Bars, Desserts, Recipes

Orange Brownies

by Mitts and Measures

Orange Brownies H

Here I go again with the citrus, but how can I not share these with you if I know they are truly one of the best regular dessert items at our house. They are exactly as they sound… brownies, with all their wonderful dense and chewy qualities, but with a bright and refreshing orange-y zing. Bite into one of these and you’ll experience a delectable explosion of flavor in your mouth that is perfectly balanced with just the right amount of sweet, the perfect spark of orange and a texture that will have you grabbing for another before the last bite is going down. This recipe is from Paula Deen but with a slight adjustment to the extracts. She called for 2 teaspoons of orange extract in the brownie, but I use 1 teaspoon of orange and 1 teaspoon of vanilla so that it’s not too overpoweringly super-orange. I keep these in the fridge after frosting them so they become a little more firm. You could also keep in the freezer and pull out a few minutes before serving so they’re a wonderful frosty cold. (Love that!) Either way, the end result is a cool, scrumptious and aaahhh…. re-freshing treat! You’ve got to try them this summer.

Pan of Frosted Orange Brownies

The frosting recipe makes a lot, but trust me, you don’t want to cut the recipe. It is seriously so crazy-good you’re going to want to have the little extra to spread on everything you can find in your fridge perhaps some green veggies or to freeze for a later use!

 

Orange Brownies

(slightly adapted from Paula Deen)

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

* 2 cups granulated sugar

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

* 4 eggs

*  1 teaspoon orange extract

*  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

* 1 recipe Orange Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Orange Brownies:

Stir together flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add butter, eggs, orange extract, vanilla extract and orange zest. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until light golden brown and set. Remove from oven, allow to cool and pierce entire cake with a fork. Spread the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting over completely cooled brownies. Cut into squares.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:

* 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

* 4 tablespoons softened butter

* 1 (1-pound) box confectioners’ sugar

* 2 tablespoons orange zest

* 2 tablespoons orange juice

In a large mixing bowl, whip the butter and cream cheese together with a hand-held electric mixer. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until it is all combined and smooth. Beat in the orange zest and juice. Spread over brownies.

36 thoughts on “Orange Brownies”

    1. Hi Shivani, I’ve never tried it, but I think since this calls for 4 eggs, your best bet would be to use egg replacement, otherwise I’d experiment with making up a mixture of say 3 TBL Arrowroot and 3/4 cup orange juice. Again, it’s kind of tricky and might take some experimentation, but I’d start there. I’ll try to test this on my own and let you know, unless you beat me to it.

      Reply

  5. I just posted chocolate brownies and I just made a banana bread with some orange juice which tasted really good, so I know these orange brownies must taste awesome. The orange does improve the flavour. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful week!

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Liz! Your brownies looked delicious! The orange in these is just the right amount. We love them with all the bright flavor goin’ on! Have a great week, too!

      Reply

  11. These look incredible. I love that header photograph with the deliciously speckled citrus vanilla icing. Yum! In regards to the title… would you call these blondies instead of brownies? I was only introduced to the concept of blondies a few months ago (from some American food bloggers) and as far as I understand it, it’s a brownie without the cocoa! Whatever you call them… these are definitely on my to-bake list as of now! Thanks xx

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much! I would consider these “bars” more than I would call them blondies. I think blondies are (to confuse us more) technically more of a thick cookie dough spread and baked into a pan… like a chocolate chip or butterscotch cookie dough. Really, anything you want can go into a blondie, but they’re more often thought of as a thick bar cookie. Makes no sense, right? BUT… because orange brownies describes the taste and texture so well with these and because it’s a really fun name… I think it should hold! 🙂
      Hope you can try them to see!

      Reply

      1. Ah, yeah you are so right! The first time I made blondies I thought they tasted exactly like baked cookie dough (which confused me, as I thought that they were supposed to taste like non-chocolatey brownies. Now I’m even more confused!). I am definitely happy to call these orange brownies… that sounds just divine. I’ll definitely be trying them! x

        Reply

  12. My daughter, the pastry chef, can’t wait ti make these. They look and sound so good. I will let you know how it goes. We made the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies from the recipe you gave me and now we have a new family favorite cookie. Thanks for all the great recipes!

    Reply

    1. I’m so glad they were such a success at your house! Thanks for letting me know as I appreciate the feedback. Yes, you should try these as well. They’re wonderful! 🙂

      Reply

  13. I’ve never heard of a citrus-based brownie and these sure do sound good! Topped with that icing and I can see that these treats would be irresistible. I need to fine me some orange extract. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply

    1. Thanks, John! Yes, the same in texture as a brownie, especially if you keep them cold. We actually love them right out of the freezer in the summer. So good!! 🙂

      Reply

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