Cranberry Orange Brownies

Cranberries and orange…….a match made in heaven…….or in Cranberry Orange Brownies!

Cranberry Orange Brownies 3

Tart ruby red and delicious cranberries, harvested from bogs when cold weather arrives and available throughout the winter months. Fresh cranberries are a signature fresh fruit of autumn and early winter.

Cranberry Orange Brownies 1

The combination of tart cranberries sweetened with oranges, another fruit of winter, is a classic flavor pairing in baking.

Blond brownies are a tasty treat in their own right, but add the tart of the cranberry and sweet bright citrus of the orange, and you have a fall dessert treat that is sure to please.

A basic brownie batter…butter, sugar, eggs, flour, vanilla, a bit of orange flavoring, those beautiful berries, and orange zest. Sprinkled with a bit of my favorite turbaned sugar that gives a nice sugary crunch to the top. Baked to a perfect golden brown.

Cranberry Orange Bownies are gooey, chewy, tart and sweet. The perfect fall dessert!

Cranberry Orange Brownies Collage

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Cranberry Orange Brownies


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon orange flavor extract
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 3/4 cups fresh cranberries, divided
  • 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Instructions

  1. Beat the butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla, and orange flavoring and beat again. Sift together the salt, baking powder, and flour. Slowly beat into the butter mixture. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the cranberries, and orange zest by hand.
  2. Spread the batter in a greased 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the extra 1/4 cup cranberries and turbinado sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 23-25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Store in a sealed container.

Notes

made mine in a smaller pan for a thicker brownie. Adjust baking time if using a smaller pan.

 

Gluten Free Brownies

Gluten Free Brownies

Gluten Free Brownie

Sometimes in life you meet someone, who through unforeseen circumstances, life throws a curve ball.

I know a young woman at school who is having such an experience. Angela is the daughter of one of my staff at school, she is in her Senior year of High School and has been ill for much of that time. She has gone through a lot this year and has managed to do so with grace and a sense of humor, that I am not sure I would have had at her age…….she is beautiful inside and out. Although she is getting better, she has learned that a gluten free diet may help. As anyone who is trying gluten free knows substitutes,  especially for sweets can be a challenge.

I talk about my blog at work, and my staff has listened to me go on and on about whatever it is that I am doing for my blog.  They have been my guinea pigs, official taste testers, and sounding boards. I was talking about a request from a friend of mine for gluten free recipes and Angela made a comment that she had tried gluten free brownies and they were awful.

Perusing Pinterest one day, I came across a recipe for a gluten free brownie using of all things, black beans. The original recipe is from Skinnytaste, a food blog that I follow. I wondered if they would taste like a real brownie and how they would turn out. With Angela in mind I made them.

Now, I must admit I was a little scared to taste them, as I have never had much luck with substitutions in baking. I was sooooo very surprised! They were gooey, chocolatey, fudgy, and quite frankly, I don’t know anyone who would be able to tell that they were not regular brownies.

But the real test would be having Angela taste them. Now, I am sure that she was just as leery as I was to eat them, but she did and the look on her face was priceless. She loved them!!!

So, this recipe is for Angela and all of those who are looking for a yummy gluten free brownie 🙂

They are so good you may have to hide them………..

Gluten Free Brownies Collage

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Gluten Free Brownies

  • Author: Skinnytaste
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 16 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: Amreican

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 (14 oz) canned low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  •  1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground coffee or instant coffee
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Grease a nonstick 9 x 9-inch square baking pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
  2. Blend the black beans, eggs, cocoa powder, sugar, oil, almond milk, balsamic, baking soda, baking powder and coffee in the blender until smooth and pour into a bowl. Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips until combined.  Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips evenly over the top of the brownies.
  3. Bake the brownies until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 to 32 minutes.  Allow the brownies to cool completely before slicing them into squares.

Keywords: gluten free, brownie, bake, black beans, chocolate