Candied Orange Peel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hey old dog, if you want a cookie, you have to do a trick... 

And the trick is putting a new spin on an old classic.  The new trick is the chewy, sweet, citrus, goodness of Candied Orange Peels.  You may remember earlier this  week, when I made a batch of these to garnish some orange cupcakes.  I cut up the peel from two oranges, but had WAY too much leftover.  So, I started pondering what to do with the leftovers...

(BTW, remember I am hosting a contest for BSI this week. This would certainly qualify, as I used my leftover Orange Peels as the flavoring for the cookies. Click HERE to see the details of my BSI secret ingredient contest (along with a great prize). But I digress from the recipe).  The deadline is Sunday night, I already have 3 entries, with promises for more to come.

I ended up with three ideas for what to do with my leftovers.  So this is the weekend for candied orange peel posts.  Cookies first, can you guess what else I can do with these little orange gems?What would you do with left over Candied Orange Peels???

But, I digress from the recipe...


Pretty straight forward, the basic chocolate chip cookie recipe that has been floating around for decades.  I cut the quantity of chips down a bit and added a cup of the orange peels.


Here's what I did...

2 1/2 cups all-purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Butter, softened
3/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup packed Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cointreau (orange flavored Liqueur)
2 large Eggs
6 ounces, 1/2 package Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup Candied Orange Peels, diced the size of  the chips

• PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees
• COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. 
• Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. 
• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
• Gradually beat in flour mixture. 
• Stir in morsels and Candied Orange Peels. 
• Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
• BAKE for 10 minutes or until golden brown. 
• Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; 
• remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Candied Orange Peels are very easy to make.  I did a post a few days ago with more details, which you can find by clicking HERE.  


But, real quick, here are the basics...
2 Oranges
1 cups Sugar, plus 1/2 cup for coating
1 cup Water

• Cut tops and bottoms off of the orange and score the orange into quarters, cutting down only into the peel and not into the fruit. Peel the skin and pith of the orange in large pieces, use the orange for another recipe (LEFTOVERS!!!). 
• Cut the peel into strips about 1/4-inch wide. 
• Put the orange peel in a large saucepan with cold water to cover, bring to a boil over high heat. Then pour off the water. Repeat 1 or 2 more times depending up how assertive you want the orange peels to be. (Test kitchen liked the texture of a 3 time blanch best, it also mellowed the bitterness. But it is a matter of preference.) Remove the orange peels from the pan.
• Whisk the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 to 9 minutes
• (If you took the sugar's temperature with a candy thermometer it would be at the soft thread stage, 230 to 234 degrees F.) Add the peels and simmer gently, reducing heat to retain a simmer. 
• Cook until the peels get translucent, about 45 minutes. Resist the urge to stir the peels or you may introduce sugar crystals into the syrup. If necessary, swirl the pan to move the peels around. 
• Drain the peels, (save the syrup for ice tea.) Roll the peels in sugar and dry on a rack, for 4 to 5 hours. Return to the sugar to store.

So, that's what I made with my leftovers... But I still had enough to make two more dishes.  Any idea what to do with those???
...