Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie with ZEST, Part Deux

So for the last post, I came up with a cookie recipe. This recipe involved various stuff (nuts, orange zest) added to a base recipe I found online. The base recipe involved only 1 stick of butter and some milk, which was a little unusual.

The cookies were fantastic, flavorful, tender--buuutt, a day or so later, they turned dry and crumbly. They completely lost their pizazz.

So I decided to try the same flavors but with a different base cookie recipe--a more typical base recipe involving 2 sticks of butter. This time, here we are a few days later, and the cookies still have a fantastic texture, chewiness, and flavor. Hoorah!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie with Orange Zest, Dried Cherries, and Walnuts
(An adaptation of a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe )


2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks of butter, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/2 cup fair-trade dutch-processed cocoa

1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (crunched by hand)
1/3 cup dried cherries (each ripped in half or chopped)
zest of 1 orange

1) Beat both sugars, butter, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until fluffy.
2) Add the eggs one at a time. Mix.
3) Add the cocoa, flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix.
4) Add in the chocolate chips, dried cherries, walnuts, and orange zest. Mix.
5) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
6) Drop spoonfuls of dough onto the cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 9-11 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheets before taking off the cookie sheets.


While my husband and I really love these, I already have Variation #3 in mind. A minor change, but I think it could be significant. This past variation had the right flavor and maintained its composure over time. But I think the dough was too thick (I think caused by the addition of the cocoa powder), so the cookies are more cake-like. I think if I diminished the flour to compensate for the addition of the cocoa powder, the cookies might have a touch more of the consistency I am going for.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (up to 2 cups if the consistency of the dough needs it)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks of butter, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/2 cup fair-trade dutch-processed cocoa

1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (crunched by hand)
1/3 cup dried cherries (each ripped in half or chopped)
zest of 1 large orange, or 2 regular sized oranges

Pictures from Variation #2

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie with ZEST!

No pictures yet. I'm lazy and the kitchen is almost done ...

But I wanted to post this recipe so that I don't forget how I made it. Because it is friggin' fantastic. Sort of insane.

I recently had an amazing ice cream cookie sandwich made with chocolate cookies at a specialty chocolate shop here in Brooklyn. Tonight, I made these cookies. And then I went ahead and made an ice cream sandwich using two cookies and cherry vanilla ice cream ... My husband and I both agree that these ice cream sandwiches were actually better and more luxurious and more impressive than the ones sold at the fancy chocolate shop.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie with Orange Zest, Dried Cherries, and Walnuts
(An adaptation of this classic chocolate cookie recipe)

1 stick butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup fair-trade dutch-processed cocoa
1 & 1/2 cups flour
large handful of chocolate chips
large handful of dried cherries (each ripped in half or chopped)
large handful of walnuts (crunched by hand)
zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup milk
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder (heaping)

1) Beat the sugar and butter in a mixing bowl until fluffy.
2) Add the vanilla and egg. Mix.
3) Add the cocoa, flour, chocolate chips, dried cherries, walnuts, and orange zest. Mix.
4) Add the milk. (Add a little more until the cookie dough is the right consistency.)
5) Add the salt and baking powder. Mix.
6) Chill for 15 minutes (up to 30 minutes if needed). During this time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter the cookie sheets.
7) Drop spoonfuls of dough onto the cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 12-15 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheets before taking off the cookie sheets.