Orange Cocoa Sandies Recipes

CHOCOLATE-ORANGE COCOA HEARTS

Steps:

• Add and sift the cocoa powder with the flour, baking powder and salt. Proceed with Sugar Cookie Dough recipe and chill for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Stir the chopped chocolate and marmalade together in a small bowl until combined.
• Sprinkle a work surface and rolling pin with confectioner's sugar and roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick. Move dough frequently to prevent it from sticking and add more confectioner's sugar to the work surface and rolling pin as needed. With a 2-by-2 1/2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut 48 hearts, re-rolling dough as needed. Place half of the hearts at least 1 inch apart on two parchment-lined baking sheets.
• Evenly spread about 1 level teaspoon of the marmalade/chocolate mixture over each heart, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edges. Brush the outer edge of the hearts lightly with egg-white wash. Place another dough heart over the filling and gently press the edges to seal. Continue with remaining dough cut-outs. Lightly brush the surface of the cookies with egg-white wash and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar. Bake until set, about 12-14 minutes. Let cool on the pan slightly before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
• Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough
• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

SANDIES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the water and vanilla. Stir in the flour and pecans until well blended. Cover dough and chill for at least four hours.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Shape dough into walnut sized balls or crescents. Place 2 inches apart onto unprepared cookie sheets.
• Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden. Roll in confectioners' sugar while still warm.

PECAN SANDIES COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add water and vanilla; mix well. Gradually add flour; fold in pecans. , Roll dough into 1-in. balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets and flatten with fingers. , Bake 20-25 minutes or until bottom edges are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, dust with confectioners' sugar.

ORANGE-SPICE COCOA

Steps:

• Sift 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom and 1/2 cup cocoa powder into a bowl. Bring 6 cups milk to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk in the cocoa mixture until smooth. Fold 1/2 teaspoon orange zest into 1 cup whipped cream. Divide the cocoa among 6 mugs. Top with the whipped cream.

COCOA SANDIES..

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy, about 3 minutes. add the cocoa and blend well.add the salt, then gradually add the flour, blending till smooth.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about 1/2" thickness.
• Use a cookie cutter to cut out the cookies and transfer them to an ungreased cookie sheet. the scraps can be gathered and rerolled.
• Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes or until just firm.
• Cool slightly on sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• GLAZE: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, stir in cocoa and 1/4 cup of water. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and becomes smooth. Remove from the heat, and stir in vanilla. Gradually add the sugar, and salt stirring with a whisk until smooth. If need, add more water, 1 tsp at a time to achieve a spreadable consistency.
• To dip the cookies, tip the pan of chocolate toward you and dip about half of each cookie into the glaze.
• Place on a wax paper lined rack until the glaze is set.
• Store the cookies in layer, seperated by waxed paper.
• In tightly covered container in a cool, but not cold place.

CANDIED ORANGE SLICES DIPPED IN CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Cut the oranges in half lengthwise, with the cut side down slice the oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch slices, (you will have 1/2 of a slice of orange:DO-NOT peel),discard the ends.
• In a 10-inch saute pan combine the water and the 3 1/2 cups of sugar, stir to blend, then bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Add the orange slices, separating them, and simmer them gently for 1 hour uncovered; peroidically dunk any floating slices.
• Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• Remove the orange slices, with a slotted spoon and transfer to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet to let drain and dry for 24 hours; NOTE; I dryed them in my oven set for for baked goods, or if oven has a pilot light, this worked great if it is a damp day.
• After drying the slices, toss them in the granulated sugar and reserve them, do not stack them as they will stick together.
• While you are coating the orange slices with the sugar, have the chocolate melting slowly in the top of a double boiler over 120 degree water: Chocolate can be melted in the microwave.
• When all the chocolate is melted and creamy and registers 100 degrees on an instant themometer, remove the top section from the double boiler.
• Add the 2-ounce of chocolate and gently stir until the thermometer reads 88 degrees to 91 degree, then remove what remains of the chunk of chocolate.
• Now dip the orange slices 2/3 of the way into the chocalate; gently scrape off excess chocolate against the side of the pan.
• Place the orange slices on a sheet of wax paper to set.
• Work quickly with the slices if the chocolate becomes to thick for dipping, place it over the 120 degree water again until it reaches 88 to 91 degrees.