Orange Almond Chocolate Cookies (Printable)
Bright orange, crunchy almonds, and rich chocolate chunks in soft, chewy cookies ready in 32 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
→ Wet Ingredients
05 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
07 - 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
08 - 2 large eggs
09 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 - Zest of 2 oranges
→ Add-ins
11 - 1 cup chopped roasted almonds
12 - 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chunks or chips
# Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and fine sea salt until evenly distributed. Set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and packed light brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is pale, light, and fluffy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract and fresh orange zest until fully incorporated.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until the flour is no longer visible. Avoid overmixing to keep the cookies tender.
06 - Using a spatula, gently fold the chopped roasted almonds and dark chocolate chunks into the dough until evenly distributed throughout.
07 - Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading during baking.
08 - Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookie edges are golden while the centers remain soft and slightly underdone.
09 - Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes to set, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The orange zest perfumes the entire dough without needing any fancy extracts or oils.
- That crunch from roasted almonds against the soft melted chocolate is genuinely addictive.
- They look bakery level but come together with zero stress in about half an hour.
02 -
- Pulling the cookies out when the center looks slightly underbaked is the single secret to a chewy texture instead of a crunchy one.
- Overmixing after adding the flour develops gluten and turns tender cookies into something closer to little bread discs.
03 -
- Chill the dough for thirty minutes before baking if you want thicker cookies that spread less in the oven.
- Press a few extra chocolate chunks and almond pieces into the top of each dough ball before baking for that professional bakery look.