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Chocolate Orange Brownies are homemade soft chewy double chocolate brownies with sweet orange zest.
CHOCOLATE ORANGE BROWNIES
Where are my chocolate orange lovers? Every Christmas we buy a chocolate orange and eat a slice every single night as we read Christmas stories. The flavors of chocolate and orange go together so perfectly. These dark chocolate orange brownies are made with two kinds of chocolate — cocoa powder and real chocolate chunks. This makes them sinfully good. The citrus zest compliments the rich dark chocolate.
I recently picked up some orange olive oil and decided to experiment. I made my homemade Better than a Boyfriend Brownies with an orange twist. The plan was to deliver them to some friends. I made a 9 x 13 pan, covered them tightly in foil, and left to run errands. Big mistake. Ha!
The kids and hubby came home while I was gone and I started to receive texts from my kids saying, “what are those brownies? They are so good.” By the time I came home, two brownies remained. The next morning I had to whip up another batch to take to my girlfriends. This time I made sure the kids knew that these orange brownies were hands off! They are already begging for another batch of Chocolate Orange Brownies.
Can you use olive oil in brownies?
Absolutely! The results were incredible. Using olive oil in brownies creates a soft chewy texture. Did you know you can put olive oil in brownies? I have been so amazed at the versatility and how olive oil can transform my dessert recipes. You can even substitute olive oil for vegetable oil in brownies. These olive oil brownies are outstanding!
How to make Chocolate Orange Brownies:
- Cream butter, olive oil, sugar, and brown sugar for 4 minutes. This creates a smooth texture and whips air into the brownie batter. Using both butter and olive oil is the best of both worlds.
- Add eggs one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to fully incorporate ingredients.
- Add fresh orange zest. This gives these brownies that fresh citrus flavor. You can also use orange olive oil. I used the Blood Orange Olive Oil from the Queen Creek Olive Mill. It has a heavenly citrus flavor.
- Use high-quality cocoa powder. Since it is the star ingredient, use good unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Use a combination of cake flour and all-purpose flour. Cake flour provides a tender crumb so it is a nice compliment to the all-purpose flour.
- Stir in chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or chopped chocolate orange bar. I love a combination of all three. I topped each brownie with a square from a Lindt chocolate orange bar and added chocolate chunks to the batter.
- Bake just until a toothpick comes out clean. These are chewy gooey brownies so don’t overbake them.
- The items that are essential for making these brownies are — an inexpensive ZESTER (this ensures that you only get the vibrant orange part of the orange instead of the bitter white), my favorite standard baking pan, and of course a Kitchenaid.
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Chocolate Orange Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Butter softened
- 1/2 cup Orange Olive Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 4 Eggs
- Orange Zest from 1 medium orange
- 1 cup Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 cup Cake Flour
- 1 cup Flour all-purpose
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/2 cups Chocolate Chunks Chocolate Chips, or Chocolate Orange, chopped
- Optional: Lindt Chocolate Orange Bar Squares for tops of brownies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, olive oil, sugar, and brown sugar for 4 minutes until fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Stir in orange zest and mix.
- Stir in cocoa powder, cake flour, all-purpose flour, and salt. Stir just until combined, scraping down sides of the bowl.
- Stir in chocolate chunks, chocolate chips, or chocolate orange. Fold ingredients together.
- Pour into 9 x 13 pan and spread batter to edges.
- Bake for 26 - 34 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Don't overbake brownies. They will set more as they cool.
- If using Lindt chocolate bars, place on top of brownies the last 3-4 minutes of baking time.
- Let cool and set up for at least 20 minutes.
- Cut into squares.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you LOVE chocolate desserts, check out some of these recipes:
Better than a Boyfriend Brownies {the BEST homemade brownie recipe}
The Ultimate Boxed Brownie Taste Test
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I hope you love these Olive Oil Chocolate Brownies! These have quickly become a family favorite. Happy Baking, my friends!
My 9-year-old grandson made these for my daughter’s and my birthdays last night, and they are so wonderful!!! Will definitely make again!
I used chocolate covered orange candies and the taste was very orangey which is a good thing. I had trouble with the bake time, the inside was goopy and did not come clean on a toothpick but the outside got overdone. Next time I might try baking it at a slightly lower temperature a bit longer or maybe even using convection.
Such amazing brownies! So soft and chewy and amazing flavor!
THIS WAS AN AMZING RECIPE, LOVED IT SOOO MUCH. THANKS!!!!
A perfect combination of flavors! The texture of the brownie was just right. I added an orange glaze to the top instead of the chocolate was it was tasty!
I Have tried hundreds of brownie recipes over the years and can confirm this is the best recipe EVER
Don’t really have cake flour here in the U.K. so just used normal
For one cup of all-purpose flour, scoop out
two tablespoons of the flour and replace them with cornstarch you make a rudimentary cake flour.
Can’t wait to give these a shot! I need to make these 4 days in advance of an event – how would you suggest preserving them? Freeze, refrigerate? Will they be any good?
Thanks!