Chocolate Orange Pinwheels

For the longest time, I thought I didn't like chocolate and orange together.
You know who I blame?  This guy.  

I remember being a little girl and biting into a piece of that chocolate orange. It was horrible. Maybe I was thinking it was like a giant, round Hershey's Kiss...I don't know, but it stuck with me.

Apparently, I must have spread the gospel of "chocolate and orange should not be mixed" because as I was telling my sister about these pinwheel cookies yesterday, she said, "I thought you didn't like chocolate and orange together!"



Well, I have been converted.  It started a few years ago when I made cannoli filling.  Then, there were chocolate sandwiches. You get the point. I'm a chocolate + orange lover now...even though I'm never eating one of those "oranges" again.

These pinwheels!  Oh my gosh.  I love them.  I love the swirl, I love the flavor combo, I love making them! 

You'll start with just one dough, which gets divided.  Then, you'll make one half chocolate, and one half orange.  You can see the little bits of zest in the orange dough...so pretty.

Roll it all up, chill it, then...it's slice-and-bake time.

If you don't eat these all by yourself, they look really pretty on a holiday cookie platter.

Chocolate Orange Pinwheel Cookies

These swirly cookies are easier to make than you might think…and look great on a cookie platter.  The espresso powder in the chocolate dough won’t add a coffee taste, but will enhance the chocolate flavor.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Rest time: 1 hour

Bake Time: 10 minutes/batch

Yield: 48 cookies

 

3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup salted butter, room temperature

1 & 1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

1/4 teaspoon espresso powder

1 TBSP Dutch-process cocoa

1/4 teaspoon orange extract

1 TBSP orange zest

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

1 egg white

1 teaspoon water

 In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

 In a large bowl, cream the butter and confectioner’s sugar together until fluffy.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla.  In three additions, add in the flour on low speed.

 Divide the dough in half.  To one half, mix in the melted chocolate, espresso powder, and cocoa.  To the other half, mix in the orange extract, zest, and juice.  Wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

 Roll each half of dough on separate sheets of lightly floured waxed paper to rectangles 1/8" thick.  Whisk the egg white and water with a fork.  Lightly brush the top of one of the rolled dough halves with the egg wash.  Invert the other half of the dough on top of the egg washed dough; peel off the top waxed paper.

 Roll the dough from the long end to form a log.  Wrap in waxed paper and freeze for 30 minutes.

 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350.

 Remove the dough from the freezer and with a sharp knife, slice crosswise into 1/4" thick rounds.  Place on parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes.  Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.  (Place the remaining dough back in the freezer between batches.)