Orange brownies drizzled with orange caramel sauce. Enough said.

Lately I've been busy. Really busy. I've been cooking and photographing food every day, and writing recipes every other day. You just don't see them because it's for a client.

That's right. I have a client. Something everyone who has turned to freelancing likes to be able to say because it means two things: I'm good at what I do and I get paid for it. I also have a column in an online magazine. Food Loves Beer Magazine to be exact, where my photos, recipes and a bit of writing is all featured in one place.

As a food photographer and writer, this is a dream come true. But, as I said before, it makes me a very busy lady. So busy, that I neglect all of you here to do what pays the bills.

I miss writing in my own voice and write like I love it. I miss taking photos of my food and it getting cold before I can sit down to eat it while everyone else noms down on all the goodies. I want to do that for every meal and every awesome thing I create in the kitchen, but it just doesn't get to happen like that any more.

I do, however, try my best to get the moments of unique creativity that hit me (well... sometimes they are unique, others they are just yummy and look freaking awesome) captured on the camera and the words written down. You know the ones. The ones that flow in the kitchen like you've made the dish every day for the past 3 years even if it's been 6 months. The moments where a photo takes itself. An idea that oozes from your fingertips and onto the computer without a typo to be seen. Yeah, one of those. 

This was one of those. A moment where the visual was already ingrained in my minds' eye before even picking up a kitchen knife. Orange brownies with orange caramel sauce drizzled on top. I'll go ahead and say it was yummy mixed with awesome with at least a smidgen of uniqueness. 

Yeah, one of those moments. I love those moments, don't you? 

Orange Brownies

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Best Cocoa Brownies

Which were adapted from Alice Medrich’s Bittersweet

10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted butter

1 cup (200 grams)  sugar

3/4 cup ( 90 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder

large pinch course salt

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (65 grams) flour

2 oranges, thoroughly washed and zested

Preheat the oven to 325F (162C) with the rack in the lower 3rd of the oven.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper and grease it with butter. Be certain to leave extra paper to line the sides and hang an inch over the top on 2 of the 4 sides.

In a heat resistant bowl (I prefer a glass pyrex type of bowl), add in butter, sugar, cocoa and salt and place it over a small sauce pan half full of simmering water. Allow butter to melt, stirring every few minutes to combine all the ingredients. Remove from heat once butter has fully melted and allow to cool down to a warm temperature.

Stir vanilla into the chocolate with a spoon. Add in eggs one at a time, stirring to combine thoroughly before adding each one. The batter should look thick and shiny.

Add in flour and stir well to combine. There shouldn't be any streaks of white and be certain to scrape the bottom to incorporate everything well.

Stir in orange zest.

Pour brownie mix into the prepared baking pan, careful not to let the parchment paper slide down the sides. With a spoon, spread the mixture into the corners and then give the pan a light couple of taps by dropping it onto the counter to help things along.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out slightly moist. If it comes out clean, it's cooked for too long.

Allow to cool completely.

Orange Caramel

1/2 cup (100g) sugar

2 oranges, juiced (100ml)

3/4 cup (175ml) cream 

Pour sugar and juice in a small sauce pan and place it over med-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently until the mix is a beautiful amber color and bubbly. Careful not to let it scorch. Remove from heat.

Carefully add cream to mixture (will bubble and possibly spatter). Return to stove top over medium heat, stirring until smooth. Raise heat to med-high and allow to boil, stirring occasionally until caramel coats the back of a spoon in a thin layer.

Caramel will thicken as it cools. Drizzle over brownies.

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Oh and for those of you who are interested (and being the loyal readers that you are, I know you all are interested...) a brand new issue of the aforementioned Food Loves Beer Magazine was released today along with not one but two articles by yours truly. A feature article: A Taste of Portugal and my usual department: Savory 2 Sweet: Zucchini. Please be sure to check it out and subscribe, it's free!