These chocolate orange brownies are thick and chewy with a delicious hint of citrus to complement the rich chocolate flavor. They’re filled with chunks of Terry’s chocolate orange – or your favorite orange chocolate – to really take them to the next level.
Chocolate and orange is a classic dessert flavor combo for good reason. These chocolate orange brownies have everything you love about the pairing in a thick, fudgy, verging on gooey brownie. The rich, dark chocolate brownie is infused with orange zest. Honestly – these brownies take your Terry’s chocolate orange to the next level.
Making Chocolate Orange Brownies
I’m including step-by-step photos and recipe tips below. But if you feel you’re an experienced brownie baker (AKA have already made this recipe multiple times) – then feel free to scroll down to the condensed version below.
Note that in this recipe the orange flavor comes from freshly grated orange zest, as opposed to orange juice. Because brownies are so rich, while testing this recipe, I found using orange juice wasn’t quite strong enough to actually taste the orange flavor. As well, I found using orange juice created a cakier texture because of the excess liquid it added to the recipe.
- To start, preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line an 8×8 inch (20×20 cm) pan with parchment so that there is an overhang around the edges. If using a convection oven, be sure to adjust the temperature to 325F (170C). I have recently started lightly greasing the pan before lining it so that the parchment can stick to the pan and stay in place. This is optional, but makes life easier when spreading the brownie batter into the pan later on.
- In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup (63 grams) all-purpose flour, ¼ cup (22 grams) cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon cornstarch (AKA cornflour) and ¼ teaspoon salt. The addition of cornstarch really helps to give your brownies perfectly shiny, crinkly tops. Note that I recommend using Dutch-process cocoa for a richer flavor.
- Then in a separate large bowl, melt together ½ cup (112 grams) butter and 6 ounces (180 grams) dark chocolate. You can do this in the microwave using 45-second bursts on medium power, stirring between each interval. Alternatively, you can do this in a double boiler over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Either way, it’s important to melt chocolate slowly so that it doesn’t bake or burn and become grainy.
- Let the chocolate and butter mixture cool slightly, then whisk in 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 additional egg yolk, 1 tablespoon orange zest and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. You can add in an extra ½ tablespoon or orange zest if you want a slightly less subtle hint of orange.
- From there, you’ll mix the dry ingredients into the melted chocolate and butter mixture. I typically sift them in because cocoa powder and cornstarch can both be very lumpy. Then whisk until incorporated and you no longer see streaks of dry ingredients. I do not recommend using an electric mixer. Electric mixers will add more air into the batter, and more air leads to cakier brownies.
- Then fold in your chopped orange chocolate. You’ll use ¾ cup of chopped chocolate – which ends up being a little less than 1 full Terry’s chocolate orange. When chopping my chocolate orange, I cut off the very thin side of each segment, and then cut each segment into about 3-4 pieces.
- Spoon the batter into your prepared tin and smooth the top.
- The brownies will bake in your preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until the top looks set (it may have a small crack around the edges) and an inserted toothpick comes out with a few damp crumbs. Bake time will always vary depending on how gooey you want your brownies to be and your oven.
**I highly recommend waiting for your brownies to cool for at least 90 minutes before slicing so that the brownies can set. I let mine cool for about 2 hours before slicing and taking these photos. You can tell that the brownies are still slightly warm and gooey in the photos, which is delicious. However, if you want perfect, bakery-style clean cuts, be sure to wait until the pan is no longer warm to slice.
Pro Tip: For these brownies, I used 70% dark chocolate. I wouldn’t recommend using anything with a higher percentage because the brownies will be too bitter and you won’t taste the orange flavor as much. I think anything between 50-70% is perfect. If using 70%, then you may want to use 1 ½ tablespoons orange zest instead of 1 tablespoon. For the chopped orange chocolate that gets folded into the brownies, feel free to use dark orange chocolate or milk orange chocolate.
Thick, pudgy, verging on gooey and with the perfect chocolate orange flavor – these chocolate orange brownies are truly a work of art. And if you love these brownies, then may I recommend these chocolate orange cookies or my favorite super fudgy triple chocolate brownies?
Chocolate Orange Brownies
Equipment
- 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (63 grams) AKA plain flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (22 grams)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch AKA plain flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter (112 grams) cut into cubes
- 6 ounces 50-70% dark chocolate (180 grams) finely chopped
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk in addition to the 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon orange zest feel free to use up to 1 ½ tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup chopped orange chocolate (about 120 grams) this is slightly less than an entire Terry's Chocolate Orange
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) degrees or 325F (170C) for a convection oven. Line an 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang around the edges.
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa, cornstarch and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, melt together the butter and chopped chocolate. Melt in the microwave using 45-second intervals on medium power and stir between each interval. Alternatively, melt using a double boiler over low-medium heat so that the water in the saucepan is gently simmering. Ensure that the simmering water in the saucepan does not touch the bottom of the bowl with the chocolate and butter.
- Once melted, let the chocolate and butter mixture sit for a few minutes so that it is not longer hot (warm is OK). Then whisk in the sugar, eggs plus additional egg yolk, orange zest and vanilla extract until the mixture is glossy and you no longer see pieces of egg (you will still see sugar granules).
- Sift the dry ingredients into the butter and chocolate mixture. Then whisk tother until you no longer see streaks or clumps of dry ingredients in th emixture.
- Gently fold in the chopped orange chocolate using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 28-33 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out with a few damp brownie crumbs. If it comes out with gooey brownie batter, the brownies aren't done baking yet.
- Cool the brownies in the pan for at least 90 minutes. For clean cuts, leave them in the pan until it is not longer warm to the touch (about 3 hours). When ready to slice, lift the brownies out of the pan using the overhang of the parchment paper. Then place on a cutting board and slice.
Notes
- Eggs: You will need 3 eggs in total for this recipe. You'll use 2 full eggs and only the egg yolk from the third egg. Discard the egg white of the third egg.
- Dark Chocolate: Anything between 50-70% works well for this recipe. If using 70%, you may want to add a little more orange zest (up to 1 ½ tablespoons in total).
- Orange Chocolate: I used a milk chocolate Terry's Chocolate Orange (I couldn't find the dark chocolate version in Australia). I cut each segment into about 3 pieces and cut off the very thin end of each segment so that the chocolate chunks were thicker.
- Storage: Store baked and cooled brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Baked and cooled brownies can be frozen for up to 2 months. Then thaw in the fridge.
- Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 brownie, assuming the pan is sliced into 12 uniform brownies. You can likely get 16 brownies from this recipe.
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