Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread ~ The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2012

Good morning!  Did you have a good night?  I did.  :)  It could have something to do with the 3 dozen cookies that arrived to my house this past week.  You heard me.  Three dozen cookies - three kinds of cookies, one dozen of each.  YUM!  How did this awesome cookie-ness happen you may ask?  I'll tell you.

It's The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap!  

I found out about the swap from Dorothy.  Leave it to her to know the goods on swapping cookies.  :)  I signed up, and a month later here we are.  So here's how it works.  You get assigned three recipients.  You bake 3 dozen of the same type of cookie and mail one dozen cookies to each of your three recipients.  Then magically you get 3 dozen cookies shipped to you.  What's not to love?

I got to bake for Colleen from Secrets from the Cookie Princess, Erin from Erin's Food Files, and Christina from The Dough Will Rise Again.  I knew I wanted to make a new recipe from someone I trust explicitly with cookies, Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod.  

So today I give you Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread cookies from Maria's Holiday Cookie Cravings cookbook.  You can find this cookbook and Maria's other book Cookie Cravings HERE.  You want these eBooks, trust me.  You can get both for only $7.99.  There are also guest recipes from other great cookie bloggers.  I'll be sharing another Two Peas cookie recipe this Sunday.

Dark Chocolate Orange Shortbread

From Holiday Cookie Cravings

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
Zest of 1 large orange
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon orange extract  {I used the juice of 1/4 orange}
Decorative sanding sugar, optional

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, combine sugar and orange zest.  The best way is to use your fingers to rub the sugar and zest together and release the zest essential oils, you're basically making orange sugar.  Once the sugar and zest are combined, set aside.  {This sugar would make a great gift all on it's own.}
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter and orange sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add vanilla and orange extract/juice; mix to combine.  Add flour mixture in two additions, mixing until just combined after each addition.
4. Form dough into a rectangle and place between two sheets of waxed paper.  Using a rolling pin, flatten dough to 1/4" thick.  Place dough in refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment or a Sil-Pat.
6. Cut out cookie dough using a 2" cookie cutter.  Place on prepared baking sheets.  Sprinkle with decorative sugar if desired.
7. Bake for 18 minutes until edges begin to crisp.  Removed from oven, and allow to cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet.  Move cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

So far I've received these amazing cookies:

Butter Cookies with Malted Chocolate Filling from Ace at The Toasted Sprinkle

Pecan Sandies and "A Little Something Extra" from Kelly at Eat Yourself Skinny

Want to make sure you're in The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap next year?

Sign up for notification email updates HERE.