Chocolate Covered Cookie Dunkers

These crazy delicious cookies are begging for a wholesome glass of milk!

This blog post is sponsored by The a2 Milk Company™ 

"Because when your milk is naturally easy to digest, life is easy to digest"

There are few simple pleasures in life that never get old, like dunking a cookie into a rich and soothing glass of milk. No matter how old you are, there is something delicious and totally comforting about it: whether it's cold and refreshing, or hot and foamy milk; for a hearty breakfast in the morning, a fun afternoon snack, or an after-dinner guilty pleasure. 

There are studies out there that show that cookies actually taste better when dipped. I read there are compounds found in baked goods that are released in the mouth and nose if dunked.
See?!?! There are very good reasons why we all love cookies with milk. 

Look at these mouth-watering, chocolate-covered dunker cookies: light and buttery, with a delicate orange flavor, and a luscious layer of dark chocolate all over them.

Now think: these amazing tasting cookies will taste even more amazingly once dunked in silky, creamy milk. Ready to dive in?!?

Every cookie needs a delicious glass of milk to be dunked into. And here is the perfect milk to try out. Especially if you are one of those people that no longer drink cows' milk because it causes discomfort or it's a little hard to digest. 
You shouldn't give up and go without the goodness of milk. And now you don't have to, thanks to a2 Milk®.

Here is what I learned today. Ordinary cows’ milk contains two types of proteins, A1 and A2. The A1 protein might cause intolerance in some of us. The a2 Milk Company™ developed a safe way to select cows that naturally produce milk that’s rich in the A2 protein type, and completely free from all A1. Nothing added and nothing taken away. And that makes all the difference. 
a2 Milk® is real and natural milk that is easier for more people to digest. Not genetically modified or processed. Amazing, right?!?

Not all milk is the same. Maybe it was true hundreds of years ago, but not today. Back then all cows' milk was naturally rich in the A2 protein. Over time, other protein began to appear in the milk, like the A1. The majority of milk that we drink today has a combination of A1 and A2 proteins. 

The a2 Milk Company™ is bringing back the pleasure of real and natural milk, making a meaningful difference in the diet of many many people.

So hurry to the fridge, pour yourself a glass of milk and dunk away. But I'm warning you, you'll find yourself eating more than just one of these cookies. 

What's your favorite cookie to dunk in milk? Tell me in the comments for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card.

What you will win:

One winner will receive a $100 Visa gift card

How to Enter:

Simply leave me a comment on this blog post (scroll down) telling me what is your favorite cookie for dunking into milk. Is it the classic-but-always-delicious chocolate chip cookie or a healthy oatmeal cookie? A fancy vanilla wafer or a tempting snicker-doodle cookie?!? Mmmm... now I just made myself hungry for more cookies :)
So leave a comment - I can't wait to hear!!

Entry Instructions:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#Sweeps” and “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 12/5/2016 - 1/5/2017.
Be sure to visit the brand page on SheKnows.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

Ingredients: to make 24 cookies

• 8 oz (225 gr) of unsalted butter softened* 
• 1 packed cup (130 gr) of powdered sugar 
• 2 eggs at room temperature* 
• 1 egg yolk at room temperature* 
• zest of one orange 
• pinch of salt 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 2 cups (300 gr) of flour 
• 6 oz (170 gr) of semisweet chocolate chips 

*Remove the butter and eggs from the refrigerator 30 minutes before starting with the recipe

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C).
Cream the butter with the powdered sugar for several minutes, until fluffy and whipped. It's best to use an electric mixer for this part.

2. Add the 2 eggs and the egg yolk one at a time mixing in between until incorporated and smooth.

3. Add the vanilla extract, salt and orange zest and mix some more.

4. Sift the flour and add to the mixture. Mix with a spoon until just combined.

5. Cut the tip of a piping bag, about 1 inch diagonal cut. Spoon the batter into a piping bag. 

Pipe the dough on a cooking sheet covered with parchment paper. Make about 24 long strips of dough about 1 inch wide and 3.5 inch long.

6. Bake at 350° F (175° C) for about 15 minutes until slightly golden at the edges.

Move the cookies to a cooling rack and wait about 10 minutes for them to cool down.

7. Prepare the chocolate: Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 60 second on high. Stir the chocolate until smooth. Microwave for 30 more seconds if you need. Mix until the chocolate is all melted and smooth.
Dip the cookies halfway in the melted chocolate. Careful not to break the cookie! These are very soft and the chocolate is thick. Let the excess chocolate drip down in the bowl.

Lay the cookies back on parchment paper. Let the chocolate set.
The quickest way is to refrigerate for a five minutes or so. Once hardened, remove the cookies from the paper and enjoy.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Enjoy :)