Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies
This Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe creates delicious cookies infused with orange flavor. Chocolate and orange are so good together!
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Imagine a batch of orange chocolate chip cookies freshly baked in your kitchen. This is one of the most flavorful, tender cookies ever!
When I’m happy, I bake a cake. When I’m mildly unsettled, I bake cookies, such as these chocolate chip cookies with molasses. It’s almost as if when anything of note happens in my life, I head to the kitchen. Baking is like a refuge of creativity. It’s also part therapy, part dessert.
These orange chocolate chip cookies are a favorite because I love all the oohs and ahs I get from people who eat them. There’s something about orange and chocolate that’s just so ahhh-worthy!
Reader Reviews
★★★★★
Wynn
Thanks for the recipe Marly. Made them tonight. Absolutely delicious. I subbed the white sugar for coconut sugar and used half white and half wheat flour. Yummm!!
In this Post
Ingredients & Substitutions
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
- Vegan butter — You’ll need to use Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, Miyokos, or use this Vegan Butter for baking.
- Sugar — You’ll need both brown sugar and granulated sugar.
- Orange — One medium orange will do the trick for this recipe. You can substitute orange extract, although I don’t think it’s quite as good as orange zest.
- Flax Egg — We’ll use a flax egg or you can substitute a chia egg.
- Cornstarch
- Apple cider vinegar — You can substitute white vinegar.
- Flour — I recommend all-purpose flour or you can substitute whole wheat pastry flour.
- Baking soda + baking powder — Make sure yours is fresh by testing a bit of baking soda in vinegar and baking powder in hot water. If it bubbles, your batch is good to go.
- Salt
- Chocolate chips — Use my Vegan Chocolate Chips Guide to find the best dairy-free chocolate chips for you.
Never heard of all-purpose flour? You may be from a different part of the world. Here is an excellent resource on plain flour vs all-purpose flour.
What is Orange Zest and How to Make It
Orange zest is made by grating the outer peel of the orange. Avoiding the more bitter white rind layer of the peel is important when creating orange zest. However, adding orange zest to a variety of recipes adds fresh orange flavor to baked goods, savory dishes, and even beverages. You can use a microplane, a box grater, a vegetable peeler, or even a knife to create thin orange zest.
What Makes This Recipe Shine?
- Adding the zest from one orange is all it takes to infuse these cookies with orange flavor
- Using brown sugar in the dough keeps these cookies ultra moist and tender
- Adding just a bit more flour helps create pillowy soft vegan cookies that you’ll come back to time and time again!
How to Make Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Make the flax egg and set it aside.
- Cream butter using a handheld or stand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add the sugars and beat again until light and fluffy.
- Add the flax egg, orange zest, and vanilla and beat again to combine.
- Stir together the dry ingredients, from the flour to the salt.
- Make the cookie dough by pouring the flour mixture in with the butter mixture and mixing to combine.
- Stir in the chocolate chips until combined.
- Drop by rounded spoonfuls on a prepared cookie sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes.
- Cool baked cookies briefly on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Here are the steps to make this delicious orange cookie recipe:
Step One: Cream Together the Butter and the Sugar
- Make the flax egg.
- Place the butter in a mixing bowl.
- Use either a handheld or stand mixer on medium speed and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the sugars and beat again until light and fluffy.
- Finally, add the flax egg, orange zest, and vanilla and beat again to combine.
I love this article on the reasons why creaming the butter and sugar together is the best first step.
Step Three: Combine the Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Step Four: Mix it All Together
Pour the flour ingredients along with the chocolate chips in with the butter mixture and stir until just combined.
Step Five: Drop and Bake
- Drop the cookie dough by rounded spoonful about 2 inches apart on a prepared cookie sheet. (Or you can roll the cookie dough balls for more precise edges to the cookies).
- Bake for 9 minutes (or up to 11 minutes, depending on your desired final cookie texture). If you prefer chewier cookies, remove them at 9 minutes. If you prefer crispier, cook for a few minutes longer.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to sit on the pan for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
Storage Tips
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to 10 days. You can freeze them for up to 2 months.
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More Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sure, you love these chocolate chip orange cookies! But if you want more delicious cookie recipes, be sure to give these a spin:
Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 flax egg
- 1 cup vegan butter, (2 sticks) softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- zest of one orange
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, sifted then measured
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup dairy free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Line two cookie sheets with silpat or parchment paper.
- Make the flax egg and set it aside.
- Place the butter in a mixing bowl. Use either a handheld or stand mixer on medium speed and beat until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and beat again until light and fluffy. Finally, add the flax egg, orange zest, and vanilla and beat again to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch (see note), baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Pour the flour mixture in with the butter mixture. Stir to combine.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir until combined. Be sure to cover the cookie dough when not in use to prevent it from drying out.
- Drop by rounded spoonful about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. (Or you can roll the cookie dough balls for more precise edges to the cookies). Bake for 9 minutes (or up to 11 minutes, depending on your desired final cookie texture). If you prefer chewier cookies, remove them at 9 minutes. If you prefer crispier, cook for a few minutes longer. See note.
- Once the cookies are done, allow them to cool for a minute or two on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in a sealed container for up to a week, either on the counter or in the fridge. Or you can freeze these cookies for up to two months.
Recommended Equipment
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Nutrition
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This post was originally published in 2013 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.
Here is an example of the previous images:
About the Author
Hi! I’m Marly McMillen. I’m the founding editor, author, recipe developer, vegan home chef, and food stylist behind Namely Marly. I’m so grateful to you and every member of my audience for your support and dedication. More about Namely Marly ›
30 Responses to Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies
Rate / Comment
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Absolutly delicious! Thanks so much for this recipe. I made it without the coffee liquior because I didnt have any and it was still fantastic.
I used to be the same way, I refused to learn how to cook and hated doing anything in the kitchen because it always made me feel too domestic. Now it’s the one place where I enjoy spending time the most. I have veganism and various feminist sources to thank for helping me discover something that’s become true passion.
Orange and chocolate are one of my most favorite combos!
Not only this recipe looks delicious, it is nutritious also. This is the best part in baking cookies, you can put anything you want. Orange is a very delicious addition to this recipe with it’s tangy quality.
Could you please tell me the benefit of vinegar in this recipe? and what can I use if I don’t have flaxseed?
For goodness sake! I just took a batch of these cookies out of the oven and my house smells heavenly! My husband took a bite of a warm one and declared them “unreasonable”. 😉 No joke, these are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever eaten. Thanks for rocking my world.
Truly amazing!
Ahh, thanks, Julia!
I love this combination of chocolate and citrus! Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Thanks, Kelly! Sometimes I wonder if there’s anything that doesn’t taste great with chocolate. I’m sure I will find it someday…if I just keep searching!
The Dance of the Dissident Daughter was an eye opener for me. I’m glad to hear what it meant to you. This recipe looks like a keeper and will make it when friends come to visit me
xt weel
Kindred spirits!
What a clever idea! Chocolate and orange go so well together but I have never thought of trying it in a choc chip cookie. Will have to try it out.
I never thought about adding orange flavor to chocolate chip cookies, yum!
I love that these cookies are infused with orange zest. I find that chocolate and orange flavors actually go really well together (:
Such a great idea! I love orange chocolate, can’t believe orange chocolate chip cookies aren’t already a thing. They are now!
I completely agree – why haven’t we had orange zest in chocolate chip cookies before? Oh well, better late than never!
I’ve started using vinegar as well! Sometimes the flavor comes through too strong, but if it’s in the right recipe it’s wonderful!
Yes – getting the proportions right is the most important part. Vinegar in cookies? Weird…but it works!
Chocolate and orange together are one of my favorite combos, these sound fabulous! (Definitely better than “interesting”!)
I don’t often see a recipe and immediately run to the kitchen to try it but that just happened. These are REALLY GOOD. Even with blood orange zest and some seriously ancient Tia Maria liqueur, because that’s what I happened to have on hand. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you took the risk! Love the addition of orange! 🙂
Oh Marly! I love orange everything! These must be so wonderful!
I love this, Marly! The orange is a great addition to chocolate chip cookies!
Holy cow, these sound amazing. Pinning!!
Love the speckles of orange zest pepping through the cookies.. Orange and chocolate are such a great combination. Need to try these soon!!!