Coconut-Orange Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

In 2014, I was Cookie #4 in the Tulsa World 12 Days of Cookies Contest.  (You can see my Nutella No-Bake Cookies with Coconut Oil here.)

I am trying my hand at the contest again with Coconut-Orange Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies.

My inspiration for these holiday cookies came from those dark chocolate-orange balls that I get every year from a parent at my school.   You know, the kind you slam open.

This year it was salted caramel.

I also wanted to make these cookies because I had extra toasted coconut and orange zest left over from a recent biscotti experiment.

Coconut-Orange Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. finely milled whole wheat flour (like Wheat Montana)
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. fine sea salt
2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 t. pure vanilla extract
2 t. finely-grated orange zest
1/2 c. finely-shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted
1 (10 oz. pkg) Dark chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicon pad or parchment paper.

Combine the flours, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.  Whisk together.  Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time.  Add in the vanilla and orange zest and mix until incorporated.

Add the flour mixture,  in two batches.   Mix.  Add toasted coconut and chocolate chips and mix until just combined.

Use a cookie scoop to form tablespoonfuls of the dough. Place the dough on the baking sheet two inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes.

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Well, I’m not even in the running this year.   You see, I thought I sent my entry-email but returned from Thanksgiving break to discover that I had typed the email address wrong.  By the time I realized my error, the deadline for entries had passed.   🙁

There’s always next year.