Chocolate Orange Brownies
Easy to make chocolate orange brownies. These are super fudgy with a nutty texture (but you can make it without the nuts too). Can be made in advance and frozen too!
Equipment
- 19 cm (8 inch) square tin or 26 x 13 cm (10 x 5 inch) rectangular tin with sides that are at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) high.
- Double boiler = small saucepan and a small heatproof bowl to sit on top of saucepan.
- Mixing spoon or spatula
- sieve
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Grater or zester
Ingredients
- 115 grams (4 oz) salted butter
- 230 grams (8 oz) dark chocolate
- 150 grams (5 oz) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 40 grams (1.5 oz) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 150 grams (5 oz) chopped pecans
- 50 grams (2 oz) white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160°C. Lightly grease and line a 19 cm (8 inch) square tin or 26 x 13 cm (10 x 5 inch) rectangular tin with baking paper. The paper should extend up past the sizes of the tin.
- Melt butter, dark chocolate, sugar, and salt in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
- Mix in the vanilla essence and orange zest to the mixture.
- Beat the eggs into the mixture, one at a time.
- Take off the heat and add sifted flour, half the chopped pecans, and all white chocolate chips. Mix through.
- When batter is smooth, pour into the greased and lined tin and sprinkle on the remaining chopped pecans.
- Place in oven and bake for about 30 – 40 minutes. The brownies will be slightly under cooked at this stage, this is what you want. Don’t be tempted to cook the brownies longer, if you do, you will not get a moist, gooey, brownie. You can tell when the chocolate orange brownies are done by look and feel. The outside edges should look and feel firm and the centre should look and feel like it can do with a little more cooking, but it should not be runny.If it does need a little more cooking, keep cooking and check again after five minutes and continue like this until it’s done.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes.
- Then remove from the tin and allow to cool completely on a wire rack, before cutting into squares or triangles.
- Store in an airtight container for three to four days. These can be frozen.
Notes
1. Don’t beat the ingredients together rather gently fold the brownie batter until just combined and there are no clumps left.
2. Always use eggs and butter at room temperature, this will help give a lighter texture to the brownies. Get the eggs and butter out of the fridge about 1 hour before you start.
3. Use brown sugar and not white sugar. Brown sugar has molasses in it and this will help to make the brownies fudge like.
4. Make sure to spread the batter evenly into the baking pan for even cooking.
5. Every oven is different, and temperature plays a key factor in how quickly they will bake. So, use an oven thermometer to check the temperature if are in doubt.
6. Use a timer, to avoid over cooking.
7. Use appropriate bake ware. The best pans are aluminium as these absorb heat much quicker than glass or ceramic dishes.
8. Turn the tin 180 degrees halfway during cooking time will also help with even cooking. It will also prevent a spot from being over cooked if your oven has a hot spot.
9. Always line the tins with baking paper. This will stop the brownies from sticking to the tin and it also makes it easier to get them out.
10. Don’t be in a rush to eat them right away, if you can, leave them overnight or at the very least, a few hours. This will help them “settle in” and allow them to develop the flavours and texture that you want from a brownie.
Nutrition
Serving: 1pieceCalories: 364kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 4gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 90mgPotassium: 234mgFiber: 3gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 297IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!