Some people like them nice and chewy, some people like them rich and dense, some people like them more cake-like – yes, I am talking about brownies.  I already made a rich and dense version that was spectacular – so I figured it was time to make one more cake-like.  I definitely accomplished my goal.

I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit – and although I am not a huge fan or adding orange flavor to my chocolate – I figured I had to try these out.  I was so pleasantly surprised – boy were this fantastic.  I brought them over to my friend’s house – and she likened them to the bottom of a Trophy Cupcake – our favorite place to buy cupcakes.  They had a wonderful chocolate flavor with a hint of orange – but the texture was just perfect.  Eat one with a cold glass of milk, and you have a treat beyond belief.  The best part of these brownies – you can wrap them up, and they stay good for days.  For a cake-like brownie, that is definitely something worth being proud of.  Something else about this recipe?  It is super simple – it took me less than 15 minutes to get them into the oven.  What could be better?

Ingredients

• Non-stick vegetable oil spray
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 6 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, cooled
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan with non-stick spray.  Whisk 1/2 cup boiling water and cocoa powder in a small bowl to blend.  Whisk sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to blend.  Whisk eggs in large bowl.  Add butter, orange peel, and vanilla; whisk to blend.  Whisk cocoa mixture into egg mixture.  Add flour mixture; stir just to blend.  Transfer to prepared pan.

Bake brownies until tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes.  Let cool completely in pan on rack.  Cut into 16 squares and serve.  Adapted from Homepage Cafe.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Chocolate-Orange Brownies