Orange Chocolate Meltaways

I closed on a beautiful home in Westchase this week. The buyers — a young couple, first-timers — looked at the keys the way I looked at my real estate license in 2012: like they were holding the future in their hands.

Sophia is researching dental schools with an intensity that would concern me if it were directed at anything other than dentistry. She talked about it at dinner for twenty minutes and I understood approximately half of it but all of the joy behind it.

Some weeks are ordinary. This was an ordinary week. I sold houses. I cooked dinner. I called Mama. I drove to Tarpon Springs on Sunday. The extraordinary thing about ordinary weeks is that they are the ones you miss most when they are gone.

I made kourabiedes — butter cookies pressed with almonds, dusted in powdered sugar. They did not last the day. I served it with bread and olive oil — always too much olive oil, because in this family there is no such thing as too much. We ate and the conversation was easy and the evening was warm.

Sophia told me this week that she is proud of me. I was not expecting it. We were in the car, driving to Tarpon Springs for Sunday dinner, and she said Mom, I am proud of you. I said for what. She said for everything. For the bakery. For the houses. For making dinner every night even when you are tired. I gripped the steering wheel and blinked and said thank you, koritsi mou. She said do not cry. I did not cry. Much.

The kourabiedes were gone before dinner was cleared, which is exactly how it should be — but it got me thinking about the other cookie I keep coming back to when I want something effortless and a little indulgent: these Orange Chocolate Meltaways. They have that same quality I love in a good butter cookie, that softness that dissolves the moment it touches your tongue, except here there’s a bright citrus note that cuts right through the richness. On a week like this one — a closing, a proud daughter, a long drive to Tarpon Springs and back — I needed something I could make without thinking too hard, and these never disappoint.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and powdered sugar together on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, orange extract, and orange zest, then beat until combined.
Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low just until a soft dough forms. Fold in the mini chocolate chips with a spatula.
Shape the cookies. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Gently flatten each ball with the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass.
Bake. Bake for 10—12 minutes, until the edges are just set. Do not overbake — they should look slightly underdone in the center when you pull them out.
Cool and dust. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Once fully cooled, dust generously with powdered sugar before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Orange Chocolate Meltaways — The Cookies That Almost Lasted the Day