Chocolate Sugar Cookies

I spent all last weekend in bed...and a long weekend, too. I had big plans and Tara had come for a visit, but I felt too terrible. I got sick Saturday after a day of doing errands and making a batch of cookies. So here is the recipe. They turned out great. A nice mix of chocolate and sugar cookies. They weren't as good on the fourth or fifth day, so eat them up early!
This recipe is from Joanne Fluke. I like my murder with a lovely cookie recipe!

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2 cups melted butter
4 one ounce squares of semi-sweet chocolate
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon orange zest (This is optional, but it does make it taste like the chocolate oranges we love so much at Christmas)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar in a bowl for later.




Melt the butter and the chocolate in a pan on low or as I did in the microwave. I set it for 1 minute and stirred. Then another minute and stirred and it was enough. Then pour them out of the microwave bowl into a mixing bowl and add the two kinds of sugar. I used a mixer and then I let them cool for a bit. It wouldn't do to add the eggs and have scrambled egg in you cookie. Yuck.

Use the time while it is cooling to assemble the other ingredients and to zest the orange.




Once the chocolate and butter mixture has cooled, add the two eggs and mix them in. Then add the vanilla, orange zest, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Mix it again.

Add the flour in 1 cup increments and have the mixer set for low. You do not want a flour volcano in your kitchen.

Once the dough has been mixed roll one inch dough balls or use a scoop like I do. Drop them in the bowl of sugar and use a spoon to make sure they are covered. Transfer them to a greased cookie sheet or use the Silpats like I do. You may want to use the palm of you hand to slightly flatten the balls of dough or they will roll around while you are transferring them to the oven.




Bake the cookies at 325 for 10 to 15 minutes. It took mine 12. Cool then on the sheet for 2 minutes and then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Don't let them cool completely before you eat the first ones. Warm and chewy are the best! I wonder how they would be with melty chocolate chips in them? OOOH, maybe next time!