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!

Yield: 20 Cookies

Orange Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Name: Orange Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 20 Cookies
Cuisine: American
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)

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

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.
In a large bowl, beat together the vegan butter and sugars. Beat in the egg and then the vanilla; set aside.
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.
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.
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)

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

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

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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)

Ingredients

1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, room temp

1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup cane sugar*

1/3 cup extra light olive oil

2 tsp pure almond extract

3 Tbsp orange zest (2-3 medium oranges)

Instructions

Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. (Now is a good time to zest your oranges!)

In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar, olive oil, and almond extract. Whisk in the egg + egg yolk until mixture is totally smooth. Stir in the fresh orange zest. Add liquid ingredients to dry and gently mix with a wooden spoon or large spatula until no flour streaks remain. Cover and chill for at least two hours.

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop cookies (six at a time) 1.5 Tbsp in size, rolling them into smooth balls. I like to scoop all six of my cookies first and then roll each one smooth before placing it on my baking sheet. Slightly press down on each dough ball.

Bake at 350°F for 6-8 minutes. The cookies will puff up in the oven, and you'll know they're done when the centers no longer look wet. If you like your cookies extra chewy, then take them out when the centers look slightly wet/shiny.

Allow cookies to rest for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before gently moving them to a cooling rack. If you'd like, you can sprinkle sugar and/or orange zest over the tops of each cookie. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.