Ok, so I am going to say something here that you will probably find blasphemous: I am not really fond of chocolate. I mean, I like a candy bar every now and then and a piece of hard chocolate is fine. But no chocolate cake for me. Nor chocolate brownies or cookies. Even less so when it comes to chocolate ice cream, syrup or hot cocoa. Nope.
But here’s the exception. And it isn’t just because of the orange rind (which I love), but I have to admit that the chocolate-orange combinations is really quite good. Check out the recipe, then scroll down for my tips on how to make this cookie.
Chocolate Orange Cookies
¾ cup butter or margarine
¾ cup white sugar
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
dash salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
rind of one orange
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in egg and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix. Divide dough in two. Add grated orange rind to one half and cocoa to the other half. Use a bit of each mixture to form a ball, about 1 inch in diameter. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen.
Tips:
1. Orange rind: you can add orange extract, if you like, but nothing can replace the flavor of orange rind. It’s best to use the smallest holes on your grater. However, you probably know things tend to stick on this side and not fall through the grater. I keep a clean (meaning never-been-used-in-anyone’s-mouth) tootbrush with my baking utensils. Grate to your hearts content, then use the tootbruxh to brush the rind off the grater, both on the inside and outside. Works like charm!
2. Since I always make a double batch of these cookies, I work with two bowls at the same time. Follow one recipe in each bowl – follow the instructions above, but add the flour at the end. In the one bowl I put the cocoa and in the other I put the orange rind. That way I don’t have to worry about the amounts (I’m really bad at judging what “half” the dough amounts to.)
3. I leave a small spoon in each bowl – scoop up about half a teaspoon in each one and roll into a ball. These cookies will spread a little, so place on sheet a good 2 inches apart from each other.
I am a self-learner. I taught myself to sew and to quilt. And I taught myself how to draw. I am learning how to dye my own fabrics and am dabbling with mixed media. I am a quilt designer and teacher, and design and publish my own line of quilt patterns. With this blog I would like to share the bits and pieces of my life.