I’ve always loved the combination of chocolate and orange, which is exactly what inspired these Chocolate Orange Cookies. Give me a dark chocolate orange stick or a chocolate-covered orange cream, and I’m perfectly happy.
I especially love the dark chocolate orange sticks from Sweet Candy Company in Salt Lake City, Utah. When I was selling my cookies online and at different events around my city, I was always thinking about new cookie flavors I could create. One day, I decided to combine the orange cream center I love with a rich chocolate cookie, then add one of Sweet’s dark chocolate orange sticks on top.
The result was these Chocolate Orange Cream Cookies, the best of both worlds in one giant bakery-style cookie.
Although I’m no longer selling cookies the way I once did, I don’t plan on stopping the cookie creating anytime soon. There are far too many candies, desserts, memories, and favorite flavors still waiting to be turned into cookies.
How These Chocolate Orange Cookies Came Together
Some of the cookies I created while selling them were inspired by people I love. Others began with a favorite candy or flavor combination.
These Chocolate Orange Cookies definitely began with the candy.
Sweet Candy Company introduced its chocolate-covered orange jelly sticks in 1945, and they’re still one of the company’s classic candies. I’ve loved the dark chocolate version for years. You can read more about Sweet’s chocolate orange sticks on the company’s website.
I also love chocolate orange creams, especially the contrast between rich dark chocolate and the sweet, creamy orange center.
For this cookie, I decided to put a homemade orange cream center inside my chocolate cookie dough. I added dark chocolate chips to the top, then finished each warm cookie with a dark chocolate orange stick.
The chocolate cookie is slightly crisp on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle. Once you break it open, you find that creamy orange filling tucked inside.
Chocolate Orange Cream Cookies Recipe
Ingredients for the orange cream centers
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange extract
- Enough milk to moisten the filling
Ingredients for the chocolate cookie dough
- 3 cups packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 cup margarine, melted and cooled slightly
- 5 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange extract
- 4 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour, leveled (possibly more if needed)
- 3 cups dark chocolate chips
- Sweet’s Dark Chocolate Orange Sticks, optional
Prepare the orange cream centers
Melt the butter, then stir in the powdered sugar and orange extract until smooth.
If the mixture is too thick or crumbly, add a little milk, a few drops at a time. The orange cream should be creamy but still thick enough to hold its shape.
Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the orange cream onto a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate. Shape each portion into a ball, then place the centers in the freezer while you make the chocolate cookie dough.
Freezing the orange cream makes the cookies much easier to assemble. If the filling starts becoming too soft while you’re working, return it to the freezer for a few minutes.
Prepare the chocolate cookie dough
In a large mixing bowl, beat the melted butter, melted margarine, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until thoroughly combined.
Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and orange extract. Mix until everything is well incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and 6 cups of flour.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until the dough is combined. If the dough feels too soft or sticky to hold its shape, add more flour a little at a time.
If the dough seems unusually dry, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time. The finished dough should be soft and pliable, but it shouldn’t stick heavily to your hands.
Assemble the Chocolate Orange Cookies
For each giant cookie, portion approximately 5 ounces of chocolate cookie dough. I use two generous scoops from a 4-tablespoon cookie scoop and press them together.
Flatten the dough slightly, then place one frozen orange cream ball in the center.
Bring the dough up and around the filling. Pinch and smooth the seams until the orange cream is completely sealed inside the cookie dough.
Check the bottom and sides carefully. If you can see any filling, cover that spot with a little more dough. Completely sealing the center helps keep the orange cream from leaking while the cookies bake.
Place the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving plenty of room between them. Press dark chocolate chips into the top of each cookie.
Bake the cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F. If you’re baking at an elevation above 4,000 feet, try 325°F instead.
Bake the giant Chocolate Orange Cookies for approximately 16 to 18 minutes. The outside should look set, but the centers should still be soft.
Avoid baking the cookies until the centers look completely firm. They will continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet.
Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes. While they’re still warm and the chocolate chips are soft, gently press a dark chocolate orange stick into the top of each cookie.
The orange sticks are optional, but I love how they make the inspiration behind these Chocolate Orange Cream Cookies immediately recognizable.
This recipe makes approximately 2 dozen large cookies or 6 dozen regular-sized cookies.
My Best Tips for Chocolate Orange Cookies
My best advice is to bake one cookie before putting the entire pan into the oven.
Start with 6 cups of flour, assemble one stuffed cookie, and bake it. Then take a good look at the finished cookie.
Did it spread too much? Add a little more flour to the remaining dough.
Did it hold its shape while developing a slightly crisp outside and a soft, chewy center? Leave the dough alone and bake the rest.
I’ve learned that my cookie dough doesn’t always need exactly the same amount of flour from one batch to the next. One test cookie can tell you whether the dough needs an adjustment before you bake the whole batch.
At lower elevations, I recommend starting at 350°F. I bake at just over 4,000 feet, where I’ve found that 325°F works well for my giant Chocolate Orange Cookies. Your oven and the exact size of your cookies can also affect the baking time, which is another reason I recommend baking one test cookie first.
If you want to make regular-sized cookies, use a smaller amount of dough and approximately 1 tablespoon of orange cream filling. Reduce the baking time and begin checking the cookies early.
For the best results, keep the orange cream centers frozen until you’re ready to place them inside the dough. Warm, soft filling will be much harder to seal inside the cookies.
Storing and Freezing Chocolate Orange Cookies
Once the cookies have cooled completely, place them in an airtight container. If we aren’t going to eat them soon, I freeze them rather than refrigerating them because I’ve found that refrigeration dries my cookies out much too quickly.
I never refrigerate my cookies because I find that the refrigerator dries them out much too quickly. If we aren’t going to eat them within the next few days, I freeze them instead.
Place the cooled Chocolate Orange Cookies in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. If you’re stacking them, separate the layers with parchment paper to protect the chocolate chips and orange sticks.
Before reheating one of these cookies in the oven, remove the chocolate orange stick from the top. If you leave it on, the chocolate coating and orange jelly center can melt into a sticky mess.
When I want to reheat a frozen cookie, I place the cookie, without the orange stick, directly into a cool oven. Then I turn the oven to 350°F and warm it for approximately 8 to 12 minutes, depending on its size.
This gently warms the orange cream center and brings back that soft, chewy cookie texture. You can enjoy the orange stick separately or place it back on top after the cookie has cooled slightly.
You can also let a frozen Chocolate Orange Cream Cookie thaw at room temperature if you don’t want to warm it.
More Cookie Baking Tips
For more of the things I’ve learned through years of baking big, thick cookies, read my Tips for the Perfect Cookie for help with flour, spreading, texture, baking times, altitude adjustments, and more.
Another Chocolate Cookie to Try
If you love chocolate cookies inspired by favorite candies, try my Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies next. They combine rich chocolate cookie dough, dark chocolate chips, peppermint, and crushed candy canes for a completely different flavor that tastes like Christmas to me.
From a Favorite Candy to a Cookie
These Chocolate Orange Cream Cookies combine so many flavors I love. There’s a rich chocolate cookie, plenty of dark chocolate chips, a creamy orange center, and an optional dark chocolate orange stick on top.
Explore More Bakery-Style Cookie Recipes
These Chocolate Orange Cream Cookies are a perfect example of how a favorite candy can turn into a completely new cookie idea. You can browse all of my bakery-style cookie recipes for more stuffed cookies, giant chocolate cookies, seasonal favorites, family recipes, and unexpected flavor combinations.
Creating unexpected flavors like this was one of my favorite parts of selling cookies. Even though that season of my life has changed, I still love wondering what favorite candy, dessert, or family memory I can turn into a cookie next.
I hope I never run out of ideas.
Making every house feel a little more like home.
