Nothing compares to hot out of the oven melty chocolate chip cookies, am I right? Sink your teeth into these double chocolate chip hazelnut orange cookies…mmmmmm.
These cookies are excellent stress reducers, so let’s begin baking, shall we?
For the Hazelnuts
If you can find roasted and chopped hazelnuts then you can just fold them into the dough as is. But they are harder to find certain times of the year so I buy whole raw hazelnuts.
You’ll need to toast the hazelnuts for a few minutes to release the flavor and remove most of the skin.
Don’t worry if you can’t get all of the skin off because as you chop them, more will fall off. Watch the recipe video to see how I remove the skins with a clean kitchen towel.
Recipe Tips
- Use softened butter in the dough
- I prefer dark chocolate chips because the dough is nice and sweet
- Use a stand mixer or a handheld mixer to mix the sugar, butter, and wet ingredients.
- When incorporating the dry ingredients, nuts, and chocolate, either pulse the stand mixer or stir with a spatula so as to not overmix the dough.
- If you want the BEST orange flavor add both orange zest and orange liquor (triple sec works well)
- Once the cookie dough is scooped add in extra chocolate chips on the top of the cookies for a nice presentation.
Can I freeze some of this cookie dough?
Absolutely! You can scoop out the cookie dough into balls and place them on a sheet pan to freeze. Once frozen, you can put them in a ziploc bag in the freezer and bake from frozen when you are ready to enjoy them.
They will need to bake a little longer if they are frozen, but try not to overbake them so they stay soft and gooey. It’s better to slightly under-bake them and let them finish baking on the counter.
How chocolatey are these cookies?
These cookies appear a bit more “blonde” in color because I used a less expensive cocoa powder. I tested this recipe again with a “Dutch process” cocoa powder which has a deeper color and richer cocoa flavor and it turned the cookies a much darker color. If you want more intense chocolate flavor, opt for the Dutch process cocoa or use the “special dark” blend from Hershey’s for a readily available brand.
More delicious cookies recipes
- Chai Snickerdoodle Cookies (ah..ma…zing)
- Pistachio Rose Water Cookies (so unique and flavorful)
Bon Appetit Ya’ll,
Leslie O.
Double Chocolate Hazelnut Orange Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter softened to room temp
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp cocoa powder preferably "Dutch process" cocoa for deeper chocolate flavor
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup whole raw hazelnuts you can use pre- toasted and chopped hazelnuts too
- 1 large orange, zested
- ½ tsp orange liquor (like triple sec or grand marnier) omit if you don't have
Instructions
For the Hazelnuts
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the hazelnuts if they are raw for about 5-7 minutes until the skins start to break on the surface. Remove from the oven and wrap them inside a clean kitchen towel. Rub your hands over the towel to release the skins from the nuts. Remove as much of the skins as you can, but don’t worry if some of the skin remains intact. Chop the nuts coarsely and set aside.
For the Cookies
- Keep the oven at 350 degrees.
- Cream the butter and regular sugar and brown sugar for about 1-3 minutes on medium-high speed in a stand mixer with the beater attachment or with a handheld mixer until the butter resembles mayonnaise.
- Add the eggs one at at a time along with the vanilla, orange zest, and orange liquor (if using) and mix on low speed, scraping the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
- Whisk the all purpose flour, cocoa powder, and salt together in a separate bowl.
- Add in the dry ingredients a little at at a time over low speed and mix just until all the ingredients are incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts until evenly distributed, but don’t over mix. If using a stand mixer, pulse the mixer to barely mix or you can stir them in with a wooden spoon to ensure you don't overmix.
- Scoop evenly sized portions onto a parchment-lined baking sheet about four inches apart . The scoops should be about 2 Tbsp. each. You may need to press each scoop together with your hands to ensure the ingredients form together.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are just a tad under-baked. They will continue to bake as they sit on the counter. I baked a batch and all of the cookies except for one was baked through after resting for a few minutes, so I just baked that one cookie for 1 extra minute instead of overbaking the entire sheet pan.Baking them less lends a softer gooey cookie and will help them stay moist longer. When in doubt, try one cookie, and if it’s under baked, put it back in the oven for 1-2 minutes. Always SET A TIMER so you don’t over bake your cookies 🙂
- Store in an airtight container for up to three days. They are best if enjoyed within 24 hours.
- This recipe makes about 12 cookies.
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