One of my favorite treats from the holidays has always been the Terry’s Chocolate Oranges with chocolates shaped like an orange slice and citrusy chocolate. I have to think orange is one of the best flavor pairings to go with chocolate.

It only seemed natural that brownies with orange in them would taste good, too. And these do. These are the perfect brownies to serve for the holidays since they taste so citrusy and fresh. And they have fruit juice in them, so you can convince yourself they’re healthy, too!

Chocolate Orange Brownies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• Juice and zest of 1 orange
• 1 eggs
• 6 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 tablespoons chocolate chips

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, juice, and zest from one orange. Try to get out as much juice as you can squeezing it between your hands.

Next, mix in the oil and the egg and whisk until combined.

Sift in the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder, and fold until it all just comes together.

Finally, add in the chocolate chips and fold to incorporate. Pour the dough into an 8×8 baking pan and bake for 30 minutes or until the center is set.

I was worried that the orange flavor might bake out of these without something more lasting like orange extract, but you can taste the orange in these perfectly. These brownies manage to be citrusy while still staying true to their chocolaty nature. I wouldn’t be surprised if I make these 2 or 3 times before Christmas.

Like I mentioned yesterday(p.s. Have you entered the giveaway yet?), I’ve been doing some baking recently. I’m one of those people who like to jump the gun with holidays. If I had a house it’d probably have had a Santa Claus in the front yard on November 1st. So excuse me if it’s too early to be making gingerbread but I just couldn’t wait. I love this because it’s spicy and comforting on these cool Winter nights, especially with a cup of coffee for dipping. The ganache really puts it over the top and makes it something special.

Gluten-Free Gingerbread

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 6oz container plain yogurt
• 2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour such as Bob’s Red Mill’s(could use regular flour, too)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat an oven to 325 degrees. Mix together the brown sugar, eggs, yogurt, and vegetable oil until it’s emulsified.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.

Pour the wet into the dry and fold until the batter comes together.

Grease a loaf pan and pour in the gingerbread batter. Drop the pan a few times on a flat surface to make sure it’s level. Bake for 50 minutes or until the center is cooked through.

Now, you could stop here. The loaf is moist with a nice spice and definitely a great breakfast bread. But why not push it over the top for a dessert and give it a simple ganache?

White Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

• 3oz(about 6 tablespoons) white chocolate
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon heavy cream

Melt down the white chocolate in a microwave or over a double boiler. Once it’s smooth and runny, slowly add the heavy cream and continuously whisk to incorporate it. It helps if your cream is room temperature or warmer when you start. Once the two are mixed, pour it over the gingerbread loaf and spread to form an even layer.

Perfect. The frosting is sweet while the bread is spicy. It has all the flavors of Fall and makes a great treat on a Winter weekend.