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Blonde Orange Brownies

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Blonde Orange Brownies are moist and citrusy with fruity cream cheese glaze.

Blonde Orange Brownies are moist and citrusy with fruity cream cheese glaze.

Reader Cathy noticed that I am a fan of citrus.  Really?  No way…haha.  I guess it’s not a secret, I practically shout it from the top of my lungs in every post that includes lemons or limes!  So Cathy thought I would like to try this “Orange Brownies” recipe that she has, makes often & loves.  I have had it on the back burner for a little while, but I have finally gotten to it & I must say, it’s a wonderful treat!

I googled “Orange Brownies” to see if Cathy got the recipe somewhere online so I could link the recipe to a source & it looks like it is an altered version from Paula Deen.  I love Paula Deen!  Anyway, I decided to read the reviews from Paula Deen’s recipe.  A lot of the readers complained that the brownies were more cake-like, so I further altered it just a tad & I got this moist, dense Blonde Orange Brownie with Cream Cheese Glaze.  It’s a fabulous Springtime dessert.

The title “Orange Brownies” is a little deceiving when there is no chocolate in them, so I changed the name in order save myself any angry readers. Anyway, I loved this treat a lot… until I calculated the calories into MyFitnessPal because I am trying to get back to counting & stay on track weight-wise.  So, let’s just say if you cut big pieces like me: 1 pan made into 12 LARGE pieces, you should probably cut those in half & savor every bite. Enjoy!

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Blonde Orange Brownies

Yield 24 Brownies

Ingredients

  • *This recipe needs 2-3 fresh oranges for juice & zest

Blonde Orange Brownie:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tsp pure orange extract (can substitute 2-3 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice)
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

Orange Cream Glaze:

  • 1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 Tbsp orange zest
  • 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 2-3 cups powdered sugar, depending on taste & desired consistency

Instructions

  1. Cream butter with sugar. Add eggs, mix well. Add orange extract/juice & zest. Scrape bowl. Add salt & flour, mix until just combined.
  2. Spread into a greased 13x9x2" pan. Bake at 350*F for 30 minutes; edges & top should be lightly browned.
  3. Make glaze: Combine cream cheese & butter. Cream until no lumps appear. Add orange zest, orange juice & powdered sugar until desired consistency & taste.
  4. Pierce the entire sheet of brownies with a fork while still hot. Spread glaze over the top & let cool to room temperature cut & serve. Keep refrigerated if not serving right away.

Recipe Notes

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Recipe altered from Paula Deen
Blonde Orange Brownies are moist and citrusy with fruity cream cheese glaze.
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Comments

  9. Hi Amber, love your blog. Do you think adding the juice would change the texture with the extra liquid? I also like to cut the butter in half and add applesauce for bars. This is a lot of butter, would a half a cup be OK in this recipe?

    Reply

    • The juice will be fine, maybe slightly less dense & more cake-like, but I read a lot of the reviews for Paula’s recipe & several had success with the juice if they didn’t have the extract. Applesauce will just change the texture of the brownie, but you can definitely try it. It is a lot of butter, but just know it will most likely turn out more like a cake than the texture of a brownie. More fluffy & light than dense & moist. Let me know how it turns out!

      Reply

    • I forgot I was also going to say you might want to consider halving the glaze as well. It’s actually a lot of glaze, so if you are looking to save some extra calories there, do that as well.

      Reply

  24. I made these they are amazing. Make sure to add juice from orange to give great flavor and I doubled zest. Am going to try with lemons.

    Reply

    • Hi Ms. Jean!

      There is an email subscribe option in my sidebar. I grabbed your email address from this comment and put it in there. You will get an email to verify your subscription, make sure you click the link in the email to say that you do want to get receive email updates from my blog. Thanks!

      Reply

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