookies, I zest and juice one orange. Also, weigh or measure the sugars into a bowl and set it aside. Next, weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa and run a whisk through to blend.
In a stand or hand-held mixer, cream the butter and sugars till blended for about 2 to 3 minutes on a medium mixer speed. Next, add the vanilla extract, orange juice, orange zest and mix for a minute. Next, add one egg at a time (I break the egg into a small bowl before adding to the mixer bowl).
Scrape down the sides and, at a low speed, slowly incorporate the flour mixture. Finally, add the hazelnuts. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Add 12 scoops to a parchment-lined cookie sheet pan using a medium cookie scooper. Add a few more hazelnuts to the top of each cookie mound. Press down lightly, so they stay while baking.
Bake at 350°F (175°C or 180°C) for 12-14 minutes. Please move the cookies to a cooling rack once they come out of the oven.
These cookies are slightly crispy around the edges and soft in the middle—excellent solid chocolate taste with the undertone of orange. Enjoy!
I always love a white plate when serving chocolate cookies, perfect contrast of colors.
Storage
I store these cookies in a sealed container. Chocolate has a way of drying out cookies, so if your cookies start to dry out some, I lay a piece of bread inside the container to add moisture back into the cookies.
Don't let the bread touch the cookies, or that cookie will pick up too much moisture and be soft where they were touching.
Recipe
Chocolate Orange with Hazelnuts Cookies
Barbara HallIngredients
- 1 ¾ cup (218.75 g) All-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (64.5 g) Unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Baking powder
- 12 tablespoon (12 tablespoon) Butter unsalted Room temperature
- ½ cup (99 g) Sugar white
- 1 cup (213 g) Light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Vanilla Extract
- 2 tablespoon (2 tablespoon) Orange juice fresh
- 2 tablespoon (2 tablespoon) Orange zest
- 1 cup (120 g) Hazelnuts plus more for topping
- 2 (2) Eggs
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
Instructions
- Zest 1 orange into a bowl and set aside. Cut the orange in half and juice each half into a separate bowl, and set it aside. Weigh or measure the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder, into a medium bowl running a whisk through to blend. Set this bowl aside. Also, weigh or measure your white and light brown sugars and set this bowl aside.
- Cream the butter and sugars for about 3 minutes with a hand-held or stand mixer. Scrape down the sides and add orange juice, orange zest, vanilla extract, and incorporate. Next, add one egg at a time and blend for a minute.
- On a low mixer speed, gradually add the flour mixture. Mix until the flour is incorporated. Scrape down the sides and add the hazelnuts. Cover and put into the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line 2 cookie pans with parchment paper. I use a medium cookie scooper to get 12 cookie mounds on a sheet pan. I add a few hazelnuts to the top and press in slightly so the nuts stay while baking.
- Put into the oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Watch for them to start to crack on the top just a little, then pull them out. Leave them on the pan for a minute before moving them to the cooling rack.
NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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