Orangey Mocha Brownies

Two flavors I love: orange and coffee. And since pretty much anything goes with chocolate (contemplating mustard and chocolate right now...yeah...maybe not anything), this was a take on a brownie I wanted to try. Turned out to be delicious. I was inspired by one of those checkout stand recipe booklets, and from there, played around with ingredient measurements and substitutions.

I love the busy-ness of this brownie, waking you up with a spurt of citrus and coffee flavor, but also with the unexpectedness of chopped chocolate folded in. There's a lot happening with each bite, but I'm happy to multi-task.

Oh, and if you know of some surprisingly stellar mustard and chocolate flavored something-or-other, by all means, prove me wrong, send me the recipe!

Orangey Mocha Brownies
Makes 24 brownies

2/3 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. instant coffee crystals (or dare to use actual ground coffee)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped semisweet chocolate (or chocolate chips)
1 heaping tablespoon finely shredded orange peel
Powdered sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 8x8x2-inch baking pan; set aside.
2. In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in cocoa powder and coffee crystals. Remove from heat. Stir in granulated sugar. Stir in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Beat lightly with wooden spoon just until combined. Stir in salt and flour. Stir in chopped chocolate and orange peel.
3. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack. If desired, sift powdered sugar over top of brownies. Cut into triangles or bars.

Step-by-Step in Pictures