These luscious Orange Sugar Cookies with Chopped Chocolate and Chocolate Drizzle are the best way to show someone you love them. Perfect for after school snacking, special occasions, or food gifts, the combination of orange and chocolate is always a winner!
The Artist has learned to ask which if any of the Chocolate Monday sweets I make that he can eat, knowing that I have to take photos before he can have anything – or risk the chance of getting his hand slapped as he reaches for one, LOL.
Sugar mixed with orange zest.
He knows if there are any misshapen ones, those are fair game, but don’t touch the pretty ones – the potential heroes for photos!
The inspiration for today’s cookies was a recipe from Carolyn Jung and posted on her blog, Food Gal. Her recipes are well tested and generally very easy to convert to gluten-free. I really appreciate the work she puts into her articles and the recipes she shares. If you haven’t heard of her, be sure to check her out!
The original orange sugar cookies are orange scented shortbread-style cookies, a little sandy and loaded with luscious butter (use Kerrygold!) – pure heaven. When drizzled with an orange icing, each bite is packed with a huge punch of fresh orange sweetness. Or you can use more chocolate like I did.
Raw cookie dough in the mixer bowl
For Chocolate Monday I added some finely chopped bittersweet chocolate. Orange and chocolate are perfect partners, each making the other taste better. To balance the chocolate, I added a few drops of orange oil (my favorite brand is LorAnn). I wanted the orange flavor to come through without needing to add the orange icing.
These are beautiful orange sugar cookies and sturdy enough to pack in lunch boxes, take as a gift to friends’ houses, or just to enjoy at home. To make them even more indulgent and ideal for special occasions, I melted some chocolate and drizzled it over the tops. Have Mercy! I could easily have eaten the whole tray of these beauties!
I love the look of the zig-zag drizzle and it couldn’t be easier to do. Pour the melted and slightly cooled chocolate into a resealable plastic bag, pressing it into one corner, twist the top closed tightly to keep the chocolate in the corner, and flip the bag upright (this keeps the chocolate from dripping out until you are ready to decorate). Snip a tiny piece of the corner off and quickly drizzle it over the cookies that have a sheet of parchment underneath to catch all the drips!
I normally have a few bricks of chocolate on hand, but this time I decided to use another favorite of mine, Guittard Couverture Chocolate Wafers. The are designed for easy melting and don’t contain stabilizers.
When you make chocolate chip cookies, have you noticed they soften but hold their shape when baking? That’s because of the stabilizers that have been added which can leave a waxy sensation in your mouth. The couverture waters are perfect for melting as is or, in this case, finely chopping to give you bits of chocolate in every bite.
For more information on the different types of chocolate and when to use each one, check out this great article from Bon Appetit.
If you have a few oranges on hand, these cookies come together quickly and easily. You could make the dough in advance – just roll it into a log and wrap with parchment paper. Write the baking temperature and time on the parchment, then wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze the dough for up to 3 months and you can have homemade, delicious slice-and-bake cookies any time you want!!
For my friends with citrus trees in their yards, keep this recipe handy. You are going to want to make batch after batch of these lovely Orange Sugar Cookies!
Have a wonderful week my friends. Happy Chocolate Monday!
Did you enjoy this Orange Sugar Cookie recipe? Let me know in the comments and leave a star rating, I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for Orange Sugar Cookies with Chopped Chocolate:
- Flour, cake flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, eggs
- Vanilla, orange oil, unsalted butter, dark or milk chocolate, semisweet chocolate
PRO Tip:
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that one of my favorite kitchen tools is an ice cream scoop. A #24 spring loaded scoop (also called a Disher) holds about 3-1/2 tbsp of dough or batter, making generous cookies that spread to nearly 3-1/2 inches wide or filling a regular muffin tin 2/3 full. They make very quick work of portioning dough, meatballs, cupcake batter, etc.
How to make Orange Sugar Cookies with Chopped Chocolate:
- Whisk together the flours, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a different bowl, stir together the sugar and orange zest. Then in a measuring cup combine the orange juice, egg, yolks, and vanilla (do not whisk). Add orange oil if using.
- Beat the butter until smooth and creamy, add the orange sugar and beat until light and smooth. Scrape the bowl frequently. Gradually add the egg/vanilla mixture, one egg yolk at a time, beating after each addition.
- Add the dry ingredients a little at a time, mixing after each addition until just combined; add the shaved chocolate and mix just until it is distributed throughout the dough. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the dough and refrigerate about 15 minutes.
- Scoop 3 to 4 tablespoons of dough for each cookie and place on parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheets, leaving at least 1-inch between each to allow for spreading. Flatten each cookie with the bottom of a wet glass to 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. If desired, you can sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar.
- Bake about 15 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through so those in front are now facing the back of the oven. Cookies will be light golden on the bottom and fairly pale on top. Leave on the baking sheets to firm slightly 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool thoroughly. Store in airtight containers for up to 1 week.
- If you want to drizzle chocolate over the tops, place the cookies on a wire rack set over a sheet of parchment paper. Heat the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl until mostly melted. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth and fully melted. Cool slightly and pour into a resealable plastic bag. Press into one corner, twist the top to keep the chocolate in the corner, flip it upright and snip a little piece off the corner. Keep the bag upright until ready to drizzle over the cookies. Use a zig-zag motion to create a fun design. Set cookies aside to give the chocolate time to firm up before serving.
PRO Tip:
With cookies, no xanthan gum is needed, but it is OK if your GF flour blend already contains it. If you are making cakes, muffins, or breads and your flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan, add 1/4 tsp for each cup of gluten-free flour to help keep your baked goods from being crumbly.
PRO Tip:
If you are using concentrated oils to flavor your baked goods and candies, having eye dropper tops for each bottle will make it easy to add just a drop or two, a very important ability for the strong oils. If you try to pour it you risk ruining the entire batch of dough. Be very careful measuring the highly concentrated oils!
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- Kitchen scale
- Mixing bowls
- Zester
- Citrus reamer
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheets
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Cookie scoop
- Cooling rack
Gluten-Free Tips:
With cookies, no xanthan gum is needed, but it is OK if your GF flour blend contains it. If you are making cakes, muffins, or breads and your flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan, add 1/4 tsp for each cup of gluten-free flour to help keep your baked goods from being crumbly.
To make your own cake flour for this recipe, whisk together 1 cup + 6 tbsp (165g) all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend + 4 tbsp (32g) cornstarch. Whisk well to combine.
*You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Orange Sugar Cookies with Chopped Chocolate (Gluten Free)
These luscious Gluten-Free Orange Sugar Cookies with Chopped Chocolate and Chocolate Drizzle are the best way to show someone you love them. Perfect for after school snacking, special occasions, or food gifts, the combination of orange and chocolate is always a winner!
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1-3/4 cups (210g) unbleached all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend*
- 1-2/3 cups (200g) cake flour ** (see Note below to make your own)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1-1/4 cups (240g) granulated sugar
- Freshly grated orange zest from about 1 medium orange
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice (from the zested orange)
- 1 large egg + 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste
- 10 drops LorAnn orange oil, optional
- 1 cup (2 sticks; 227g) unsalted butter, cut into chunks and slightly softened
- About 1/4 cup (42g) shaved or finely chopped bittersweet, semisweet or milk chocolate
Chocolate Drizzle
- 1/2 cup chopped semisweet chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Position one rack in the top third of the oven, one rack in the bottom third of the oven, and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Prepare the Cookie Dough: In a bowl, whisk flours, baking soda and salt together. Set aside. In another bowl, stir together the sugar and orange zest, helping the zest from clumping. In a measuring cup with a spout, combine the orange juice, whole egg, extra yolks, and vanilla. Add orange oil if using. Set aside.
- In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Pour the orange sugar into the softened butter and beat until light and smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of bowl frequently. Gradually add the egg, yolks, and vanilla mixture, beating after each egg/yolk has been added.
- Add the dry ingredients, a little at a time, mixing between additions just until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl frequently. Add the shaved chocolate and mix just until it is distributed throughout the dough.
- Cover the bowl, pressing a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface, and refrigerate about 15 minutes. If you want to make the dough ahead, firm up and then place in a sealed plastic bag or airtight container and refrigerate up to a couple of days. Return to cool room temperature before continuing.
- Scoop 3 to 4 tbsp of dough for each cookie using a spring-loaded ice cream scoop and place on the lined baking sheets, leaving more than 1-inch between cookies. Using the bottom of a glass dipped in water, flatten each cookie to a thickness of 1/4 to 1/2-inch. Instead of drizzling with chocolate, cookies can be sprinkled with coarse cane sugar before baking.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake about 15 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through so the cookies in front are now facing the back of the oven. Cookies will be fairly pale on top and lightly browned on the bottom. Leave on the baking sheets to firm slightly 2 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool thoroughly before storing in airtight containers up to 1 week.
- Make the Drizzle (if using): Place cookies on a rack set over a sheet of parchment. Heat the chocolate in a microwave until mostly melted. Remove from the oven and stir until all the pieces are fully melted and smooth. Cool slightly and pour into a resealable plastic bag. Press into one corner, twisting the top of the bag to keep the chocolate in the corner, flip it upright and snip a little piece off the corner. Keep the bag upright until you are ready to drizzle it over the cookies. Use a zig-zag motion to create a fun design. Set aside to give the chocolate time to firm up before serving.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
* You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
** To make your own cake flour for this recipe, whisk together 1cup + 6 tbsp (165g) all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend + 4 tbsp (32g) cornstarch. Whisk well to combine.
With cookies no xanthan gum is needed, but it is fine if your GF flour blend already contains it. If you are making cakes, muffins, or breads and your flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan, add 1/4 tsp for each cup of gluten-free flour called for to help keep your baked goods from being crumbly.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
18Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 314Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 127mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 4gSugar: 13gProtein: 8g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate.
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Welcome! The suggestions here are not intended as dietary advice or as a substitute for consulting a dietician, physician, or other medical professional. Please see the Disclaimers/Privacy Policy page for additional details. Unauthorized use, distribution, and/or duplication of proprietary material from The Heritage Cook without prior approval is prohibited. If you have any questions or would like permission, please contact me. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases without any additional cost to you. This page may contain affiliate links. This post was first shared in Feb 2017. The article was updated in 2023.
sarah k @ the pajama chef
these cookies sound incredible, jane! i’m a sucker for anything orange and chocolate. 🙂
Jane Bonacci
You will love them Sarah – they are so good. I’m a sucker for orange and chocolate together too! 🙂