I feel like I'm re-uniting with an old high school friend and things are awkward because so much time has passed. But in this instance, I don't come empty-handed.
Today is the first of December. Know what that means? For the second year, it means 25 Days of Christmas in Cookies! (On a side note, I am thrilled that I have the opportunity to be able to do this for a second year.)
I have been doing some "research" and found an overwhelming number of cookie recipes for this event. But in addition to finding already created recipes, what about ones I will make as I go? And then the classics need to be taken into consideration. And then there are the hits from last year I'd like to bring back. Whew. Kind of sends the head reeling, doesn't it?
The phrase "one day at a time" comes to mind. So let's focus on today.
Oh, and by the way. While we were on our trip in Canada, Abby accidentally broke my camera and I am now adjusting to a new one from my Mom....please bear with me while I figure it out. haha It may mean either no pictures or blurry pictures. I'll get the hang of it before the month is out...I hope. :)
I'm calling them Chocolate Covered Oranges because they really remind me of those chocolate "oranges" in the candy aisle. And this year I have a new assistant in the kitchen. You'll recall my lil helper last year.
Well somehow she ended up in Kindergarten this year. Seriously, how does time go by this quickly??? So I enlisted the help of another lil one. :)
While looking through my cupboards for inspiration, my eyes came upon a rather large container of Nutella. And then I saw the oranges sitting in a basket on my counter. And voila!
Chocolate Covered Oranges
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Nutella
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, light
- 1 egg
- zest from 2 oranges (approximately 1 tsp)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat and then set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
Using my stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and granulated sugar. Once that is mixed together, beat in the Nutella followed by the brown sugar.
After scraping down the sides, beat in the egg.
Slowly, beat in the flour mixture. The cookie dough will seem dry, but don't worry. Now beat in the orange zest. Be sure to scrape the sides down and mix for another minute or so. You want to make sure the orange zest is spread as evenly as possible throughout the dough. At this point, feel free to like the beater and spatula. Abby did. :)
Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the prepared sheets. I actually rolled mine to help it stay together a little better and then slightly flattened the dough balls once they were on the sheet.
Enjoy!!
What yummy cookies, and terrific helpers.
ReplyDeleteThank you! And they make good taste-testers too. ;)
ReplyDelete