Chocolate and orange is one of the best combinations in a dessert: the bright citrus mixing with the creamy chocolate; it’s a match made in heaven. The chocolate cookies have orange in them and taste great with the fluffy, orange frosting. This recipe, which comes from one of my favorite Italian chefs, Giada De Laurentiis, will not disappoint at any event.
To make the cookie dough, I creamed my sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Then, in another bowl, I combined the dry ingredients including orange zest. This recipe also called for cornmeal as well as flour which added a nice crunch to the cookie. Afterwards, I added the dry to the butter mixture and stirred with a wooden spoon until combined. As it turns out, using a wooden spoon decreases the amount of air that goes into the dough which in turn makes for a better cookie.
I let the dough cool in the fridge for about an hour and then began rolling it out. I cut out round cookies and placed them on a lined cookie sheet. I used a spatula to transfer the cookies from my work surface to the cookie sheet which made it a lot easier and left the round shape intact. While the cookies baked, I combined orange zest, butter, powdered sugar, and a hint of orange juice to make the frosting.
When the cookies had cooled and the orange frosting was fluffy, I began the process of making cookie sandwiches. I spooned a dollop of frosting onto a cookie and topped with a second. When I pressed them together, I made sure that the frosting was evenly spread between the cookies. When I tried one, there was just enough of a crunch from the cookie to contrast the creamy frosting and the chocolate and orange flavors both shown. Next time, I might make my cookies a little thinner but otherwise, these cookies were delicious. Give it a try, if you have any comments on the recipe, leave them below. Bon Appetit!
Italian Sandwich Cookies
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis
Makes 6 sandwich cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 orange, zested
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 orange, zested plus 2 tablespoons juice
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale an fluffy.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and orange zest.
Add flour mixture to butter and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
Mold dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
On a floured board, roll dough out to 1/4-inch thick.
Cut out cookies with a round cookie cutter and place on a lined baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes and transfer to a wire rack.
For frosting, combine butter, powdered sugar, orange zest, and orange juice with an electric mixer until smooth.
Once cookies are cool, place one to teaspoons of frosting on half of the cookies and top each with a remaining cookie.
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