Chocolate orange brownies

If you happen to have some leftover chocolate sweets or pralines after the holidays, they’re perfect for baking. That’s exactly how this orange brownie came to life, inspired by the iconic Terry’s chocolate orange (a personal favourite). This brownie is wonderfully moist, intensely chocolatey and melts in the mouth, with a beautiful orange aroma running through it. It feels wonderfully festive – definitely one to tempt you.

Ingredients for orange brownie:

• 180 g butter
• 100 g dark chocolate (50%), chopped
• 150 g dark chocolate (70%), chopped
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons orange extract (or 1 teaspoon orange flavouring or 2 tablespoons orange liqueur)
• finely grated zest of 2 oranges
• 250 g caster sugar
• 100 g plain flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• about 80 g Terry’s chocolate orange (or similar), in pieces

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, then remove from the heat. Add the chopped chocolate and leave for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth. Leave to cool slightly – it should remain fluid but not hot.

In a bowl, lightly whisk the eggs (do not beat). Add the orange extract, orange zest and sugar, and whisk for a while until well combined. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Sift the flour and baking powder directly into the mixture, add the salt, and mix just until combined. Pour the batter into a 23 × 23 cm tin, greased and lined with baking parchment. Scatter the chocolate orange pieces over the top, pressing them gently into the batter.

Bake at 160°C (fan) or 180°C (conventional) for about 30–33 minutes. The brownie will rise slightly and may crack around the edges. A skewer inserted should come out moist but without raw batter (though brownies are best judged by texture rather than a skewer test). Leave to cool, then cut into squares.

Enjoy!