Grand Marnier Chocolate Spice Cookies

Fall is in full swing and so are all of its flavors. I love the smells of fall when I am baking in the kitchen. A couple of weeks ago I bought a small bottle of Grand Marnier to tinker around with in the kitchen.  I love to use dessert liqueurs in many of my recipes;  they add a wonderful subtle flavor into my desserts. Back in May, I created a cookie recipe for my sister-in-law’s birthday. Margarita cookies made the perfect summer treat based on Leisa’s favorite cocktail.  My brother’s birthday is this weekend and I thought I would create a fall cookie recipe that would remind me of him. My brother is quite the foodie, so I knew this was going to be a challenge. I decided to try something a little eclectic.

Don’t worry I will get back to the cookies but I have to introduce you to who the cookies are for, my brother! Not only did he learn the art of patience with having a younger sister but Randy is an accomplished multi-talented artist. He paints, he writes, he is a graphic designer and photographer. You might not believe me when I say this, but I am not the artist in our family. I am the athlete who tries really hard to be an artist.  He has the natural ability to style and see colors with ease.  I use a Kopy Kake projector to create art. Yeah for the Kopy Kake! My brother is gifted with natural abilities to create gorgeous works of art.

It’s really cool having an older brother; but I don’t know if he was as thrilled to have a pesky, in desperate need of attention, little sister. But now I make nifty baked goods, so I am making up for all those years of pestering with sugar.  Is that what my mom meant when she said you will get more with a little bit of sugar than vinegar?

This is my favorite photograph of all time by my brother. It has the look of an exquisite painting. An executive from Macy’s recently bought my the picture. {I am not bitter, I promise} Leave it to me, but I  want Arty McGoo or Sugar Rush Custom cookies to paint this on a cookie. If you would like to look more at his artwork and design studio, here is where you can find them on the internet. During the holidays they have an Etsy shop where they sell gorgeous cards.

Website: Once Blind Studios      Website: K. Randall Wilcox Fine Art

Etsy Shop: Once Blind Studios

Twitter: @onceblind

Facebook:  Once Blind Studios, LLC

These are the beautiful cards my brother sent me for my birthday last year. My hope is to turn this picture into a cookie for the sugar  show at Cookie Con. Alright, let’s get back to cookies.

Grand Marnier Chocolate Spice Cookies

{Printable Recipe}

3 plus 2 tbsp. cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp. cloves

¼ tsp. salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)

1 cup  butter
1 egg (at room temp)

1 Tbsp. orange zest
2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 oz. fine dark chocolate finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and cloves in a bowl. Set aside.

Cream the sugars, orange zest and butter till light and fluffy. Add the egg, 1 tbsp. Grand Marnier, and vanilla; mix until well-blended.

Add half the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom. Then add the other tbsp. of Grand Marnier and the other half of the flour. You don’t want the dough to dry or too sticky (Goldilocks principle)If too dry add just a smidge more Grand Marnier. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours before rolling out. If you need help on how to roll out your dough, check out one of our older posts.

Roll on a floured surface to about 1/4″ and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 9-12 minutes, or till the edges are a light brown.  Makes approximately 32, 2.5” fluted round cookies. This recipe can be used as a roll out cookie for decorated cookies or with a simple glaze on top.

Grand Marnier Glaze

1 cup confectioners sugar {sifted}
2 tbsp. Grand Marnier

1 to 2 tbsp. half and half
3 tsp. finely grated orange zest
Pinch of salt

In a small bowl, combine the sifted confectioners sugar, Grand Marnier, half and half, zest and salt.  Add more or less half and half depending on how thick or thin you would like your glaze. Pour glaze in to a piping bag. Cut a small slit in the bag. Drizzle atop cookies. If you do not have a piping bag you can use a Ziploc bag.

Every one makes roll out cookies a little differently. The method that I find that works best for me is to roll the dough out before chilling between two layers of plastic wrap. Here is a blog post about my process.  For the grand marnier cookies, I used World Market’s round fluted cutter.

Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.  Since I bake a lot of cookies, I like to use Silpat’s to save on time and costs. No more cutting parchment paper to fit the tray just right. No more throwing away large amounts of parchment paper. Yeah! Do I get a sticker for being a “green” baker?  Give your cookies about an inch or two between one another just in case they spread.  After I cut out my cookies, I place them in the freezer for 5 minutes to try to eliminate any spreading.  Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for about 9-12  minutes. Are you wondering why time can vary so much? Every one’s oven is different. My oven is a tad temperamental, and that is why I own an oven thermometer. Some days it goes right to 350 and other days I have to tinker with the temperature to get it to 350.  I like to bake these cookies until they have a golden brown edges. Remove from the oven and let them cool. You can use these as a decorated cookie or cover them in a simple glaze.

Happy Birthday Randy! I hope you enjoy your Grand Marnier cookies!!!!

Related posts:

Margarita Cookies {Recipe} White Chocolate Pear Cookies Tango Tangerine and Valentine Designs {Sugar Cookie Style} Dark Chocolate Andes Mint Cupcakes