Orange. Cranberry. Two flavors reminiscent of holiday desserts. All baked into one delicious citrus chocolate chunk cookie. I started off with a recipe for orange cranberry cookies and before long, the cranberries had been benched in favor of chocolate chunks.
Typically, I like chocolate pure and unadulterated. I don’t like chocolate/peanut butter, I can live without chocolate/caramel and chocolate/citrus is as good to me as no chocolate at all.
I thought the orange and cranberry combination would be a nice change from the chocolate chip cookies that, if I do say so myself, I’m quite good at making.
But no sooner had I chopped a cup of dried, sweetened cranberries did it occur to me that they would be better served in scones. Or granola. O anything else that didn’t offer chocolate as an alternative.
Within moments, my eyes fell on an orange dark chocolate bar that I’d gotten in a gift set and was waiting to be turned into brownies to bake for a friend’s birthday.
Well, I sacrificed the brownies for these cookies and wouldn’t you know, it was well worth the risk: citrus chocolate chunk cookies were born.
- Citrus Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Ingredients:
- 1½ c. all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ c. unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ c. brown sugar, packed
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp grated orange zest
- Juice of ½ orange
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 6 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped (you can also use an orange infused chocolate bar)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment or Silipat. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, and whisk; set aside.
- In bowl of stand mixer (or a bowl…with a hand mixer), combine butter and sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add yolk and beat until fully incorporated. Add orange juice, then zest and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated.
- Turn mixer to low speed, add flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer, stir in cranberries, and place dough onto cookie sheets by heaping tablespoon.
- Place cookies in the oven and bake, switching baking sheet positions half way through baking time, for 12-14 minutes (they should not brown). Remove from oven and let cool on pans completely, about 10-15 minutes.
50 Comments
Alessa
April 17, 2011 at 1:27 pmI have ALWAYS loved orange and chocolate flavors together. My grandmother’s home often had “Jaffa” cakes – a sponge cake with orange marmalade topped with dark chocolate. Yum. Can’t wait to try these….
Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies With Just a Hint of Orange « Comfortably Domestic
April 16, 2011 at 1:31 am[…] did about a very citrusy cookie with white chocolate and cranberries. Sounds good, right? Then she ditched the cranberries and added chocolate chunks. That got my […]
NancyC
April 15, 2011 at 12:47 amThe chocolate -orange combo sounds great! I like just about any kind of cookie, whether it’s chewy or crispy! 🙂
Christina @ Sweet Pea's Kitchen
April 13, 2011 at 2:56 amI LOVE this combination of flavors!! 🙂 I need to make these cookies soon!
Aggie
April 11, 2011 at 6:31 pmcitrus and chocolate are seriously bff in my book (well, pb&choc is, but citrus is trying to be). There is a chocolate I buy at World Market sometimes and it has orange in it and I just love it. These cookies reminded me of that.
Katherine: Unemployed
April 10, 2011 at 4:14 pmI love the combo of ingredients in this recipe! loving your culinary skills
Betty @ scrambled hen fruit
April 8, 2011 at 2:54 amMy hubby loves chocolate with citrus- He’d absolutely love these scrumptious cookies!
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective
April 7, 2011 at 2:14 pmMmmmm… I love this flavor combo! Your cookies look like what I want for breakfast right now. 🙂
Little Inbox
April 7, 2011 at 1:04 pmI like to pair my chocolate cake with orange too. Love the mix of the flavors.
pigpigscorner
April 7, 2011 at 10:24 amI’m usually not a huge fan of citrus and choc combo, but in cookies?! hmm I might change my mind!
grace
April 7, 2011 at 6:48 amthis is really inspired, maris! i think a little zap of orange would really brighten up a chocolate chip cookie and would be a welcome surprise. good thinking!
betty
April 7, 2011 at 5:31 ami love biscuits these look so yummy 🙂
MegSmith @ Cooking.In.College
April 7, 2011 at 2:01 amWow these cookies look and sound amazing! I love the idea of chocolate and orange together in a cookie. That has to be the perfect combination!
Megan
April 7, 2011 at 1:34 amI love the orange/chocolate combo and I bet it’s even better in a cookie!
Amanda
April 7, 2011 at 1:09 amYum! Citrus+chocolate+cranberries sounds delicious!
Dmarie
April 6, 2011 at 10:49 pmmy ears always perk up at the mention of chocolate and citrus! thanks!
Kate@Diethood.com
April 6, 2011 at 5:29 pmThe combination of flavors here is something right up my alley… I love citrus and chocolate together, especially in a cookie!! Beautiful idea!
Jessica
April 6, 2011 at 12:01 pmNow this is a new one to me. I do orange and chocolate cake, pie and tart but not cookies, I definitely need to try this soon since i consider myself a cookie-holic!
Alexis @ There She Goes
April 6, 2011 at 11:55 amI just bought a dark chocolate XOXOX bar with orange peel in it and it is so good! Never would have thought the combo would be good together, since I’m not a huge orange fan, but it is delish!
Roz
April 6, 2011 at 3:49 amOrange + chocolate = YUM!!!
theUngourmet
April 6, 2011 at 5:07 amOh I how I love orange and chocolate together. These look fabulous!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking
April 6, 2011 at 4:09 amI love the combo of orange and chocolate, and I know I’d absolutely love these cookies. They look marvelous, Maris!
Ann
April 6, 2011 at 2:11 amGreat cookies. I love citrus and I love adding the zest and the juice to baked goods. Really gives it a fresh taste.
molly
April 5, 2011 at 11:17 pmI was also late to the chocolate + orange = awesome party, but it turns out that, as parties go, it’s pretty effing great. these look yummy!
Nicole@HeatOvenTo350
April 5, 2011 at 10:09 pmWhat a great flavor combination! I love when cookies vary a little bit from the norm. It’s a nice change. These look delicious.
Rachel W.
April 5, 2011 at 9:43 pmI’d be so pissed if it was my Birthday you were baking for…
Ali Grace
April 5, 2011 at 5:37 pmThese cookies sound delish! My grandad loved these chocolate orange candy things, and this recipe reminds me of that. I’ll have to try it!! Thanks for visiting my blog. 🙂
Esther
April 5, 2011 at 4:34 pmYummm. This reminds me that it’s been much too long since I made cookies. It also reminds me how delicious chocolate-covered orange peels are and makes me think that these must be like that, but three hundred times better.
Tessa
April 5, 2011 at 4:13 pmLove this twist on flavor combinations! So creative. But I can’t believe you don’t like chocolate and peanut butter haha 😉
Faith @ lovelyascharged
April 5, 2011 at 3:26 pmI dont think theres a better combo than orange + Chocolate…sorry, cranberries, but the chocolate always wins!
bellini
April 5, 2011 at 2:23 pmChocolate and orange always remind me of the holidays and those chocolate oranges I have received in my stocking since I was a little girl.
brandi
April 5, 2011 at 1:54 pmthose sound delicious! I love orange + chocolate together.
Rosa
April 5, 2011 at 1:01 pmGreat cookies! That is a wonderful flavor combination.
Cheers,
Rosa
Laura
April 5, 2011 at 12:49 pmSounds delicious! Though I don’t think I will ever be able to understand how someone could do without the chocolate-peanut butter combination, I understand the love of chocolate pure and simple. Citrus and chocolate – such a seemingly unlikely but absolutely delicious combination. Brilliant cookies – I can’t wait to make them!
Joanne
April 5, 2011 at 11:51 am“several URLs ago” – you crack me up! Really fine wording my dear.
These babies sound like the perfect use for that chocolate bar…,which I think we can both agree is useless on it’s own. I really should make more chocolate chip cookies. My life feels barren without them.
Blond Duck
April 5, 2011 at 10:43 amThat’s the coolest combination! My girlfriend would love these!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
April 5, 2011 at 6:47 amSounds like the risk paid off in the most delicious way Maris! 😀
Liz
April 5, 2011 at 3:54 amIf I’m going to eat chocolate, I want it mixed with orange. These sound delicious!
Autumn @ Good Eats Girl
April 5, 2011 at 2:06 amChocolate and orange is one of my favorite flavor combos! These look GREAT!
marla
April 5, 2011 at 1:54 amMaris, I love the chocolate & citrus combo. Think I fell in love with it as a kid. It is a sophisticated taste like none other.
Reeni
April 5, 2011 at 1:43 amI love the twist on these with the orange flavor! A pleasant surprise for a chocolate chip cookie!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.
April 5, 2011 at 1:40 amI love this combination! I am going to try these for sure
Ellie@fitforthesoul
April 5, 2011 at 1:02 amoOOoOO can you actually taste a lot of citrus in the cookie? 🙂
Olga @ MangoTomato
April 5, 2011 at 12:24 amOrange zest and chocolate is an awesome combination! I bet these cookies were great. I always add citrus zest to brownies and people love them.
PS go find the nearest Ethiopian restaurant and try the food!
Mary
April 4, 2011 at 10:58 pmThe combination is wonderful and your cookies sound otherworldly good. This is my first visit to your site and I’ve spent some time browsing through your earlier entries. I’m so glad I did that. I really like the food and recipes you feature here and I’ll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Erica
April 4, 2011 at 10:29 pmSounds like a fun switch up! I’m always all for trying a new cookie recipe. And I love using chunks of chocolate in my cookies vs. chips- makes them so much better! Great job
Dishes of Mrs. Fish
April 4, 2011 at 10:26 pmYum! I love chocolate and orange anything, especially those chocolate covered oranges at Christmas. When mine ran out, I made dark chocolate orange scones. Best decision ever. I love these, and can’t wait to make them!
Daryl
April 4, 2011 at 9:36 pmLove this combination!
Three-Cookies
April 4, 2011 at 8:45 pmOrange + chocolate? This is new to me
Shannon
April 4, 2011 at 8:43 pmdefinitely worth the sacrifice, great combo 🙂