Chocolate Orange Cookies

It feels like AGES since I last made cookies, so I quickly cobbled together this recipe that turned out rather nicely indeed. You could buy orange flavour chocolate, although I find it tends to have little hard orangey pieces in which I find a tad gritty. So I use orange extract, which gives just the right depth of flavour and fragrance.

Prep time: 20 Mins

Baking time: 15 Mins

125g Unsalted Butter (softened)

185g Caster Sugar

1 Large Egg

1.5tsp Orange Extract

160g Plain Flour

1/2tsp Baking Powder

300 Dark Chocolate (Broken up into little pieces)

So here we go! Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a large flat baking tray with baking paper. I forewarn you, you will need to probably bake these in batches so unless you have a MASSIVE oven ready a few sheets! In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar, then beat in the egg and orange extract. Sift in the plain flour and baking powder and mix to a sticky dough. Fold through the chocolate and the dough is ready.

Take a small handful of the mixture and form into a loose ball, around the size of a golf ball. Space your balls evenly apart (as they will spread) and bake in the centre of the oven for around 15 minutes, until light golden brown and darkening at the edges. When you are happy they are baked remove from the oven and carefully slide the paper from the tray onto a wire rack. Repeat for the rest of the mixture. When the cookies have cooled for around 20 minutes carefully peel each from the paper and they are ready to eat warm, or served at room temperature. Nom nom nom!