Monday, August 18, 2008

Chocolate Chip Pistachio Candied Orange Cookies

Chocolate Pistachio Candied Orange Cookie
Steven and I are leaving for a much needed vacation tomorrow. Yippee! But before we go, I want to share a quick recipe.

After reading Jen's post on candied orange peels last October, I made a mental note to try this one day. I even put it on my summer to-do list (#63). Months later, as I was reading Christine's blog, Holy Basil, I saw that she too was inspired by Jen's candied orange peels and made her own candied citrus peels using tangelo and pomelo peels. Tangelo?! Brilliant! It just so happened that I received 2 tangelos in my CSA box that week. I immediately ate the tangelos and candied the peel. I'm not a big candy person so I had no interest in eating the peels straight but I couldn't wait to incorporate them into my baking. First, I added some finely chopped pieces to the blood orange olive oil cake. Then I thought of adding it to chocolate chip cookies because chocolate and orange go so well together and threw in some pistachios too because I just love the color.

Chocolate Chip Pistachio Candied Orange Cookies

2 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
12 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly
3/4 C brown sugar, packed
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 C semi or bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks
1/2 C pistachio halves, lightly toasted (be care to not burn)
1/3 C chopped candied orange pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.

In a bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda together. In a separate large bowl, whisk the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix about halfway evenly mixed then add the chocolate, nuts, and chopped candied orange, and mix until thoroughly combined and evenly distributed.

Place 1/4 C balls of dough on a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet. Space the dough about 3 inches apart. Using your hand press the dough ball down until it is about 3/4 in thick and about 2 1/2 inches across. The dough needs to be pressed down because the cookies do not spread much.

Bake at 350 deg F for 12 - 15 minutes. Bake until the outer edges are set and light golden brown but the middle is still soft and puffy.


Note: to make candied orange peels, head over to Jen's blog for the detailed instructions.

19 comments:

Patricia Scarpin said...

I hope you two have a ton of fun. And these cookies... I can look after them for you, sweetie. :)

Sylvie said...

Enjoy your trip. I hope you have some cookies left to take with you!

Anonymous said...

These cookies look delicious! I love the idea of that combination. Enjoy your vacation :)

Meeta K. Wolff said...

I love pistachios! and this is a grand idea for cookies! have fun!

RecipeGirl said...

Looks like a fun alternative to choc. chip cookies! Love the addition of that candied orange peel.

Anonymous said...

I have been craving freshly baked cookies lately...you basically read my mind.

Katie said...

These looks wonderful. All the flavours and colours go together so well.

Maria said...

Oh yum! Have fun on your vacation!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous! I'm having a hard time not licking my screen.

Amy said...

Patricia,
Aw thanks!

Sylvie,
Thank you! Sadly I took the cookies to a party a few weeks ago but I did bring some blueberry crumb bars.

Erin,
Thank you!

Meeta,
Me too! They taste fabulous and look so pretty!

Recipegirl,
The party guest thought it was a very interesting twist for sure.

Hillary,
Cookies are so much fun to make, I should make them more.

Katie,
Thanks!

Maria,
Thanks!

Mamageph,
Hehe. :D

Rachel Elizabeth said...

These look amazing. In fact they make me want to bake more often.

Anonymous said...

Wow! What a picture! Cookies look so real I almost had to bite a portion of my screen!

tara said...

What beautiful cookies; the texture looks perfect. Love the combination of flavors you've got going - elegant and unexpected.

My Sweet & Saucy said...

Love all the add-ins for the cookies...they sound so tasty!

Susan from Food Blogga said...

Oh, my gosh, these cookies have it all! Pistachio and orange are just beautiful together.

umelbanat said...

I love Pistachios ...love this recipe...thanks..

janelle said...

Hooray! I love unusual twists on chocolate chip cookies!!! AND I have a pile of pistachios...

Lael Meidal said...

I was searching for candied orange peels and your blog came up. So glad it did! This sounds like a delicious twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie. I love all three ingredients. beautiful blog.

Madeleine said...

I found this blog searching for cookie recipes, and this one looked so good I had to try it. And it was! This definitely beats my old chocolate chip cookie recipe by miles. And your pictures of them are beautiful!
Thanks for posting! :)

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