Orange Cookie Bars with Chocolate Ganache

YOU GUYS! I AM LITERALLY ON MY WAY TO VIETNAM! Almost. I'm in the Bozeman (INTERNATIONAL!) Airport! IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING. So many caps. Sorry/not sorry.

This week has, thankfully, not been quite as hectic as I anticipated! We did a great job of packing this weekend, and getting rid of everything from clothes to furniture to food, etc. We made sure to have everything packed in boxes by Tuesday morning, at which point we invited friends over to raid our kitchen. I've never seen people so sheepish about taking food from a friend — I had to continually reassure people that they were doing us a favor by taking so much food. Thanks to everyone who came! I'm glad to know our food won't go to waste!

The other great thing about giving away all of our food was that we then had a lot of helpers to load up the moving truck. I may have done some sneaky scheduling magic to make that happen… 🙂 Really though, our friends jumped right in helping load the truck (without us actually having to ask!), and our friend Roy (whose wife Linnea has an awesome food blog!) even came to the storage unit with us to unload. Talk about helpful! We've been marveling over the last few days at the amazing friends we've made here in Bozeman. Of everywhere I've lived, the people here seem the most real, and genuinely nice. I'm sad to leave everyone! I may write a post specifically on our leaving Bozeman, but we'll see how that goes.

I'm leaving you with something simple and addicting: orange cookie bars with chocolate ganache. Remember those chocolate oranges that you whack on a table and they open up into little slices? THIS TASTES LIKE THAT! Do those things still exist? We used to get them for Christmas every year, so I have very specific memories of whacking my orange on the interior of our mini van as we drove down to Southern Oregon to see my grandparents after Christmas. I love those chocolate oranges, but then they started making the raspberry-flavored kind… still shaped like an orange. Not cool! I'll stick with orange (even though I love raspberries!).

To make these cookies, I adapted my recipe for raspberry thumbprint cookies (which have one of the best cookie-textures EVER), and added the ganache. I think these could also be amazing with an orangey cream cheese frosting. Mmm. Also, if orange isn't your thing, you could totally sub in lime or lemon!

If I'm especially productive during our layovers today I'll write a post for you on the who/where/what/why of our travels! Keep an eye out for it tomorrow, or perhaps on Friday. By then, we'll be IN VIETNAM! I'm sure I will have bombarded you with photos on instagram!

Orange Cookie Bars with Chocolate Ganache

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Author: by Mary
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 12-16 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 12 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp fresh orange zest
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F, and butter an 8x8 inch baking dish.
2. Combine the butter, sugar, and orange zest together in the bowl of a mixer. Cream together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the egg, and mix to combine, then do the same with the vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the salt, flour, and cornstarch. Whisk to fully incorporate.
5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Flatten the dough evenly into the prepared pan (I used wax paper to keep it off of my hands and get a smooth surface).
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes. The edges will be golden, and the center will no longer look wet. Let cool completely before proceeding.
7. Heat the heavy cream in the microwave until near boiling, then add the chocolate chips and let sit for 30 seconds. Stir vigorously with a fork or whisk until completely smooth. Pour the ganache over the cooled cookies (still in the pan). Let set for at least one hour before cutting.

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