Orange Scented Choco Chip Cookies

I love chocochip cookies and recently was thinking of making a few to share with my friends as well. We are a nice gang here and one of them had passed me warm, sweet and ghee laden malpuas (taking care to burn her hands while frying -all in the name of friendship :)) and this was the least I could do for her (apart from pulling her leg that is).Also I remembered seeing the delicious Chocochip Cookies on FoodBuzz Top 9 from Chasing Delicious. I loved it and as usual immediately thought of making the same. While searching in my pantry for the choco chips, I saw that Nestle itself have given a similar recipe for the same and I decided to adapt the latter but with the same orangey twist that I saw in former.I had no zest left with me and so I depended on orange extract and orange juice and the cookies were no overtly orangey but just a delicious scent of orange was there.

Ingredients:


All Purpose Flour: 1 cup and 2 tbsp
Baking Soda: 1/2 tsp
Salt:1/2 tsp

Butter:8 tbsp /100 g soft
Sugar: 6 tbsp
Brown Sugar: 6 tbsp
Orange Extract: 1/2 tsp


Egg :1 large or Ener G Egg Replacer Egg: 1.5 packed tsp mixed with 2 tbsp of Orange Juice + additional 1-2 tbsp OJ if needed

Chocochips: 10+ tbsp
Nuts: 6-8 tbsp

Preparation:

Combine flour, soda and salt in a medium bowl. In another wider deeper bowl,cream together butter,both sugar, and orange extract until creamy. Beat in the egg or Ener G egg into this. Add in the flour mix to this beating at a low speed until combined. Fold in the nuts and choco chips. You will be left with a bit sticky dough. If it is too dry and you have used egg replacers especially, then add in 1-2 tbsp of orange juice.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet which is preferably ungreased. But I did line my baking sheet as cleaning beacomes easier. Also I pinched handful of dough and shaped it into a round ball,slightly flattendd it and then placed it onto the lined baking sheet. The cookies expand a bit so give enough space between them

Bake in a preheated oven at 375F/190C for 9-11 minutes or until you can see them becoming golden brown.

Take out,cool in the sheet for 2 minutes then remove them to the wire rack and cool completely.

I allowed 5 minutes in the sheet as I wanted them crisper. You can see the cookies expanding and even puffing up a bit while in the oven. The middle may not be cooked within the mentioned time,but cooking will continue while still on the baking sheet and the wire rack.

These make excellent gifts and and are good with a cup of milk.