Chocolate Orange Cookies
This is definitely not for the sugar free/ wheat free people! Sorry Miss S…
This recipe was inspired by Almost Bourdain’s Chocolate Sour Cherry Cookies but of course we don’t get the dried cherries here.
So the substitute for today is citrus peel (which we for some reason could buy) for the cherries. These cookies are seriously divine- perfect balance between chocolate and orange.
Ingredients
235 g (8 1/2 oz) dark chocolate (minimum 55% cocoa but I used 72%), chopped
190 g (5 1/2 oz / 1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1/2 tsp salt
100 g (3 1/2 oz) unsalted butter
200 g (8 3/4 oz) soft brown sugar
2 eggs
85 g (3 oz) dried citrus peel
How to
Preheat the oven to 165C (325F / Gas 3).
Put the chocolate in a large stainless steel bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water.
Note for chocolate picture- this stuff is black gold! Chocolate of this quality is sold at import good stores but is very expensive, so we hand-carry it in when we go overseas.
Allow the water in the saucepan to boil for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and stir the chocolate while it slowly melts.
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl
Note for the sugar and grater picture- we have to keep our brown sugar in the fridge here and it always hardens into a huge block that we then have to grate to use
Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix until pale (r) and creamy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each is incorporated before adding more.
Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing well after each addition, then add the melted chocolate and mix until well combined.
Fold through the citrus peel.
The mix can become quite sticky , so you may need to refrigerate it for 15 minutes before shaping the biscuits. Take 1 tablespoons of mixture at a time and roll into even-sized balls using two spoons.
Place the balls on baking trays lined with baking paper, allowing room for them to spread. Refrigerate for a further 30 minutes, or until firm. Bake in batches, for 15-20 minutes each, or until risen
