Orange Espresso Brownies

I am having so much fun with the church coffee cart for so many reasons. One, I am helping people and helping the church doing what I love to do – feed people, an two, I also get to try so many different things that I might not otherwise make. These orange espresso brownies are one example of things I would not normally make unless I was either cooking them for others, or I was going to eat them all by myself. Larry does not like coffee or anything coffee flavored. I love coffee flavored foods, especially a good mocha, but I really DO NOT need to eat a tray full of brownies all by myself.

I am still using up my fruits, Strawberry-Kiwi Cake and I have almost used them all up. WHOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!! This time, I was using up some of my oranges. These were another big hit today. They all disappeared after church today, and that is always a good thing. 🙂

Orange Espresso Brownies

These brownies are decadently rich, but oh so full of flavor. The little hints of coffee and orange really brought out the chocolate flavor and added character and depth to the brownies. I doubled the recipe because I was making them for a lot of people.

Spray an 8×8 baking pan with cooking spray then add a light coating of flour.

Preheat the oven to 325* F or 170* C

1 cup dark cocoa powder or dark chocolate

1 stick + 6 TBSP melted butter

4 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup flour

1 1/2 TBSP instant coffee of espresso granules

1 tsp orange extract

Mandarin or cutie orange slices, optional

If you are using chocolate, melt it with the butter over a double boiler until it is all melted and blended together. Stir constantly over a low-medium flame. If you are using cocoa powder, which I did, mix the cocoa powder in with the flour and the rest of the dry ingredients.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together for about 2 minutes with the whisk attachment or by hand. Then add the coffee and mix together again. Add the butter and flour mixture and mix again until just blended together. Do not over mix.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly to cover the pan. Bake for about 25-30 minutes . Allow the brownies to cool before cutting.

I had some leftover orange frosting, so I added just a little dab to each brownie as “glue”. Next I added an orange slice on top of the frosting. And lastly, I gave the brownies a quick dusting with powdered sugar. The orange slices made them look very colorful and pretty, plus I was using up some more of my fruit. I was on a mission after all. 🙂

Life is short. Always make room for dessert, even if you have dessert first. Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.