Oscar Quality Brownies?

The Oscars will take place on Sunday night, March 2, 2014, and lots of folks around the USA (and perhaps in other countries as well) will tune in to see who wins in various categories.  Some folks go all out and have parties for friends and family varying from just popcorn and soda pop to fancier affairs where they dress up and perhaps view some of the films or clips from them ahead of time. In my town, the downtown theater is hosting a viewing party that is free or you can do a VIP ticket.  Earlier this month a representative from the Florida Department of Citrus asked me if I'd try out one of their recipes for you all in honor of the Oscars.  After looking through their chocolate related ideas I've decide to test their "Old-Fashioned Chocolate Orange Brownies" because most of the ingredients I have readily on hand minus the orange juice and orange zest.  Then as I started I realized that most of my ingredients at home are not a perfect match and thus a new recipe was born.  I call it...

Glazed Orange Poke Brownies
by TammyJo Eckhart, PhD

Ingredients: (what I used)
1 cup lower calorie 100% real Florida Orange Juice (Trop 50)
4 oz bittersweet chocolate (Baker's brand)
1/2 cup butter (I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
1 cup sugar (1/2 cup zero calorie sugar substitute)
4 eggs (1 cup egg whites)
1 tsp real vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup flour (unbleached, whole grain)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease (spray) a 9X9-inch baking pan.

Place orange juice in a small saucepan and set on medium heat to reduce while you gather the other ingredients.  Stir the reducing juice from time to time while you continue to work.  You need at least 1/3 cup left so be careful.

In a small bowl mix together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside to be added to your wet ingredients later.

Break up the chocolate and cut up your butter.  Place these in another larger sauce pan and turn stove on low heat.  Stir often until it is fully melted, blended, and shiny.  Turn off the heat and set on the countertop.

Add in sugar and stir until the mixture is smooth. Beat in one egg (or 1/4 cup of egg substitute) at a time then add in vanilla and reduced orange juice. Stir again until it is smooth and shiny.

Add in the flour mixture a bit at a time and work until combined with no white showing.  Do not over mix.

Pour batter into your 9X9-inch pan.  Place in center of your oven for 27 minutes (give or take depending on your oven).  The brownies should be slightly pulled away from the side but a toothpick should come out mostly clean as well. These are very cakelike brownies.


Remove from oven and set on wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes.  With a toothpick (or fork if you want larger holes) poke the top of the cake through to the bottom about 50 or so times.  Continue to allow it to cool while you make the glazing.

Light Orange Glaze
Mix together 2/3 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of reduced calorie 100% real Florida orange juice until smooth.  It will have a yellowish or light orangish color to it.

Slowly pour the glaze over the brownie aiding for the holes.  You may need to spread the glazing back over the brownie several times while it soaks in and some will gather at the edges as you can see in my photo.

Cut into 9-16 pieces and serve after it has cooled. You'll probably want to use a fork since these are sticky.  We cut ours into 12 pieces with each slice having 201 calories.  The resulting brownies are very cake like and thick with a sweet orange taste but also that bittersweet chocolate flavor.