• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Sugared & Stirred

dairy-free. still delicious.

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Bars + Brownies
    • Breads
    • Cake
    • Cookies
    • Gluten-Free
    • Ice Cream + Popsicles
    • Pies + Pastries
    • Vegan
  • About
  • Contact
  • Resources
    • FAQ
    • Shop
    • Work with Me

Orange Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies (DF + vegan option)

March 10, 2020 by Rachael Ng 5 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Who else loved those orange flavored chocolate oranges as a kid?! You know, the ones that are – for whatever reason – popular at Christmas time. I’m going to go ahead and say those little, smack-able oranges are the sole reason I’m such a fan of chocolate orange flavored desserts as an adult. Orange chocolate bars, orange brownies, orange chocolate cupcakes (coming soon!) – I’ll take them all!

These cookies are the perfect mash up of orange and chocolate. Dark chocolate cookies (thanks to the wonderfully rich Dutched cocoa) with pools of melted dark chocolate chunks and tons of fresh orange zest. For me, the orange zest adds just enough flavor without being overwhelming. And then I added more on top of each cookie because just look how pretty it is!

This cookie dough comes together like any other standard dough – mix wet, then dry, and stir it all together with a big spoon. There’s no refrigeration required (woo hoo!), so you’re only minutes away from delicious and rich orange chocolate cookies!

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Vegan butter keeps these cookies tasting like regular, butter-filled cookies! If you’d like, you can replace it with solid coconut oil (either refined, which is flavorless, or unrefined). Tip: if using coconut oil and it’s liquid, you can place it in the refrigerator until it solidifies.

Coconut sugar is my go-to sugar for baked goods. It’s low GI, unrefined, and tastes nothing like coconut! It’s a bit better for us than regular white sugar, so I like to use it whenever I can.

Brown sugar lends moisture and sweetness to these cookies. With the added molasses in brown sugar, these cookies come out wonderfully chewy.

Dutch process cocoa powder is richer in flavor and darker in color than regular cocoa powder. The chocolate flavor is heightened with this kind of cocoa powder, but if you’re having a hard time finding it at your local store, you can use natural (regular) cocoa powder. Tip: Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa has been reformulated to contain 100% Dutched cocoa.

Dark chocolate chunks (chopped from a chocolate bar) create those wonderful melty pools of chocolate! Chocolate chips or chunks from a bag are made to keep their shape, so if you want the melty pools then go for the chopped chocolate! Tip: Trader Joe’s sells 1 pound bars of dairy-free dark and semi-sweet chocolate for $5 – perfect for baking!

Continue to Content
Yield: 20 Cookies

Orange Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Orange Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

The perfect dark chocolate cookies, loaded with dark chocolate chunks and lots of fresh orange zest! Crispy at the edges and chewy in the middle, these rich, citrus-y cookies make for a delicious chocolate treat!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened (or solid coconut oil)
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 6 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temp
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 6 Tbsp Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 cup chopped dairy-free dark chocolate or chocolate chips
  • Zest of 2 large oranges (+ extra for topping, if desired)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the vegan butter and sugars. Beat in the egg and then the vanilla; set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together until uniform in color. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and use a large wooden spoon or spatula to mix until nearly combined. Stir in 1 cup of the chopped chocolate and the orange zest.
  4. Scoop dough balls 1.5 Tbsp in size. Top each dough ball with extra chopped chocolate (you should have 1/4 cup remaining for this purpose). Bake six cookies at a time at 350°F for 5 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. If desired, sprinkle cookies with extra orange zest.
  5. I recommend enjoying these cookies warm! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

    Notes

    For vegan cookies: replace the egg with 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp water, mix and allow to thicken for 5 minutes)

    Recommended Products

    As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    • Cookie Baking Sheets
      Cookie Baking Sheets
    • Small Cookie Scoop, 1.5 Tbsp
      Small Cookie Scoop, 1.5 Tbsp
    • Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
      Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls

    Nutrition Information:

    Yield:

    20

    Serving Size:

    1

    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 180Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 134mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 2gSugar: 16gProtein: 2g

    calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

    © Rachael
    Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

    More orange recipes:

    Orange Loaf with Almond Buttercream (dairy-free + vegan option)
    Grain-Free Orange Brownies (dairy-free)
    Soft & Chewy Orange Sugar Cookies (dairy-free)
    Glazed Orange Almond Muffins (dairy-free + vegan option)

    Share this:

    • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
    • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
    • Click to print (Opens in new window)

    Filed Under: Cookies, Dairy-free, Vegan Tagged With: chocolate chunk, chocolate orange cookies, dairy free cookies, double chocolate cookies, orange, orange chocolate, orange cookies, vegan cookies

    Previous Post: « Soft Iced Lemon Cookies (DF)
    Next Post: Chocolate Orange Cupcakes (DF + vegan option) »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Namrata

      May 31, 2020 at 9:08 am

      Can we use caster sugar or icing sugar instead of coconut sugar?

      Reply
      • Rachael Ng

        June 7, 2020 at 3:38 pm

        I haven’t baked with caster sugar as it’s not widely used/available here in the US. You can try using brown or white granulated sugar, but I wouldn’t use powdered/icing sugar. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    2. Constance

      September 22, 2020 at 8:54 am

      I made the recipe! By substituting vegan butter to softened coconut oil, and egg to flax eggs, it came out very greasy, very crispy on the edge but the middle is fine. But despite the appearance, the cookies tastes extremely delicious! I’d do more experiments on these cookies to achieve the perfect one 😉

      Reply
      • Rachael Ng

        September 24, 2020 at 1:34 am

        I’m so glad you liked these (despite the appearance – ha!)! I’ve found that coconut oil makes cookies spread more than the vegan butter, and it creates a thin/crispy edge if there’s not enough flour to bind the cookies. You could always try adding a bit more flour to thicken them up 😉

        Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Chocolate Orange Cupcakes (DF + vegan option) | Sugared & Stirred says:
      March 16, 2020 at 8:11 pm

      […] Orange Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies (dairy-free + vegan option) […]

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Meet Rachael

    Hi! I’m Rachael, a home baker who creates dairy-free, indulgent treats. As a sweets lover and former candy addict, I believe we shouldn’t have to give up everything we love in pursuit of wellness. That’s why I create delicious and approachable desserts that you can enjoy, in moderation, no matter your goals! Because, let’s face it, sometimes you just need a giant slice of frosted cake, sans guilt! Read More…

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Never miss a recipe!

    Instagram

    S’mores Chocolate Chip Cookies are stuffed with marshmallow, tons of chocolate, and plenty of graham cracker crumbs and pieces!! ✨The weather has been slowly warming and we all know that summer = s’mores! 🪵🔥 What’s your fave s’mores dessert?!
    Vegan Classic Brownies made perfectly chewy and delicious! 🤎 Baked with standard pantry ingredients, these brownies are simple to make and taste just as good as the non-vegan version 😇 Find the recipe at the link in my bio @sugaredandstirred
    My soft-baked Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Cookies are out-of-this-world delicious!! 💫 Roll them in sugar or chocolate sprinkles for an extra mouth-watering aesthetic 🤤 Find the recipe linked in my bio, friends! @sugaredandstirred 🤎
    NEW! ✨ Your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough dipped or drizzled in luscious chocolate! This classic cookie dough is seriously irresistible and made safe to eat using applesauce and heat-treated flour. I promise you won’t taste the apple! Just sweet, sweet cookie dough just the way you love 😋 Find the recipe at the link in my bio @sugaredandstirred 💛
    Soft-baked Peanut Butter Cookie Bars loaded with chocolate chips and nutty, sweet spelt flour! ✨ These irresistibly moist cookie bars are made with olive oil and a bit of low GI coconut sugar (plus brown sugar!). Find them at the link in my bio 💛
    🍋✨NEW✨🍋 Lemon Ginger Cupcakes have hit the blog! Make them mini or standard size - whatever you do, you’ll LOVE these! Soft, springy cake flavored with fresh lemon & fresh ginger. All topped with an easy lemon ginger buttercream. Find the recipe at the link in my bio 💖
    Blueberry Thyme Collagen Muffins made with @ancientnutrition ‘s new Multi Collagen Protein!! 🫐😋 [ad] The new formula, now with fermented collagen, has the power of 5 collagen types! Plus both vitamin C and probiotics ✨ Mix the unflavored powder into these muffins as a tasty way to get more collagen. YUM. Check out the link in my bio to shop the @ancientnutrition Multi Collagen Protein or head to your local @target ❤️ Find the recipe for these amazing healthier muffins below!
    Mini Banana Cupcakes are perfect for the upcoming Easter weekend! 🌸 Topped with a dark chocolate frosting, these two-bite cupcakes will be loved by all ☺️ Find them at the link in my bio!
    Salted Caramel Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies will always be one of my favorites! A soft, vegan-friendly cookie made with a silky, chewy caramel ✨ Have you made these?? They’re a reader favorite, and I’ve loved seeing your bakes! 🥰❤️

    Top Recipes

    • S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookies (dairy-free)
    • Vegan Classic Brownies
    • Brownie Sandwich Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting (dairy-free)
    • Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Cookies (dairy-free)
    • Peanut Butter Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

    Footer

    Connect with Me

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.