Anyone else love chocolate oranges around the holidays? I used to not be the biggest fan but in the last year or so I’ve completely fallen fallen in love with the flavor combo, hence these gluten free chocolate orange cookies! They’re super indulgent, nearly brownie texture, and chock full of candied orange peel which is another favorite treat. I’ve been on a cookie recipe development adventure these past couple of months, and this one is a bit late to the game but ooooooh so worth making.
Tips for the richest gluten free chocolate orange cookies!
- Cream the butter + sugars for at LEAST 3 minutes. It’s wild how important this step is and how much your butter and sugar will transform after beating it with an electric mixer for minutes and minutes. It’ll change color (become much lighter), look actually creamy (hence the term), and be a bit fluffy. That’s what you’re going for!
- Use DUTCHED cocoa powder! This means that the unsweetened cocoa has been processed with an alkalizing agent that results in a mellower, earthier (I think chocolatier) flavor, and it’s generally the cocoa I like using when baking. This will get you closer to that velvety, rich dark chocolate mouthfeel! My favorite brand is Droste dutched cocoa powder – it’s a bit tricky to find and I end up usually ordering it online, but it’s soooooo worth it!
- Chill that dough! I recommend at least 1. If you end up chilling it longer though, be sure to let it rest at room temp for about 45 minutes to an hour because it will be too cold/hard at that point and the cookie dough won’t spread as much.
- Don’t overbake those cookies! This is basically the biggest key to getting that chewy center: if you overbake, the center will be just like the edges, crispy and crunchy with no chew. You want the cookie dough to be still soft/look a bit underbaked (they’re safely baked, don’t worry) in the center and as the cookies cool, the center will settle into that glorious chewy bit.
- Let those cookies cool!! Because the key is to not bake them to a crisp/cakey disc, the center of your cookies will be very very soft until they cool and set, so let them hang out on the counter (I know, the temptation is real), for at least 15 minutes.
- Heighten the chocolate flavor with coffee! This is such a great tip for anything chocolatey that you’re baking. Coffee deepens the chocolate flavor (I don’t know the food science behind but it’s a thing lol) and adds an overall richness. It’s optional but highly highly recommended! You can add more instant coffee granules too if you want a bit more of a mocha taste!
If you’re into chocolate like I am, here are some other epic treats! Dark chocolate raspberry cake, triple chocolate cake, chocolate pear muffins, chocolate peanut butter cookies, chocolate earl grey cake, chocolate raspberry cupcakes, double chocolate muffins, chocolate shortbread, black forest cake, or brownie + s’mores cupcakes!
Gluten Free Chocolate Orange Cookies
These ultra-rich chocolate cookies are studded with zesty candied orange peel for the perfect choco orange treat!
Servings: 20 cookies
Calories: 350kcal
Equipment
- Cookie sheets
- Electric mixer
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 Cup softened salted butter 227g
- ½ Cup packed light brown sugar 112g
- 1 ½ Cup white sugar 345g
- 1 large egg plus one egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract 10ml
- 1 Tbsp orange extract 15ml
- 1 ½ Cup gluten free 1-1 flour mix that contains xanthan gum (240g) if your mix does not contain xanthan gum add 1/2 tsp (1g) now
- ¾ Cup unsweetened dutched cocoa powder 87g
- 1 tsp baking soda 8g
- ¾ tsp salt 4g
- 1 Cup candied orange peel 220g ¼ inch pieces or smaller
- 1 Cup chocolate chips 200g
- ½ Cup extra candied orange peel for topping 55g ¼ inch pieces or smaller
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the room temp butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until lighter and fluffy (3-5 minutes – don't skimp on this step!). Add in the egg plus egg yolk and beat until smooth. Then, in a small bowl, stir together the vanilla and orange extracts and the instant coffee granules until dissolved, then pour into the cookie dough and beat until combined. Add in the flour (and xanthan gum if needed), unsweetened dutched cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and mix by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula until fully combined (it will be stiff). Finally, mix in the chocolate chips and 1 cup (220g) of the chopped candied orange peel until they're fully distributed. Scoop dough into a smaller bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Once the cookie dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit (180° C, no fan) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Then start scooping out the cookie dough and rolling it into 2 inch round balls. Roll each ball in the extra candied orange peel to press a small amount into the top of the cookie dough ball, then place 2-3 balls on the cookie sheet (~4 inches apart) and bake for 10-12 minutes (I do exactly 11 – they should be slightly underdone!). Let cookies cool COMPLETELY before removing from the cookie sheet (15-20 minutes) – they will be chewy in the center and crispy on the edges! I use a large round cookie cutter to push the edges into a circle right after they come out of the oven as the cookies will spread in sometimes bizarre shapes!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your cookies!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
