Orange Brownies

We all know brownies are great on their own, but sometimes, they need a little something else to elevate their status a bit more. Chocolate is one of those delicious flavors that goes well with many other great flavors, like cherries, raspberries, peanut butter, to name a few. And oranges, especially with dark chocolate.

The combination of oranges and chocolate is one that has been around for centuries. It has been a popular combination since the 1400’s. In China, people would dip orange segments in chocolate and give them to their lovers. From there, chocolate oranges travelled across established trade routes heading west. By 1400 it found its way to Sicily, and spread from there. Today the combination of dark chocolate and oranges is popular all over the world.

The combination of dark chocolate and oranges is just magical. Chocolate and orange bring out the best in each other. The natural sweetness in the orange complements the bitterness of the chocolate, and the darker the chocolate, the better the flavor. These two flavors go so great together because of the contrast between the citrusy, tart fruit and the sweet, rich chocolate. It’s an obvious example that opposites attract. I paired these two great flavors together to make some chocolate and orange brownies.

Every week I offer a wide variety of goodies for my church coffee cart. I usually have 3 or 4 different kinds of baked goods, and often have fruit as well. Unfortunately, fruit on its own has a very limited shelf life, but that shelf life is extended by cooking with the fruit. I had some small Clementine or Mandarin oranges and I decided to mix them with my brownies, turning them from good comfort food to something WOW!

I started with my Ghirardelli Brownie Mix and just made a few simple adjustments to transform them. I was inspired by craving something sweet the other day, and while rummaging through my pantry, saw some chocolate orange candy (still unopened, by the way). And I already had the Clemintines, so, I though let’s just see what happens when I combine them together. I LIKE it!!!

Instead of using water in the mix, I substituted orange juice. I also added some orange extract to the mix as well. Then I just baked them as I would normally.

I also had some leftover frosting that I added some orange food coloring and orange extract to. I piped a little dollop onto each brownie and added an orange segment on top. Simple changes that had a dramatic effect. 🙂

Not only did this bring my brownies to a new level, but I got to use up some of my leftovers as well, which you all know makes “The Queen” (of leftovers) and I both very happy.

Have fun. Be creative and play with your food. 🙂 Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.