Orange Almond Chocolate Cookies

My husband always asks me to make chocolate chip cookies, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that one day when I asked him to find a chocolate cookie for me to make, he came up with a recipe that in many ways is very much a chocolate chip cookie. But this recipe is so much more than that, too, so I was excited to try it right away. I was also making these for a new group of folks, and sometimes you don’t want to get too adventurous the first time you bake for a new group of people!

My good friend from high school loves the combination of orange and chocolate, so I used to find and make those recipes all the time. We don’t see each other as often as our jobs are further apart, so I haven’t made any of those recipes in a long time. This recipe includes those flavors and adds ground almonds to the mix, which to me sounded like the best combination ever. The cookie seemed both simple and extravagant at the same time.

These came together quickly. You could use chocolate chips if you didn’t want to spend the time chopping the chocolate. The dough for these smelled wonderful; they smelled great when they were baking, and they taste so good! The ground almonds give the cookies a nice crunch and the chocolate and orange, of course, are great together! I think these are a big winner.

1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and orange zest until well mixed but not fluffy. Add the egg yolk, almond extract and orange juice and stir until well combined.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, almonds and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix until most of the flour is absorbed. Add the chocolate and mix until well distributed. You may need to mix the final bit by hand with a spatula.

Scoop the cookies out by rounded tablespoons on the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 12 to 16 minutes, until the edges are just golden brown. Cool on the pan for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Evil Shenanigans