When it comes to Valentine’s Day, any excuse to celebrate love, positivity and all things heart-shaped is fine by me! (More in my Seasons of Rosie soon). I like to bake or make a gift rather than something clichéd or expensive; after all, the gift of time and effort expended is surely the most valuable? Not to mention tasty! Chocolate and orange are a winning combination, not least in brownie form – so I made the most of blood orange season and combined the two in this moreish, rich and zesty blood orange brownie recipe. To make them, you will need:
100 g self-raising flour
100g margarine
50g milk or dark chocolate
175g soft brown sugar or caster sugar
2 medium eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Zest of one blood orange (or a normal orange if you can’t get them)
50g orange chocolate, chopped.
Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C Fan/ Gas Mark 4. Grease a 28 x 18 cm tin. Melt the margarine and chocolate over hot water. Remove from heat and cool. Stir in the sugar and add the eggs, orange zest and vanilla.
Fold in the flour, salt and chocolate chunks.
Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for about 25-30 minutes until top is crispy and the
inside soft.
Leave in the tin until cold before cutting into squares – or even hearts for Valentine’s Day, if you so wish.
What are you baking for Valentine’s? Have you tried blood orange brownies before?
Blood orange brownie recipe adapted from my go-to Be-Ro brownies. You can see all my brownie recipes here.