Chocolate Orange Cake Mix Cookies with Ganache Topping

 

One of my favorite flavor combinations is chocolate and orange . . . my favorite Christmas treat is the "Chocolate Orange" that I get in my stocking each year. But with Christmas still a couple of months away, I knew that I would have to come up with something else to tide over my craving until then.

And these little Chocolate Orange Cookies were born.

They are similar to my Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies, but instead have an orange buttercream filling and are topped with a rich ganache frosting.

Ahhh . . . they are heaven. :)

(And even better- they are super easy! If you have not noticed by now, I like easy things.)

Cookie:
1 milk chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Mix all ingredients together. Roll into 1-1.5" balls. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and let them cool.

Orange Buttercream Filling:

1/2 c. butter, softened

2 T. milk

2-3 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp. orange extract

red and yellow food coloring (optional- I just added a little bit to give it an orange color)

Mix all ingredients together and spread a generous amount on each chocolate cake mix cookie.

Ganache Chocolate Layer:

2 1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 c. butter

Melt chocolate chips and butter in a double boiler or in the microwave (I just microwaved it for 60 seconds and stirred, then microwaved for another 30 seconds and stirred again until it was smooth). Spread over the orange frosted cookies.