December 2013
Brown bags became a covering for the wooden kitchen table. Once the cookies had cooled sufficiently on a rack, my mom would transfer them to the paper. I can still see the circular imprints from the buttery bottoms. She’d cover that impressively long wooden table with cookies and fill the house with their fresh-baked scent. I would do my part to eat them while they were still warm, soft and gooey. From my little step-stool, my mom’s massive cookie endeavors always seemed effortless.
This year, I holed away and made cookies for hours upon hours for a Harvest & Gather winter market. Though I covered my long dining room table with cookies, the word to describe my endeavor was “frenzy.” One element from my cookie memories remained the same though. I still took time to eat these double chocolate cookies while they were warm, soft and gooey.
Double Chocolate, Orange, Cranberry & Hazelnut Cookies
makes ~4 dozen
Ingredients
2 cups white whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup pure cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup organic, unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup organic pure cane sugar
2/3 cup organic brown sugar
2 large organic eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon orange zest
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup chocolate chunks (pref. dark chocolate chips)
1/2 cup hazelnuts
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together melted butter and sugars.
Mix in the eggs, stirring them in one at a time, then add the vanilla and orange zest.
With the mixer on low or working by hand, stir in the flour mixture, mixing until no streaks of flour remain.
Stir in dried cranberries, chocolate chunks and hazelnuts.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet (dough balls were a bit larger than 1 inch in diameter). Leave about 2 to 3-inches between cookies to allow for spread.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, until cookies are set at the edges and tops are slightly cracked looking. Cool on baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Bon appétit!
-Quelcy
