When I was growing up, my favorite part of opening my stocking was finding those incredible chocolate oranges that show up in the candy aisle around Christmas time.
First of all, in order to properly open and eat them, you had to smash them against the floor (or maybe on your little brother, if you were anything like me), and it’s always fun to be a little destructive.
Then you open this milk chocolate treat shaped like an orange with that delicious subtle orange flavor.
Honestly, I think without the fun packaging you could have never gotten my nine year old self to eat what seemed like such a strange combination, but I’m so glad I did because these flavors complement each other perfectly.
While drinking my morning coffee I was missing those chocolate oranges but didn’t feel like leaving my house to track one down.
Instead, I thought how great they’d be in cookie form! And wow, are these cookies good.
The texture is perfect: just a little crispy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. The chocolate cookie and chocolate chips provide a dominant chocolate flavor with just a hint of orange coloring the background thanks to the orange zest.
These cookies are also very easy to make! The best thing about them is that since the dough is made by creaming softened butter and sugar and then stirring in the remaining ingredients, there is no heavy kneading requirement or need for a stand mixer.
Of course, you could use a stand mixer or hand beater for that creaming step, which adds air for the mix for a light, crispy cookie that won’t go flat.
This is similar to a classic chocolate chip recipe, with just a few additions and tweaks to shake things up. If you’re participating in any cookie exchanges or just going to a few parties this holiday season, bring these.
Even if you aren’t, your coworkers and family will definitely appreciate them. They’re perfect for the season!
But, I’ll let you in on a little secret: they’re actually super delicious at any time of year, and the ingredients are readily available year-round as well! Perfect for when you’re craving those wintertime orange chocolates in the middle of the summer…
And if you want to go big, get inspired by our chocolate chip pan cookie, and use this recipe as the dough to make a GIANT skillet dessert perfect for any party!
The Recipe
- 1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- Juice of half a large orange
- Zest of a large orange divided
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy and lighter in color.
- Add the eggs, orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of the zest to the butter and sugar mixture. Stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the wet ingredients, stirring to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Drop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving room between each cookie. Flatten the dough balls just a bit and sprinkle some of the remaining orange zest over the cookies.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes. Remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
A stand mixer makes the whole cookie making recipe go much smoother. Read Foodal's Stand Mixer Guide now to find out more.
A Spin on Baking Basics
Ready to spice up your usual chocolate chips with a twist? Bake up a batch of double chocolate flavored with orange, and these are sure to be gobbled up in no time!
What’s your favorite spin on a classic cookie flavor? Let us know in the comments! And be sure to peruse through all of our cookie ideas now!
Photos by Chelsea Miller, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details.
About Chelsea Miller
Chelsea Miller, born and raised in Portland, Oregon, graduated from the University of Oregon where she discovered both her love of football and cooking great food. She's the founder of the food blog "A Duck's Oven" and began writing for Foodal in 2014.
What a great recipe and easy to make. I do like buttery cookies and noticed the two sticks, but it does make 40 cookies, perhaps I may half the recipe first as it’s only me eating them as an experiment to see how much butter I really need.
I do love chocolate and orange together, a bit like chocolate and mint chips that go well too. I also consider if part of my fruit for the day, as it does contain orange juice which is healthy!
I am definitely going to try this recipe this holiday season! I tend to stick to the same classic cookie recipes around the holidays, but this looks like a delicious way to change it up. You never know, it could end up my new go-to holiday cookie recipe.
I might try these, they look absolutely delicious! I made some cookies last year almost exactly like these, except with lemons instead of oranges, and they were amazing as well, despite tasting very different to what I’m used to.
I find that I crave fruity baked goods more around christmas, since everything you make around christmas is made with cinnamon, pepper or nutmeg. It can get a little tiring in the long run. Thanks for the recipe!
What a fantastic idea! I love the oh-so-smashable chocolate oranges (have since I was little!) and I’ve made a point of buying one every Christmas, but the past few years I’ve found I don’t end up finishing them. My 8-year-old self would be appalled. 😉
Making a big batch of cookies with a similar flavoring – with some to keep and plenty to give away – seems like a great way to get my chocolate orange fix without wasting the candy itself. Definitely going to give this one a try!
These cookies look scrumptious. I was planning to send my butter cookies to friends for Christmas, but I think I’ll try these first then ship these treats instead. My mouth is watering just thinking about the crisp outside and chewy inside. I probably will tweak this recipe because I’m not too certain I’ll like the mint chocolate chips. I’m surprised you’re able to get 40 cookies that a tablespoon-size from the recipe with 2 1/2 cups of flour. I use a small ice cream scoop for my butter cookies that require the same amount of flour. Am I doing something wrong I wonder?
These sound delicious! I have always liked those oranges that have been dipped in chocolate that you find this time of year so I am definitely going to be giving these a try this week. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us!
I think it might be worth it to spend some time to try this! The only chocolate and orange combinations I’ve had are from those Terry’s chocolates (I think they’re only in Canada), but I’ve never tried them in cookies. I feel like the tartness and zest will add a little more to the already delicious chocolate cookies, and I feel like this will be a great addition to any party. Thanks for the recipe!
If you still feel like tracking down some chocolate oranges (I know I do from time to time!), they’re usually at Walmart for us nostalgic little things.
Anyway, I’ll definitely be trying this recipe out for my Christmas parties coming up. I always thought that just chocolate chip chocolate cookies lacked a little something… they were too sweet and got tiring after a cookie and a half. This is the perfect solution; I can’t believe I never thought of this! I swear, you’re a baking genius, girl. The cookies will definitely be spiced up with the zest and fruitiness of the subtle orange flavor that will bring the 98% chocolate chip chocolate cookies to a nice, round 100%! I love this already, especially because I love cookies that are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Ahh, I’m already melting!
I’m making holiday cookies for my friends, and I think this recipe would finally complete my set of 4 different flavored cookies. Currently I have hazelnut, white chocolate, and dark chocolate mint. This is definitely going in the list.
I feel like licking my laptop screen just about right now, if only {wishful thinking}., wait i should make these cookies this week, besides Christmas is just a stone throw away, {rubbing chin}….oh my! they would be just awesome with a glass of cold milk…mmm, quite mouth-watering and tempting, all wrapped in one 😉
Oh, I remember my mother making cookies similar to these. Maybe I should convince her to make them again. It’s Christmas after all. If all else fails I can try to make them for myself, but I don’t really trust my cooking skills that much.
Oh my! I loved these chocolate oranges so much! My grandparents gave me a bunch of them as a main christmas gift, once. And I also think orange-chocolate is a great combination (or raspberry!choco), a bit sour, but mostly a nice smooth chocolaty. I don’t usually go for cookies, but these look delicious. 🙂
I know those chocolate oranges you are taking about – I love them too! These cookies look like they could certainly fill the void though.
Lovely simple recipe that looks pretty easy, I just wish I’d seen this when I was making batches of holiday cookies a few weeks ago. Oh well, I’ll just have to practice making them a few times this year before the next holidays…!
As nice as these looked, I’m not a big fan of orange and chocolate. I think I will try replace the orange with chocolate chip and see if I can replicate the original recipe!
I’m am a cookie monster:) I love cookies especially chocolate ones. This recipe sounds so good. The orange factor has got to be an even better treat gives it that kick. I would like to try this with a glass of cold milk yum.
I didn’t know that I would be a fan of chocolate and orange flavors mixed together until about about a month ago when I got some chocolate/orange See’s candy. The combination of the orange and the chocolate was so delicious. These cookies remind me of that candy. I can’t wait to make these, to see and to taste how they come out. I have a feeling that these will become a household favorite.
My mother used to get some kind of fancy chocolate orange candies when I was a kid. She loved them. I wasn’t all that interested in them, but I tried them when I was older, and I see why she was so crazy about them. The candy is what I thought of too, when I saw this.
I have seen the breakable orange things too. I actually got one for my mom once, since I couldn’t find the fancier ones she used to eat. She would really love these cookies. She doesn’t eat a lot of sweets, but I bet she would make an exception for these.
Great recipe, Chelsea. Thanks!
Those look so delicious and seem so easy to make. I have not ever paired the two flavors before but would love to give it a try. I enjoy chocolate and raspberry so I might just love this. Thanks for posting.
Mmm, they look delicious! I like the pairing of chocolate and orange too and imagine it would work so well in a cookie! The think I love about making cookies is that they are so quick to prepare and you never really have to worry about undercooking them!
Chocolate & orange goes really well together & I’ve found it’s really underutilized. My kids love to eat those Cuties clementines & I always zest them & freeze it so I can use them later in baking/cooking. This would be a perfect recipe for that zest. Yay!
Oh wow these look amazing. I was just looking for a Carrot Cake recipe or a Trifle as I have a day off an am bored out of my skin, but this recipe may have changed my mind (a hard thing to do!). Such a short cooking time too, I’m impressed. 🙂
Just as an update – I just made these on my own as I was bored. MAN do they look good. I think they turned out okay. See for yourself though 🙂
These look and sound absolutely scrumptious! I like that they don’t require a stand mixer, since I still haven’t replaced the one that broke, and I love the combination of chocolate and orange (or strawberry/raspberry), so this is one recipe I definitely want to try. I think I would substitute sea salt for regular table salt, mainly because I tend to use it for everything, and it could even enhance the flavors.
Although I have had chocolates with orange flavored cremes, I have never had it in cookie form. I prefer lemon over orange when it comes to mixing chocolate and citrus fruits.Sometimes you will never know what you will like until you start thinking outside the box. This maybe hard for children because some things seem so strange. Though as an adult, even I have a tendency to avoid something if it’s new to me.
Just looking at these makes me want some right now. The recipe looks pretty good too. I’m definitely making these my Christmas cookie special this year.
I never liked chocolate with any kind of fruit, it simply ruins the taste for me. That was until I found out about strawberries/oranges combined with dark chocolate. Never looked back since then, I try to include those combinations in a lot of my recipes.
Yuuumm, yuuummm!!! I think I just turned into a cookie monster, or cookie zombie! COOOOOKIIEESSS!! These cookies look utterly delicious! I can’t wait to taste these tasty looking treats. I like the fact that they don’t require a lot of ingredients, most I already have at home most of the time, and the recipe looks SUPER easy too make. I’m going to try making them a few times before Christmas, so that I can’t get them just right by then. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Chocolate and orange is definitely a divisive flavor combination. I picture those that defend it on one side of a wide field, charging at those who hate it. It culminates in this great war that destroys the land. And then I think, “gee, maybe I’m just nuts.” and I enjoy my chocolate/orange goodness.
I had no idea that around the world there’s a tradition of exchanging cookies on Christmas. That’s adorable!
I would love to get cookies like these. They look sooo much better than store-bought ones.
Chocolate and orange are a match made in heaven.
Now this sounds like the best kitchen made Christmas gift ever. I’m definitely going to try it out today. I just hope i do not mess the Christmas mood when my end product doesn’t come out similar to this. I mean, the recipe is too long.
I was born in Louisiana and raised in Texas., and I have never heard of chocolate and orange cookies! Is it just me? The double chocolate sounds good!! But I never even thought of putting orange with a chocolate cookie. Actually, it sounds great!! Is that a regional thing? Or did I just somehow miss out on something?
When I was a child, around holiday times we would always buy these little circular balls of chocolate that had a very distinct orange flavor to them. These cookies trigger massive flashbacks to them! I love how out of the box these are, I am going to add them to my list to try.
I don’t have a massive sweet tooth, but I love chip cookies, I love chocolate and I love chocolate and orange together so this recipe is going into my book to try at a later date.
Well anytime that I heard double chocolate, you can bet that my ears are perked up and you have my attention. On top of that, I do love things with a little orange twist, and a little zest to them. I am not the biggest baker out there either, and I am always looking to do more with sweets, so this would be a nice thing to work into the rotation. I am looking forward to these, and thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the recipe! I made these yesterday to use up some oranges I had. I was after a soft cookie, so I used only half the butter, and to make up the remainder of the missing butter, I used all of my remaining orange juice and some plain yogurt too (and reduced the sugar by 1/3).
I also put in double the orange zest. It could use even more next time I think!
A beautiful combination of ingredients, I LOVE dark chocolate and orange flavour.
Of course these would probably taste even more divine with no butter substitutes, I love the softness (and some degree of healthiness) of mine.
Thank you, I’ll be making these again!
Delicious, perfect chocolate cookies. Love that little hint of orange, especially for a holiday treat. This is a keeper!
It is 1:33 am and I should really go to bed but here I stand in my kitchen, making my second batch of these cookies, terrified that my dog will snatch the first batch.
Yes, people. They’re THAT good. They make me THAT paranoid. I’m sure the fatigue isn’t helping but these cookies are worth the yawns in the office tomorrow.
I would cook them for twelve minutes.
I just made these and YOOOO. These are amazing. My grater died so i didnt manage to get orange flavour in, but when I do next time, it’s gonna be lit. These are literally so yummy. I managed to get about 20 because a cookie is no good if it’s not big, and they are so yummy and soft and chewy. New favourite cookie. So so good.
Can anyone comment on the puffiness vs the dreaded flatness of these cookies? I make a chocolate chip (not from the back of Nestle’s chips) that calls for a greater ratio of flour to butter and then making into haystack shape and chilling before baking. They are indeed nice and puffy.
I give my work besties rolls or cartons of pre-made bake at home dough. Thus, the gift of home made cookies minus the work. This goes over so so SO much better than actually baking the cookies. The recipient gets to choose when to use/bake and cookies are fresh.
It’s a holiday life saver for my busy mom friends. Anyway, I am hoping these choc orange guys are the answer for 2018!
Are the cookies suppose to be cakey?? Because mine are cakey.. But they taste absolutely great and tasty!!
I was looking for an orange chocolate cookie recipe on the internet and stumbled across these. Made a double batch for a cookie exchange. They were a huge hit. So delicious. I added just a few drops of YL orange essential oil to give it a little more orange flavor. Nom nom nom!
I’ve made it twice and love them. I add a tablespoon of espresso powder to bump up the chocolate flavor.
Made these tonight and they were amazing!!!!! I added orange flavoring, just a little, and they are so good.
I want to make the chocolate orange cookies, but have a question. You have juice of half a large orange, about how much juice is that. I would hate to not add enough juice in the cookies. We made a chocolate orange bundt cake recently and it was fantastic. Thanks in advance for your answer.
This is about 1/8 cup of juice, or 2 tablespoons. Enjoy the cookies!
Thank you so much for your response! Will let you know when I make them. ????????
You’re welcome! Enjoy 🙂
Came across your recipe today looking for a way to use up oranges. They were good. Next time I would add more zest as I like them orangey ????