This post is sponsored by Halos™. As always, all opinions and recipe are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands who support Shared Appetite!
Cookies are good. Truffles are too. But truffles inside of cookies? Heck to the yes. These Chocolate Orange Truffle Crinkle Cookies are beyond legit!
I'm late to the baking game this Christmas. But there is still a week and a half before Santa is due to squeeze his fat tuckus down our chimney, so I'm gonna be pumping out cookies like it's my job. The baking sheets are literally staying on the counter all week long. It's not even worth putting them away for the few short hours they'll have off each day.
Guys. Crinkle cookies. Where have they been hiding all my life? I literally just found out about them last week and have already made three different kinds. Just a word to the wise. Although they look beautiful and inviting, approach and devour slowly. My over-zealous wife had a coughing fit after trying to hastily inhale one on the cooling rack. Hello powdered sugar 🙂
Side note. I'm impressed that I used the words zealous and hastily in the same sentence as I'm typing this post out late on Sunday night.
And these Chocolate Orange Truffle Crinkle Cookies? Equally impressive.
So yea. Chocolate and orange is a serious flavor combo. #legit
And sure, we could have just stopped at making a quick and easy chocolate orange cookie dough and rolling it around in some powdered sugar before baking them off. But no. I'm all about going that extra step to impress the heck out of family and friends.
We're going to stuff these creative crinkle cookies with easy homemade chocolate orange truffles. Boom.
Bring these bad boys to a cookie swap and you'll get some instant cookie cred.
See that molten center? That's the truffle hard at work.
And can we get a round of applause for Asheley, my beautiful wife, who graciously (without one sigh or eye roll) agreed to go all the way upstairs and change out of her pajamas an into an actual shirt so I could take those photos above... seriously, she'd appreciate some recognition.
And for all you hand model agents out there, she's available for hire.
Chocolate Orange Truffle Cookies
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 16-20 cookies 1x
Ingredients
for the Cookie base
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ to 1 teaspoon orange zest (depending how orange-y you want it)
- ½ cup granulated sugar, for coating
- ½ cup powdered sugar, for coating
for the Chocolate Orange Truffle filling
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon orange zest (depending upon how orange-y you want it)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of your stand mixer or a medium mixing bowl fitted with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and granualted sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in orange zest. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to a few days.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F. Remove chocolate orange truffle filling from fridge and allow to soften a bit. Break into bite-sized pieces (about 16-20).
- Take a spoonful of dough and flatten with the palms of your hands. Place a piece of truffle filling in center of dough, and wrap around dough to fully enclose truffle, smoothing and rolling out into a ball with your hands. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Roll dough balls in granulated sugar, and then in powdered sugar. Make sure to very generously coat dough balls in powdered sugar in order to get that crinkle effect. Place on baking trays and bake approximately 10 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool on tray for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve warm for that ooey-gooey truffle center!
for the Chocolate Orange Truffle filling
- Place finely chopped dark chocolate in a small bowl and set aside. Microwave heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl until very hot, about 30 to 45 seconds. Keep an eye on it to avoid bubbling over. Slowly stir cream into chocolate, and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Stir in orange zest and place in refrigerator to chill.
Notes
For a larger yield of cookies, break truffles into tinier pieces (which will require less dough to fully enclose).
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
These cookies were made with Halos™ mandarin oranges. I actually picked up a bag of them at the grocery store last week in anticipation of cookie baking. One problem. I didn't think about the Asheley factor.
Ashely factor = Asheley eating said Halos mandarin oranges. Thankfully she left me a few to work with 🙂
I really can't blame her though...
Halos™ are sweet, juicy, seedless, and best of all... super easy to peel. And, guess what? They are non-GMO! That's a huge win right there.
Howie Fox
These look really good!! 20 minutes prep and easy to find ingredients is just my cup of tea. Won't promise that I'll ever bake cookies, but let me pin them just in case! 😉
Chris
Thanks Howie!
Melanie
You know I'm all about the chocolate. Yum! And Asheley, you rock girl. What a sweet wife and I just love your heart!
Pinned to our *Chocolate Board*. And Chris, pictures turned out amazing!
Blessings Chris and Asheley!
Chris
Hahaha Asheley is an awesome wife. I definitely married up 🙂
Shibi
I had made Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with Cottage Cheese and I know how good they are. I can imagine the flavor of this cookies with a molten center that gives the Citrus punch. Sounds delicious!!!
Chris
Wow with cottage cheese?! That's awesome Shibi!
Matt Robinson
A seriously legit flavor combo, these look awesome, Chris!
Chris
Thanks Matt! #legit
Christine
yes, I love these and I need like 48 of them immediately. BUT just wanted to give you, Chris, a special heads up
1.) I ordered some new backdrops from Swanky Prints per your food photography post, and I can't thank you enough for the reference, I'm loving them!
2.) Your "moody" shots have really inspired me to try out some new photography (aka tomorrow's recipe) - Stay tuned!
just figured I'd share the blogger inspo love 🙂
Chris
So happy that you are loving your backdrops from Swanky Prints! Can't wait to see them in some photos! And thanks so much for your kind words... that totally made my entire day! You're the best!
Becca from It's Yummi!
Ohmigerd! Chocolate crinkles make me swoon... and you just used my very favorite citrus fruit in the whole wide world. You just rock!
Chris
Thanks so much Becca!
CakePants
What gorgeous cookies! My boyfriend was just telling me the other day how much he loved those candy chocolate oranges as a kid, so I bet these would make a great surprise for him 🙂 I'll warn him about the powdered sugar, though - that stuff can be seriously dangerous!
Chris
Hahaha it totally can be dangerous... although I have to fully admit, isn't it awesome when you are watching someone try to inhale a cookie to fast and they start coughing on the powdered sugar?! It's pretty funny stuff.
Mike
I'm sure Santa is going to love these cookies, I mean, they're perfect!
The pictures are also amazing.
#WolfpackEats
Chris
Thanks buddy!
Kevin | keviniscooking
Holy smokes I want one now! These are legit+ and that line. "See that molten center? That’s the truffle hard at work." had me rolling. Amazing photos and thanks for helping Asheley! #WolfpackEats
Chris
Hahaha thanks Kevin!
Sarah
Haha - BEAUTIFUL hand model. She chose the perfect colored shirt too. She makes these cookies look good - the cookies should be thanking her. (Also - that molten center?! OMG). Drool.
Chris
I'll pass along your compliments to the model. To be honest, I picked the color shirt lol!!!!
Kelly
Santa will love seeing these on his plate! I LOVE crinkles and stuffing them with a chocolate orange truffle is genius! Gorgeous hand model too 🙂
Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps
Ohhh I late to the baking too, I just made my inaugural batch last night!!! What?! These are drop-dead gorgeous Chris, and I love that they're amped up with orange!
Chris
Glad to know I'm not the only procrastinator this year! Merry Christmas to you and yours Nicole!
Helen
I'm not really exaggerating when I say I'm in heaven just thinking about these cookies. I've made choc orange truffles before and they were one of the most delicious morsels to ever pass my lips - I'm not sure I could handle how scrumptious these stuffed crinkles would be ... mmmm, pinning!!!
Chris
Hahaha thanks Helen! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Zainab
What a great wife you have. It takes a LOT of energy to put on real people clothes over the weekend for me lol! Love love these cookies 🙂
Chris
Hahahaha oh I know. I was really impressed she did it without complaining or giving me an eye roll!
Alyssa
Chocolate + orange is the beeesssstt!! Well, so is chocolate + peppermint, chocolate + caramel, and really chocolate + anything, but these cookies look awesome! I have to add these to the Christmas cookie list!
Chris
Hahahah I agree.... chocolate is the keyword 🙂
CakeSpy
Wow, they sound easy to make and look SO delicious!! A nice, slightly different and very delicious cookie. A winner!
Chris
Thanks so much!
Allie | Baking a Moment
Oh my gosh wow! Ok I made a chocolate orange crinkle this year too but your version totally has me beat. I am dying over that molten chocolate center! And the photos are killer as always. Love that collage of the cookie being broken!
Chris
Thanks so much Allie 🙂 Yea, that molten truffle center is killer!
Alice // Hip Foodie Mom
Dude, these Chocolate Orange Truffle Crinkle Cookies are gorgeous!!! I will proceed with caution when inhaling these beauties!!! they look so good!!!
Chris
Hahaha thanks Alice! Glad to know the powdered sugar won't get you like it did Asheley!
Connie | URBAN BAKES
You are too funny!! Hand model?! She does have nice hands and I applaud her for changing out of her probably comfortable pj's. I've been there before.
But holy moly, these cookies look divine! Love the filling in them too!
Chris
Hahaha thanks Connie. Yea, getting her to change out of her PJs was a small miracle...
Thalia
I love a good crinkle cookie! It's still a few days till Christmas so I can definitely squeeze this recipe into my holiday baking list. Thanks Chris for the idea!
Chris
Hahaha there's totally plenty of time for cookie baking!
Sophia
Such a brilliant idea & they look so wonderful too. Trying these out today, when I have people around me. Otherwise I'll probably eat the lot...
Chris
Thanks so much Sophia... and yea, it's always a good idea to bake cookies with friends and family around so you don't eat the entire batch. I know from experience, of course hahaha