When I saw this cookie in my daily recipe search, I absolutely loved the look of it.  I debated long and hard “should I attempt it or not?”.  Not because it was hard to make, it’s the decoration of the cookie.  Anyone who know me, knows fiddly little things are not my cup of tea.  That said, the cookie looked really nice and the ingredient list had flavors I love, chocolate and orange.  It’s called Cocoa Ribbon Cookies but really, that name does no justice to the taste.  So I’m re-naming this Cocoa “Chocolate Orange” Ribbon Cookies.  A heads up for you, there are a number of steps in this recipe, do they need to be?  Probably not, but for clarity, I’ve condensed and listed them.  It just looks overwhelming, but it’s really intuitive!  

It’s colorful enough and that comes from the zest of 5 oranges that are in the batter.  In addition to the color, there is also the intensity of the orange flavor.  It’s dark chocolate and cocoa that give it the intense chocolate flavor.  You could substitute bittersweet chocolate but I don’t think milk chocolate would do it justice.  I think you’d lose the contrast in tastes.  When combined, it is a match made in heaven.  As this cookie is baking you can practically taste it from the aroma coming from the oven.  This isn’t a complex cookie to make, however after trying it as presented, I would make some changes to the process.  These are just my thoughts and should not in any way detract from the original recipe. 

I mentioned the debate in my mind over whether I should attempt this decorated cookie or not, but I got sucked into the “instagram” moment and thought it would make a great picture for my blog.  The original recipe called for rolling the chocolate dough but then “spreading” the orange dough on top with a spatula.  Not the easiest thing in the world to do (I know, I tried it), and I’m stymied by the even layers in the pictures.  My recommendation is skip the spreading as this is still  a cookie dough – not spread.  Roll it out the same way you did the chocolate and then place the orange layer on top of the chocolate layer.  Chill it, cut it and bake it as indicated.  I think this will give you nice even layers of chocolate and orange cookie.  Still though – very flavorful  even though my layers weren’t perfect.  It’s all about the taste.  I do think dipping it in chocolate is a necessary embellishment as is the sprinkling with some citrus sugar or zest.  As always – enjoy! 

Ingredients
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped into smaller pieces
Zest of 5 medium or 3 large oranges – roughly 3 tablespoons
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions
1. To the bowl of your food processor, add the sugar and zest – pulse to combine – (citrus sugar)
2. Add the butter, salt, extra virgin olive oil and sour cream – pulse to combine/mix until lighter in color and texture, scrape down the bowl throughout
3. Remove 1 cup of batter from the processor and add it to a separate bowl with 1 cup of  flour, using a spatula, mix until fully incorporated – set aside
4. Add the chocolate to a small microwaveable bowl and melt in the microwave – 30 second bursts. The chocolate may not look melted but give it a stir and the warmth of the melted chocolate will keep everything smooth
5. Add the melted chocolate, unsweetened cocoa and flour to the processor – pulse until it forms a dough
6. Transfer to a piece of parchment, place another sheet of parchment on top and roll out the dough to  between 1/8″ and 1/4″ thickness – roughly the size of a piece of 8 1/2″ x 11″
7. Remove the top piece of parchment and place on the counter, add all the orange dough, cover with an additional piece of parchment and roll until you have the same size/shape as the chocolate dough
8. Using a rolling pin, transfer the orange dough on top of the chocolate dough – gently roll to ensure the doughs stick together
9. Transfer the parchment with the chocolate and orange dough to a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes
10. After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 350f and remove the dough from the freezer and using a ruler and sharp knife, trim any edges that are jagged – you want a straight edged rectangle
11. Make 3 cuts along the 8 1/2″ width – you should end up with 4 strips, roughly 2″ x 11″ each
12. Using a pastry brush dipped in a little water, brush the top of one strip, lay the 2nd strip on top and press lightly – repeat until you have one stack of dough – about 2″ wide and 11″ long.  Note: you don’t want to have the brush dripping wet, you need the lightest amount of moisture for the dough to stick
13. Cut the strip into 1/4″ – 1/2″ thickness, and spread evenly on a parchment lined tray and bake for 12 – 15 minutes rotating the trays half way 
15. Remove from the oven, let the cookies cool completely before decorating
16. To decorate, melt  3/4 cup dark chocolate in the microwave, dip the ends of each cookie in the chocolate, let this cool and partially set before decorating with additional citrus sugar or zest