Drop Cookies: Orange Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are soft and tender. They also melt in your mouth as they combine the delicate flavor of oranges with the sweetness of chocolate. This recipe uses semi-sweet chocolate, but you can substitute milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or even white chocolate. If using white chocolate, you might even want to dye it different colors based on the occasion. Use your imagination.


Ingredients


For the Cookies
⅔ cup sugar
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1⅓ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp orange zest


For the Glaze
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup butter
2 tbsp light corn syrup


Preparation


Heat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg and blend well. Add remaining cookie ingredients and combine until you have a soft dough. Shape into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly. You can use the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar to do this if you want.


Bake cookies for 8 minutes, until cookies are slightly browned. Cook 2 minutes on cookie sheet, then remove to wire rack and cool completely.


While the cookies are cool, prepare the glaze. Using a chocolate melter or saucepan on the stove, melt all glaze ingredients together, stirring occasionally. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Dip half of each cooled cookie into the glaze. Allow excess chocolate to dip back into glaze. Set cookie on wax paper. Repeat with remaining cookies.


Allow glaze to set completely. This can take 2 to 3 hours on the counter. You can shorten this process considerably if you place the cookies in the refrigerator. Either way, don't serve the cookies until the glaze is fully set.


This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies. They will keep for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container. If storing, place wax paper between layers of cookies so the glaze doesn't cause them to stick together.