You know when I realized I was an Adult? Adult with a capital “A.” It’s more recent than you’d think.
It wasn’t when I put my name on a mortgage, or when I got a job that required a blazer. It wasn’t when I started spending my Sundays cleaning the house, or even when I voted in my first federal election.
Nope, the moment I realized, once and for all, that I was a full-on adult was when the office closed early for a long weekend, and I stayed behind because I wanted to get some work done. I stayed until the office was empty and the sun had set, and instead of feeling grumpy about it- I was happy I was able to get so much done in a quiet space.
(I’m a hop, skip and a jump away from sitting on my porch like a curmudgeon and yelling at kids, aren’t I?)
It happened again during a recent half day… everyone left, I rushed back to the office. I even had to cancel my attendance at a conference this week- an event previously glorified as a lax Pro-D day where you sit around listening to lectures and then get a bonus free lunch- because I was simply too busy.
This isn’t terribly shocking. This is the plain and simple reality of climbing the corporate ladder (ew, I hate that term) in the private sector. It’s not a clock-punching endeavor. Maybe it’s shocking that it took me this long to get so involved, but let’s take a step back and remind everyone that Chelsea and I both went to ART SCHOOL. Yeah, we studied graphic design, not avant garde performance art, but it was still a long stretch from suits and conference rooms.
The funny thing about both Chels and I, and probably one of the things that made us such good friends in the first place, is that we both felt a little out of place in art and business. We weren’t wild and funky enough for the true art crowd, but we weren’t corporate enough for the power suits.
So, where do we fit in? Well, we’re probably a good mix. A balance. The term Jack of All Trades (master of none?), springs to mind, but I like to think I’m slowly starting to master a few things- at least.
A good balance. A little crispy, a little chewy. Like these cookies!
That was a stretch, wasn’t it? Well, give me a break, will ya? It’s been a long day, and I just had 10 cookies for dinner! (hey, I might be an Adult now, but that doesn’t mean I have to act like it all the time)
These cookies are a good balance, though. A little bit grown-up, a little bit nostalgic. They’re like the chewy oatmeal cookies I loved as a kid, but in place of raisins (why always raisins, why you gotta ruin a good cookie like that?), it’s chunks of deep, dark chocolate and a hint of orange.
They’re the comfort food you loved growing up… all grown up.
Now, if you excuse me, I think I earned at least another cookie or two before bed. Possibly with milk. Or maybe some red wine.
And yes, I will brush my teeth and wash my face before I eventually crawl into bed because ADULTHOOD.
| Orange Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp orange extract
- 2 large oranges, zested
- 1½ cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 150g good quality orange dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl (or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla, orange extract and orange zest and mix until combined.
- In a new bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and rolled oats. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until well combined. Add the chocolate and walnuts (if using) and mix until combined.
- Spoon cookies on to the baking sheet, roughly 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges. The cookies may look a little undercooked, but this is what we want, this is where the chewy comes in. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
What dark orange chocolate did you use? Lindt?
I did use Lindt, Nancy! Always wise to have some good chocolate on handy in the pantry 😉
i giggled AND felt great when i read your “10 cookies for dinner” type. last night i ate an entire bag of miniature matcha twix for my dinner. this orange, chocolate, walnut marriage sounds like it needs to be in my tummy asap.
MATCHA TWIX?!?! I just tried Matcha KitKat for the first time the other day and it blew my mind. I was seriously considering picking up a bag for the trick-or-treaters tomorrow but, let’s be honest, I’m really just going to eat them all myself.
how disgraceful of me to mess us here… matcha kitkat, yes! i can’t stop eating them.
geez… third time goof… *up
(clearly, those kitkats drive me so mad i cannot type)
Baked these a few weeks back and hands down, my all time favorite orange chocolate cookie! The flavor is spot on in every single way and it makes a person like myself..who LOVES the orange chocolate combination oh so very happy 🙂 Took these to a meet up with bread bakers and there wasn’t a crumb left..will be baking more this week and adding it to my Christmas cookie platter!
Thank you so much for the fantastic recipe!!!!!
Wonderful to hear, Sonya!! Your pictures look absolutely mouthwatering.
Is this cookies chruncy? or chewy?
Hi Victoria, these cookies are definitely more on the chewy end of the spectrum than crunchy
Excellent recipe! Thanks for sharing it!
Thanks, Deborah! Glad you enjoyed it!
Love the flavor! But my cookies came out flattened and not that chunky oat type. Is that normal? 🙁
Delicious! Love the orange and chocolate combination.
I didn’t have an orange extract but they still turned out great.