These thin and chewy Chocolate Orange Cookies are filled with rich dark and milk chocolate chunks and a hint of sweet orange citrus. They taste just like the classic chocolate orange and make the perfect addition to your Christmas cookie baking!
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Growing up, we always had an orange at the bottom of our Christmas stockings. Luckily, the chocolate orange came around; you know the one you whack on the counter and it magically cuts into orange slices? Our regular old orange was replaced with this delicious piece of chocolate heaven.
These thin and chewy cookies are the perfect balance of rich chocolate and sweet orange. The orange zest and extract give them that familiar chocolate orange flavor, while the chunks of chocolate create delicious pockets of melted chocolate in every bite.
If you love the combination of chocolate and orange, you’ll want to add these Chocolate Orange Cookies to your Christmas cookie lineup!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Unsalted butter: I always use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt in a recipe. Slightly cold butter works well for these cookies.
- Granulated sugar and light brown sugar: The combination of these two sugars helps give the cookies their thin, chewy texture.
- Eggs: Eggs help hold everything together. I like to use room-temperature eggs so they mix more easily into the butter and sugar.
- Orange extract and orange zest: The best part of these cookies! The extract gives them a strong orange flavor, while the fresh zest adds even more citrus flavor and pretty orange specks throughout the dough.
- All-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder: These ingredients give the cookies structure and help them bake up with the right texture.
- Dark and milk chocolate chunks: The chocolate is the other best part! I used a combination of milk and dark chocolate from Trader Joe’s, and it is magical. Be careful not to eat the whole bar while baking!
How to Make Chocolate Orange Cookies
1. Cream the Butter and Sugars
Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C) and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the Eggs and Orange Flavor
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the orange extract and orange zest and mix for another 30 seconds. The zest adds so much flavor and leaves pretty little orange specks throughout the cookies!
3. Mix in the Dry Ingredients
Add the all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix the dough.
4. Add the Chocolate Chunks
Chop the dark and milk chocolate into chunks and fold them into the cookie dough until evenly distributed.
I love using Trader Joe’s milk and dark chocolate bars. I chop up 10 ounces for this recipe. Be sure not to chop the chocolate too small. You want nice, chunky pieces that create delicious puddles of chocolate in the cookies!
5. Portion and Bake
Scoop the dough into 2 ½ tablespoon portions and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake at 325°F for 13–15 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers still look slightly soft. The cookies will continue to set as they cool, so be careful not to overbake them.
6. Finish and Cool
Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, sprinkle them with flaky sea salt, if desired.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5–10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Tips for Success
- Use slightly cold butter. I take the butter out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before I begin baking cookies. This allows the butter and sugar to properly cream together.
- Chop chocolate into big chunks. Cut thick chunks to prevent the chocolate from breaking into small shavings. We want puddles of chocolate!
- Sprinkle cookies with sea salt! This is optional, but I definitely recommend it.
Helpful Equipment
If you’re looking for more delicious cookies to add to your baking list, try these favorites!
- Rimmed baking sheet: I love these Nordic Ware baking sheets.
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment: I love my KitchenAid mixer
- OR
- Hand mixer: I love my Kitchen Aid hand mixer.
- Rubber spatula: These rubber spatulas are a best seller.
- Measuring cups and spoons: I use and love this set of measuring cups and spoons.
- Kitchen scale: This kitchen scale has great reviews.
- Cookie Scoop: I love and use this cookie scoop set.
- Cutting Board: This wooden cutting board set has amazing reviews.
- Parchment paper: Using parchment paper makes for a better cookie and easier to clean up.
More Cookie Recipes You Need to Try
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle Cookies
- Easy and Delicious Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Delicious Oatmeal Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Amazing Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
- Levain Copycat Caramel Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Let me know if you make them in the comments below or find me on Instagram @spoonandlevel.co. I’d love to hear what you think!
Chocolate Orange Cookies
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheets
- parchment paper
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Cutting board
- rubber spatula
- Kitchen scale
- Cookie scoop
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
- ½ cup (106 g) light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoon (8 g) orange extract
- 2 tablespoons (12 g) orange zest, one orange
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (4.6 g) baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon (1.1 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt
- 5 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
- 5 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
- Sea salt flakes, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F (165° C). Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix in the orange extract and orange zest for about 30 seconds.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined.
- Stir in the chopped dark and milk chocolate until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Scoop the dough into 2 ½ tablespoon portions and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 13–15 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers are still slightly soft.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt immediately after baking, if desired. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5–10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
