Carmella's Chocolate Citrus Nut cookies

This probably is not the prettiest cookie you have ever seen, and the name of the cookie might sound strange with its chocolate and citrus combination, but what this cookie lacks in beauty, it definitely makes up in flavor. 

Of the many delicious cookies my mother-in-law makes this cookie ranks right up there as one of my favorites.  It is really a unique cookie packed with wonderful flavors.  It is chocolaty and nutty with hints of citrus and cinnamon.  When she first told me what went into this cookie, I was a little skeptical because I just could not imagine how orange and lemon and cinnamon would taste together in a chocolate cookie, but once I tasted the cookie, I realized it made perfect sense.  The flavors work incredibly well together.  You can taste each ingredient in this flavor-packed cookie, and best of all, it is fairly low-fat when compared to other cookies because it uses oil instead of butter.   Make them with a little white whole wheat flour from King Aurthr, and you will have yourself a fairly healty cookie.  

To make this cookie, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Place two cups of nuts in a food processor.  Any nuts will do.  I used almonds and hazelnuts because that is what I had.  My mother-in-law uses walnuts.  Grind the nuts until coarsely chopped.  Remove one cup. 

Then grind the rest into a fine powder almost like flour. 

 If you do not have a food processor, you can chop the nuts by placing them in a zip-top bag and crushing them with a rolling pin. 

In a large bowl, mix together 2 3/4 cups of flour, 1 cup of confectioners sugar, 1 cup of sugar, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of cocoa, and the 2 cups of nuts that you grinded, one coarse and one powdery. 

In a separate large bowl, beat 2 eggs.  Then add 3/4 cups of oil and the juice and zest of one small to medium size orange and the juice and zest of one lemon.  Mix well.

  Gradually add flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix well.  Place the dough in the refrigerator for, at least, 30 minutes.  This will make it much easier to handle.   After 30 minutes, roll the dough into 1-1 1/2 inch balls, making sure to roll them smooth so they do not come out all bumpy.  If the dough is still too sticky, flour your hands.  This will also make it easier to roll the dough.  Place the dough balls on ungreased cookie sheets.  Brush the tops of the dough balls with one beaten egg white and then sprinkle the tops of each dough ball with a little bit of sugar.  This makes a nice, sweet glaze on top of the cookie and is optional. 

Bake the cookies at 375 for about 12 minutes.  It is a little hard to tell if they are done because they are so dark, but the tops should be somewhat firm and the bottoms light golden brown.   You do not want to over cook them or they will become too dry.  Mine took exactly 12 minutes.  Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheets for about 1 minute and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Carmella's Chocolate Citrus Nut Cookies The Garden of Yum
Printable Recipe
2 3/4 cups of flour
2 cups of nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, or almonds)
1 cup of confectioners sugar
1 cup of granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa
2 eggs
3/4 cup of oil
The juice and zest of one small to medium size orange
The juice and zest of one lemon
One egg white, beaten, to brush on top of dough balls
Sugar for dusting tops of dough balls

Note:  Remember to allow yourself time because the dough is easier to handle if you refrigerate it for, at least, 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 F.   Grind the nuts in a food processor until coarsely chopped.  Remove one cup, and then grind the remaining one cup until powdery almost like flour. 

In a large bowl, mix together flour, confectioners sugar, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cocoa, and the nuts, one cup powdery and one cup coarse. 

In another large bowl, beat the two eggs.  Add oil and orange and lemon zest and juice and mix well.  Gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture and mix well.  Place dough in refrigerator for, at least, 30 minutes.  Then remove dough from the refrigerator and roll into 1-1 1/2 inch balls, making sure the balls are smooth.   Place dough balls on cookie sheets.  Brush tops with egg white and then sprinkle tops of dough balls with sugar.  Bake for about 12 minutes or until the tops are slightly firm and the bottoms are light golden brown.  Allow to cool on cookie sheets for one minute and then transfer to a cooling rack.

I am linking this up to Bookmarked Recipes Every Tuesday Event.  Click the link to see some delicious recipes.

I am also linking these up to Sweets for a Saturday.  Click on the link to see some incredible dessert recipes.