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A hallmark of Christmas, chocolate oranges are delightful. But using them to make a chocolate orange cookie? Now that’s next level jolly.
Chocolate Orange Cookie Recipe
It’s not Christmas in our house without chocolate oranges in your stocking! And one year, between grandparents and santa, we ended up with 20 chocolate oranges before the holidays were over. Which, as you may have guessed, was the catalyst to the creation of these Christmas cookies.
These festive cookies are packed with chocolate chunks, orange emulsion & zest and are topped with a chocolate orange slice. With the appearance of chocolate chip cookies with a zesty twist, these cookies are the perfect blend of citrus and cocoa. So if you’re looking for a refreshing way to use up this holiday delicacy, give these a shot!
Ingredients in Chocolate Orange Cookies
- Salted butter, softened – I always, always use salted butter. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use unsalted and add an extra pinch of salt to the dough.
- Light brown sugar – The combo of sugar will give the cookies a nice chewy texture.
- Granulated sugar
- Large eggs
- Natural vanilla extract
- Natural orange bakery emulsion or Orange Oil – You can also use orange extract, but I prefer the flavoring of my Orange Oil
- Orange zest
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Coarse salt
- Milk chocolate bars, chopped
- Flaky sea salt – This is technically optional, but it really brings the cookies together in the best way.
- Chocolate orange slices – These complete the cookie! They complete the look of the cookie and get so melty and delicious on top.
How to Make Chocolate Orange Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer, cream together softened butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar for a full 5 minutes.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla extract, orange oil and orange zest. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and coarse salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Gently fold in the chopped milk chocolate bars until evenly distributed.
- Using a #12 scoop, scoop out portions of dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving enough space between cookies.
- Top with flakey sea salt and more chopped chocolate, if desired.
- Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the cookie has spread slightly and is golden brown.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, gently press a chocolate orange slice into the top of each cookie.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 25 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
How should I store my chocolate orange cookies?
Once cooled, store your cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 3-5 days! These cookies also freeze really well and can be stored in a resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months.
What variations can I try with these cookies?
First, you can try dark or milk chocolate oranges, depending on the richness you’d like your cookie to have. You can also change the flavor of chopped chocolate, subbing for white chocolate instead, if desired. Finally, you can add in chopped nuts or drizzle more melted chocolate on top of the cookie.
Other Cookies to Try
Chocolate Orange Cookie
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups salted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
- 1 cup (heaping) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp natural vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Orange Oil
- 1 orange, zested
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 12 oz milk chocolate bars, chopped
- flakey sea salt
- 15 chocolate orange slices
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream together softened butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar for a full 5 minutes.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla extract, orange bakery emulsion and orange zest. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and coarse salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Gently fold in the chopped milk chocolate bars until evenly distributed.
- Using a #12 scoop, scoop out portions of dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving enough space between cookies.Top with flakey sea salt and more chopped chocolate, if desired.
- Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the cookie has spread slightly and is golden brown.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, gently press a chocolate orange slice into the top of each cookie.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 25 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
I don’t have a #12 cookie scoop, how many grams is each cookie? Or approx how many tablespoons. Can’t wait to make these!!
It’s about 2.7oz a cookie! Hope you love them!
Could you make these as a bar cookie? Looking for an orange bar cookie to imitate a recipe my great grandma made.
Sure! That would be delicious!
These have become a family favorite and making them one time and have made out Christmas tray list. The sea salt flakes add a different level to the cookies. Oh so good!! 😊
These were soooo good! They were the new addition to my Christmas cookie list. The texture was perfection! I made them with a tablespoon scoop for regular sized cookies.
Deliciousness! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe! I don’t have orange emulsion, so I subbed 1 tsp frozen orange juice concentrate. So yummy!
I don’t think I can ever eat a regular chocolate chip cookie again! These are AMAZING! The aroma, the orange zest & emulsion and the chocolate orange slice, oh my! It’s the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had! They baked up so perfect! Thank you Karli! These are definitely a keeper!
I really would have loved to make these but need the weight converter for metric
Hi! I am working on adding metric measurements to all of my recipes – stay tuned!
Where do you buy the orange like chocolate slices?
Thank you!
Hi Grace! These are just the typical chocolate oranges that go on sale during the Christmas season.
I made these today and the flavor is spot on! Absolutely delicious. My cookies went flat, but I think it’s because I let my butter soften too much. Will definitely make them again.
Hello, where do you get the chocolate orange slices? Love your site. I have baked many batches of cookies from here. Looking for the ultimate cookie that will win me first prize in our annual Christmas cookie contest. This just might be it! Thank you. Erin
Hi! I just buy the chocolate oranges from my local grocery store during the holiday season. I unfortunately haven’t found a great substitute for the rest of the year, but I’ll keep looking. Good luck at the contest – fingers crossed this is the lucky recipe!