Peanuts, oranges, and chocolate, oh my!
Time to put them to use—in the form of cookies.
The browned butter method below is a variation on a theme from Cook's Illustrated, who use it in their phenomenal chocolate chip cookies. It gives your cookie a deep caramel flavour.
This recipe is also part of an international project by Silvie at Citronelle and Cardamome, who organized an advent calendar of recipes by bloggers all over the world. See all the fabulous Christmas recipes here.
Put the sugar in a large bowl and, using your fingers, rub in the orange zest.
Now, brown your butter. In a medium pot, add the butter and cook over medium heat until it smells nutty and starts to turn brown.
Add the browned butter and molasses to the sugar mixture and whisk well.
Add the vanilla, egg and yolk to the sugar mixture and whisk well.
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Fold in the chopped chocolate and nuts.
Form ping-pong sized balls with your cookie dough, place on parchment-lined baking sheets, and press down into discs.
Bake for about 11 minutes, or until you can smell the cookies and the tops have just set.
When melting the butter, don't use a pot with a black bottom or it will be difficult to see when the butter changes colour.