Q is for Quaker Oats: Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies (Jennifer)

Hello readers!
A few months ago, I was at Anthropologie and spotted a neat book called "Milk and Cookies." It's a book about, you guessed it, milk and cookies. Eighty-nine recipes to be exact of sweet and pure cookie goodness. I finally had a chance to crack open this book recently to really pour over the recipes in hopes of finding a nugget of inspiration for this week's letter.

And whadd'ya know? Nestled in the pages between Milk Chocolate Caramel Cookies and White Chocolate Macademic Nut Cookies was this little gem of a recipe for Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies. Now, I know what you're thinking...wasn't my secret ingredient this week for Quaker Oats? Well, yes. Yes, it was. Now allow me to explain how this all comes together. It works. I promise. : )

Milk Chocolate-Orange Cookies
from Milk and Cookies cookbook, by Tina Casaceli

First, you need to make the vanilla-oats base dough:

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, or 2 cups oatmeal flour
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Directions
Place oats in the bowl of a food processor fitted with metal blade and process until finely ground. (Or use ground oat flour and skip this step.) Transfer the ground oats to a large mixing bowl and add in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.



Put the butter in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle. Beat on low speed until soft, then increase speed to medium and beat until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Gradually add granulated sugar and then brown sugar, beating until very light and creamy.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, and beat to incorporate, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and when blended, slowly beat in the reserved dry mixture. Stop while the dough is still streaky, and scrape it out onto a floured surface. Divide dough into 2 sections and gently knead each with your hands until just blended. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 3 days (or freeze for up to a month). Take out 10 minutes before ready to bake.

To assemble and bake: Preheat the oven to 350°. Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. For each cookie, take about a 1 1/2-inch ball of dough and knead in toppings as desired. For nuts, fruits, and candy, add what you like as long as there's enough dough to bind together the ingredients. For intensely flavored add-ins, like extracts, zests, salts, and spices, use a very small pinch, less than 1/8 tsp. (See combination suggestions, right.)

Place cookies evenly on prepared sheets, giving each enough room to spread. Bake until center sets and cookies are lightly golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

For the milk chocolate-orange cookies:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier liqueur
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
• 2 cups milk chocolate chunks
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (I didn't use these)

Directions

Prepare the vanilla base dough as directed above. While the dough is still streaky, beat in the liqueur and orange zest. Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape the paddle clean. Lightly flour a clean, flat work surface. Scrape the dough onto the floured surface. Lightly flour your hands and finish mixing the dough by using a gentle kneading motion, working until the dough is just blended. Do not overwork the dough, you want to be certain that all of the ingredients are just blended together.

Using a wooden spoon, mix in the chocolate and pecans (if using), mixing until evenly distributed. You can also do this in the mixer, but heavy mixing tends to break up the chocolate and nuts and the baked cookies will have an undesirable texture.

Using a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop, make mounds of dough. Roll the dough into balls about 1 1/2 inches diameter. Place the balls, about 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Using your palm, gently flatten each ball to make a puck-like shape about 2 inches in diameter.

When all the cookies are formed, place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and set in the center. Do not overbake as you want some chewiness in the center. Remove from oven and transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

Store, airtight, at room temperature for up to a week.

Review: I really liked these cookies. I thought the oats added just the right amount of nuttiness to the dough, and gave the texture a nice chewiness. I likely would have added just a tad less Grand Marnier, as I could taste a subtle alcohol flavoring that was not quite to my liking. In place of the full 2 tablespoons of liqueur, I think you could easily add just a touch more of the orange zest. All in all, though, this is a great recipe and will fit the bill for anyone looking for an orange/citrus/chocolate dessert combination. It certainly cured my craving! Enjoy!

Jessica's secret ingredient next week is ROSEMARY!