This Orange Chocolate Brownies Recipe is quick, easy and delicious. If you’re a fan of rich, intense chocolate flavours combined with the wonderful flavour of orange, then this brownie recipe is for you. The recipe is easy and quick to make, is light on the washing up and takes 30 minutes to make. Want to know how to get that crackly top with a soft fudgy centre? Then read on…
This simple yet delicious, one-bowl orange and chocolate brownies recipe is magic itself. The brownies are impressive, taste unbelievably decadent, and take hardly any time to make. The recipe uses real chocolate and the zest of an orange to create a deliciously rich and flavourful brownie. So, you don’t need to go hunting for a Terry’s chocolate orange; we’re not making Terry’s Chocolate Orange brownies. We’re making dark chocolate orange brownies with the orange flavour being under your control. You really should try them!
It’s a classic flavour combination – chocolate and orange all wrapped up in the delectable fudginess of orange chocolate brownies. I’ve shared batches of these with friends and family, and they’ve begged for more. I think you’ll love them too.
Ingredients in Chocolate Orange Brownies
All the ingredients are listed with the precise amounts in the recipe card below. This is just a little extra information to help you to get the best results.
Dark chocolate: I tend to use a chocolate bar with 70% cocoa. This does make it a dark chocolate orange brownie, but the flavours do stand out a little more. I’ve tried 85% but the brownies don’t taste as good in my opinion.
Cocoa powder: This acts as a great flavour enhancer and results in brownies with a deeper, more intense chocolate flavour. This gives them a richness.
White chocolate: I’m not sure whether I should call these brownies double chocolate orange brownies, but the recipe does include white chocolate. This not only tastes delicious but gives a great splash of colour to the brownies.
Orange Zest: The zest, teeming with natural orange oils, is what gives the brownie the most glorious orange flavour. This is why you don’t need to hunt down orange-flavoured chocolate. Add a little orange extract if you wish, but that is entirely optional.
Making Chocolate Orange Brownies
All the instructions you need to make this Chocolate Orange Brownies Recipe are in the recipe below. This is just a little bit more of an explanation.
- Preheat the oven and line a 9-inch by 9-inch (23cms by 23cms) square tin with baking parchment or grease it if you prefer.
- Gather all of your ingredients together.
- Melt the chocolate –
- In the microwave – In a microwavable bowl, add the butter and broken up dark chocolate. Microwave it for 15 seconds and then stir it. You may need to do this a few times, but be careful of overdoing it. As soon as it is melted, add the sugar to the melted mixture and stir.
- On the hob – Select a saucepan and a heatproof bowl that can sit on top of it comfortably. You want the fit to be so that steam from the water in the saucepan does not reach the chocolate.
- Bring the water, just an inch or two, to the boil in the saucepan. Place the heatproof bowl, with the butter and the chocolate inside, on top of the saucepan. The fit between the bowl and the saucepan needs to prevent steam from coming into contact with the chocolate.
- To the melted chocolate – add the eggs, vanilla extract, orange extract if using, salt and orange zest and stir until everything is fully combined.
- Sift in the plain flour (all-purpose) with the cocoa, ensuring there are no lumpy bits of flour or cocoa, and stir once again, but only until it is combined. You don’t want to over-mix it.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until done.
Tips for Chocolate Orange Brownie Success
How to get that crackly top
This is achieved through combining sugar with melted chocolate and butter whilst it is still warm.
Do not overmix the brownie mixture
The task is to mix everything until it is combined, so that no flour pockets remain. If you overbeat or over-mix the batter, it will become more cake-like. This will still be wonderful, but may not be as fudgy as you’d hoped for.
Do not over-bake
Set your oven timer as they only need 20 – 22 minutes to bake.
Judging ‘doneness’ – you want to be able to slide a knife or toothpick into the brownies and only see a few moist crumbs. You are not looking for a clean knife or toothpick.
Allow the brownies to cool gently for about ten minutes. They will continue to cook in the tin a little bit more.
Use baking parchment
Lining the baking tin will make it easier to remove the brownies from the pan after the initial ten minutes of cooling. They’re still a little fragile at this point, so it will really help you get them successfully onto the cooling rack.
Slice them into portions and share! The portions (squares) do not need to be large as they are quite rich and is one of those instances when less is definitely more. You can always return for seconds later…. just saying.
Variations to the Chocolate Orange Brownie Recipe
This Chocolate Orange Brownies recipe is pretty amazing as it is, but occasionally, you may want to change it a little. Perhaps you’d prefer to include nuts rather than white chocolate? These are a few ideas.
- Omit the white chocolate chunks.
- Add up to a cup (115 g) in total of one of the following …
- cranberries
- chopped walnuts
- chopped pecans
- raisins
- chopped dried apricots
You could add 1/2 cup (55gms) of two different add-ins or 1 cup (115gms) of one ingredient.
Serving Ideas
There are lots of interesting ways to serve Chocolate Orange Brownies. Will you be eating them as a sweet treat or for dessert? That will help you to decide what to serve with them… not that they need anything else at all.
- Serve cut up into squares on pretty plates dusted with icing sugar.
- How about a little single cream poured over the brownie?
- They’re delicious served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Storing Chocolate Orange Brownies
Store for up to 3 days in an airtight container or 5 days in the refrigerator. They also freeze well and will last happily for about 3 months. Defrost thoroughly overnight to bring back to room temperature before eating.
I do hope that you get to try this recipe.These are so straightforward to make and only use one large mixing bowl, so you won’t end up with washing-up all over the kitchen and it looking like a war zone. But maybe you’re not as messy as I am.
How do you like your Brownie? Fudgy or more cake-like? I’d love to know.
If you like these… then you may like…
- Chocolate Avocado Mousse
- Simple Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Hazelnut Bliss Balls
- Easy Chocolate Lava Cake
- Easy Chocolate Fudge Recipe
- Make Raspberry and White Chocolate Blondies
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Recipe for Orange Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C/160 C Fan. Grease or line a 9" x 9" (23cm by 23cm) pan and set it aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, add in the butter (3/4 cup unsalted butter, 2 oz dark chocolate) and dark chocolate and microwave in 15 second bursts, stirring the mixture after each, until it's all melted.
- Add the sugar ( 2 cups caster sugar) to the melted mixture. Stir until combined.
- Add the eggs, (3 large eggs), salt( 1 teaspoon salt), orange zest(zest of one medium orange ) , orange extract (1/2 teaspoon orange extract) and vanilla extract (1 teaspoon vanilla extract) into the bowl and stir until combined.
- Sift in the flour (3/4 cup plain flour) and cocoa powder (1 cup cocoa powder), and add in the white chocolate chunks(2 oz white chocolate). Gently fold the ingredients together until they're combined, being careful to not over-mix them.
- Pour the batter into the pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until you can slide a toothpick or knife into it and have it only come out with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow to fully cool once they're out of the oven before removing them from the tray. Enjoy.
Nutrition
Notes
Tips for Brownie success
How to get that crackly top This is achieved through combining sugar with melted chocolate and butter whilst it is still warm. Do not over mix the brownie mixture The task is to mix everything until it is just mixed in, so that no flour pockets remain. If you over beat or over-mix the batter it will become more cake-like. This will still be wonderful but may not be as fudgy as you’d hoped for. Do not over bake Set your oven timer as they only need 20 – 22 minutes to bake. Judging ‘doneness’ – you want to be able to slide a knife or toothpick into the brownies and only see a few moist crumbs. You are not looking for a clean knife or toothpick. Allow the brownies to cool gently for about ten minutes. They will continue to cook in the tin a little bit more. Use baking parchment Lining the baking tin will make it easier to get the brownies out of the pan after their initial ten minutes cooling. They’re still a little fragile at this point so it will really help you get them onto the cooling rack successfully. ÂTried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Why not Pin this Chocolate Orange Brownie recipe for later?
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Notes: updated with new pictures 11th December 2021
Wow – just made the with my 11 year old daughter. Super easy to make and delicious too easy. The only challenge is having just one of them to eat!
I love this flavor combination, especially around the holidays! Yum!
Thank you.