Chocolate Orange Cookie Bars

Chocolate orange can (and definitely is) eaten throughout the year, but chocolate orange and Christmas go hand in hand in my opinion. What better way to enjoy it than these Chocolate Orange Cookie Bars?

What is a cookie bar?

A cookie bar is basically one large, thick cookie that is baked in a tin. Instead of separating the dough into individual cookies it is baked as one and then cut into bars.

Cookie bars are perfect if you favour a thick, soft cookie. They are also quicker and easier to make!

I used my favourite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe to create these delicious Chocolate Orange Cookie Bars.

Chocolate orange is one of my favourite flavour combinations

Chocolate orange is one of my favourite types of chocolate and flavour combinations in general. I’m not a massive fan of fruit and chocolate, but orange and chocolate is the exception.

Chocolate orange is also a flavour combination I always associate with Christmas. Obviously you can eat these cookie bars at any time of year, but they are particularly good around the festive season!

Do you prefer a soft or crisp cookie?

I love cookies – especially soft cookies. For me crisp cookies are a waste of a cookie.

You need the soft squidginess in a cookie. Which is why these Chocolate Orange Cookie Bars are so good! They have all the delicious softness of what makes a great cookie in my opinion.

Plus they are thicker than a standard cookie – who wouldn’t want an extra thick cookie bar?!

Delicious and simple to make

Apart from their delicious softness, these Chocolate Orange Cookie Bars are also really easy to make.

Don’t get me wrong, cookies aren’t difficult to make, but they take a little bit of time to portion up. And I also usually have to cook them in batches.

With these, you just tip all of the batter into the tin with no faffing at all – perfect!

Time saving steps like this is great at any time of year, but especially at Christmas when everyone is so busy. These don’t take long to make or bake which is another advantage.

Which type of chocolate orange is best to use?

I remember not too long ago you could only buy Terry’s chocolate oranges. Over the last few years the number or chocolate orange products has increased dramatically.

You can now buy mini chocolate orange segments, chocolate orange bars and all sorts of other treats.

It really doesn’t matter what type or chocolate orange you use for these cookie bars. Especially as most of it is going to get chopped up!

Also although Terry’s is the popular brand or chocolate orange here, you can use any brand you like.

How to decorate these cookie bars

You can choose to decorate these cookie bars with some chocolate orange segments or even leave it plain if you prefer.

I like to decorate them with mini chocolate orange segments as this means each bar gets its own little chocolate orange slice.

You could use large chocolate orange slices if you prefer; or even cut up any form of chocolate orange into chunks and sprinkle this over the top.

How long do these cookies bake for?

As I have mentioned, I like a soft centred cookie so I recommend baking these for twenty minutes. This means you get the gooey centre and the chewy goodness around the outside.

If however you like a firmer cookie, bake these for an extra five minutes.

Remember that they will firm up slightly as they cool.

How many cookie bars does this recipe make?

I like to cut them into sixteen squares because I think this is the perfect size.

If you were making them for a party or a dessert platter, you could cut them a little smaller.

How long do these bars keep for?

I’m not too sure you will have to worry about how long they will last because they will get eaten very quickly!

However they will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container. They might become slightly less soft come day four but they will still be very tasty.

Can you freeze these Chocolate Orange Cookie Bars?

Yes they can be.

You can freeze them either before or after they are baked. If you are freezing them before they are baked you would need to freeze them in the tin and wrap them really well.

When you want to bake them, put them in the oven for ten minutes longer than the recipe says. This might be a bit of an inconvenience if you only have one tin and need to use it again though!

If you want to freeze them after they are baked, I would wrap them individually. This means you can take out as many as you need, as and when you need them.

Defrost them for around an hour and they should be perfect to eat!

Do you have to use chocolate orange

No, you can use whatever chocolate you like!

I know selection boxes and tubs of chocolate are very popular at Christmas. You could easily chop up some of these and add them to the mix. That way you can have a selection of different chocolate in your cookie bars.

You could also keep the cookie bars really simple and just use chocolate chips – milk, white or dark chocolate would work well.

Other recipes you might like

• Chocolate Orange Tray Bake 
• Chocolate Orange Rocky Road
• Vegan Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake
• Maltesers Cookie Bars
• Guylian Cookie Bars (Praline Seashell Chocolates)

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