I am a dark chocolate addict, and my favorite two flavors of dark chocolate bars to buy are orange and sea salt. I thought I could combine the best of both worlds by creating brownies based on my favorite flavor pairings! And as soon as I cut open a pair of blood oranges later on to have as a snack and saw their beautiful red interior, I could not help but include them in my recipe for these sea salt and blood orange brownies.
As many know, olive oil is used in everything from cooking to home remedies in Middle Eastern culture. It is rare that you would find anything less than a gallon sized container of olive oil at all times in any Middle Eastern home. And for good reason; it is so versatile and can be used in virtually any dish to add a pop of brightness and bring out the complexities of the flavors. And it works excellently to add a bright, nutty flavor to desserts, including brownies. I thought that the subtle peppery aromas of olive oil would play well with the bold flavor of the blood orange.
The blood orange, sea salt, and olive oil work together to create a unique flavor with a kick in these deliciously gooey, moist brownies.
I know that some prefer to use other adjectives, but there is simply no other way to describe these delectable chocolatey orange brownies. They have a just slightly crispy exterior to hold them together, but they will melt in your mouth as soon as you taste them.
And you simply cannot make these brownies without the orange-chocolate ganache… OMG! Slathering a layer of thick delicious ganache on top of these brownies takes them to a whole new level. When you bite into them, still hot and with a healthy dose of freshly made ganache on top, they have a molten lava-cake-like texture and flavor.
Don’t forget to sprinkle them with extra orange zest and a pinch of sea salt! I hope you enjoy these wonderfully rich and decadent blood orange brownies, and don’t forget to let me know if you tried them out!
- 1 cup unbleached flour
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- zest of one blood orange (or any type of orange)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp strong brewed coffee (I used 1 tbsp nescafé + 1 cup boiling water)
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup almond or other non-dairy milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- extra sea salt and orange zest for topping
- 2 tbsp coconut cream (this is the creamy part at the top of a can of full fat coconut milk)
- ½ tbsp coconut oil
- 1 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips (ensure vegan)
- 1 tbsp blood orange zest (or any orange zest)
- Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a 12-cup muffin tin. Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, sea salt, and orange zest in a large bowl.
- Put chocolate chips in a separate bowl. After you brew the strong cup of coffee, immediately pour the measured amount of strong coffee over the chocolate chips, while the coffee is still hot. Allow the chocolate to melt. If it does not melt, you may microwave the chocolate chip and coffee mixture for 15-30 seconds until melted.
- Add the olive oil, applesauce, almond milk and vanilla to the chocolate-coffee mixture and whisk thoroughly. Then add the wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients, and mix everything together until thoroughly combined.
- Scoop or pour into 12 muffin tins and bake for 23-25 minutes, until brownies start to separate and peel away from the edges of the tins. If you choose to leave them for less than 25 mins, they will be more gooey and soft.
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes. While waiting for brownies to cool, begin preparing ganache. Add chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl and heat at 30 second intervals until melted through.
- Mix orange zest and coconut cream into the melted chocolate and combine until smooth. The longer you let the ganache stand, the thicker it will become. Let stand for 10-15 minutes for a thick, spreadable ganache.
- Spread ganache on top of brownies, sprinkle with leftover orange zest and some sea salt, and serve!
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