Chocolate Orange Rosemary Cookies

These are my most-requested holiday cookie recipe by far and away. The rosemary may seem a bit strange, and it is. It’s not usually found in a cookie, but it’s absolutely perfect with the orange and chocolate. It’s wintery with savory and citrusy notes, ringing in the season with celebratory flavors that move beyond the peppermint and chocolate combo.

Use good chocolate and cocoa if you can, and make sure your rosemary and oranges are super fragrant.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup (225g) butter or 14 tbsp butter + 2 tbsp shortening (for an even chewier cookie)

¼ cup (about 9g) chopped rosemary leaves

¾ cup (155g) granulated sugar

¾ cup (170g) dark brown sugar

Zest of 1 large or 2 medium navel oranges

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2.5 cups (320g) flour

¼ cup + 2 tbsp (35g) cocoa powder

1 tbsp baking soda

1.5 tsp salt

1 ¼ cup (170g) dark chocolate chips

Flaky sea salt such as Maldon for finishing

Directions

Beat butter and shortening together well in a stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand mixer. If using all butter, beat with the paddle attachment for a few minutes to soften. Add the granulated and brown sugars and rosemary and beat until the mixture is very light and fluffy with a uniform texture. You’ll likely need to scrape down the bowl several times.

Add the orange zest, eggs, and vanilla and beat until well incorporated. The mixture should be fully emulsified with no liquid visible and be a uniform texture and appearance (not curdled looking). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and mix on the lowest speed until the dough is almost fully incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and give it a few more turns with the mixer.  Scrape down the paddle/beaters and incorporate any remaining dry ingredients by hand with a spatula.

Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. You can place the dough balls close together since they won’t bake this way. Place the sheet in the freezer for about half an hour to an hour or until the dough balls are set (or in the fridge for 2+ hours). You can store any dough you don’t plan to use in a freezer bag.

To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350F and line a sheet pan with parchment (or two depending on how many you plan to make). Place the cookies 2 inches apart and bake until the edges of the cookies are just set, about 12 minutes. Rotate halfway through if needed. When the cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle with additional flaky sea salt if desired. Allow the cookies to cool an additional minute on the cookie sheets and then remove to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.  

Store in an airtight container once completely cooled. They will keep for up to three days at room temperature.

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