Blood Orange, Balsamic Brownies with Blood Orange Coulis and Crème Fraîche
Blood Orange, Balsamic Brownies with Blood Orange Coulis
If any of you have taken a spin through my blog, you may have noticed that I don’t really post many recipes for desserts or baking. Actually, I have 2 in total: one recipe for Pumpkin Pie and one for Coconut Chocolates. Truth be told, I have a wicked sweet tooth and a flagging metabolism and any baking I do, is just inhaled in a heartbeat; so I don’t do very much. However, when I do feel like whipping up a sweet treat for a party (like Fiesta Friday), I often turn to a superb cookbook called “Brownie Points”, by Lisa Slater, where I found this recipe. These brownies almost defy description – they are the epitome of decadence – not quite brownie, almost fudge, and far more luxurious than mousse. Then there is the flavour of the blood oranges – so much more intense and mysterious than regular oranges. And the balsamic vinegar? You know how it complements strawberries? Well, it works even better with blood oranges! When I told my mom about this recipe, the first thing she asked was if I was putting any icing on them. Believe me when I tell you that these brownies do not need an icing. They are the icing; but do serve them with the crème fraîche or a dollop of whipping cream. The slight tang of the crème fraîche complements the chocolate perfectly. The blood orange coulis makes this dessert an experience, not just another brownie. I really recommend that you take the extra time to make it.
I am bringing a big slab of this over to the gang at Fiesta Friday, hosted by Angie, who has been generously opening up her blog, The Novice Gardener, for us every Friday now for 6 weeks. So party gang, I know you all love your desserts because I have been sampling them at the soirée. Honestly, I have been a bit intimidated to bring a dessert, because you all do it so well, but my hubby assured me you would love it. Please grab a piece, and if there are any leftovers, I want you to take them home with you! We have eaten ½ the pan and we can’t eat any more!
Blood Orange, Balsamic Brownies with Blood Orange Coulis
Ingredients:
Brownies:
2/3 cup butter
7 ounces (195 g) white chocolate, chopped
3 ounces (90 g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 ½ tablespoons cocoa powder
1 ½ cups less 1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 blood oranges, zest grated
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon blood orange juice
4 eggs
¼ cup all-purpose flour
Blood Orange Coulis:
1/3 cup fresh blood orange juice
2 blood oranges, peeled
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Crème Fraîche
½ cup whipping cream
½ cup sour cream
Method:
Brownies:
Preheat oven to 300°. Line a 9 × 9 inch pan with overhanging parchment paper.
Place the butter in a microwave-safe 2 cup measure. Place in the microwave and melt for about 1 minute.
In the bowl of a food processor, place both chocolates, cocoa powder, sugar and salt. Process until powdery.
Add the grated orange zest.
Whisk together the vinegar, orange juice and eggs in a separate bowl.
With the processor running, add the melted butter through the feed tube. Scrape down the sides. With the machine running, pour in the egg mixture and pulse to blend thoroughly.
Add the flour and blend briefly until smooth.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until just set. Cool completely before removing from the pan. Leave the paper on while you cut the brownies with a knife that has been wiped clean after each cut.
Blood Orange Coulis:
Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and purée for a minute until completely incorporated.
Place in a strainer overtop of a bowl and remove all solids.
Cover the juice and place in the fridge for 24 hours until it is thickened.
Note: Mine didn’t thicken enough for my liking, so I thickened it with a bit of cornstarch and cold water the next day.
Crème Fraîche:
Whisk together the whip cream and sour cream and place in a clean jar. Leave at room temperature for 12 hours.
Stir and refrigerate for 24 hours. It will be really dense after that amount of time.
Serve on top of the brownies. Garnish the plate with some of the coulis and pass some extra!
Blood Orange, Balsamic Brownies
Foodie On Board 
70 Responses to “Blood Orange, Balsamic Brownies with Blood Orange Coulis and Crème Fraîche”
Julianna these are superb! What a dessert to bring to the party. I’m taking all of them home please? Or you’ll just have to make me a whole batch! Wow xx
LOL! No problem, Dimple! Because I like you, I will make you your own batch! 🙂
Yay! Thank you!
These look terrific, Julianna. And I have the same problem making desserts – I am the one with the sweet tooth more than my hubby so I end up gobbling it all!
Ah, Indu! Now we have 2 things in common! We are both shiny and we have a sweet tooth! I hope you enjoy the brownies 🙂
LOL! Yes Happy Friday! 🙂 🙂
Blood oranges and balsamic vinegar in brownies! What a wonderful and wild combination. I am intrigued and so excited by this recipe. Happy Friday!
Hi Ngan, I’m so glad that someone thinks this is an interesting combination! With some of my family members, I wouldn’t tell them what was in it until after they had tried it…you know how that goes..;-)
Smart! But really, these would be a huge hit with my family. I’m going to test it and see if they can guess what’s in it.
🙂 Let me know how it goes!
These dessert look wonderful, Julianna 🙂
So glad you think so! Have a great Friday!
These look wonderful Julianna, your photo is stellar!
I’m not much of a dessert fan myself, but I can appreciate a good brownie and blood oranges are sooooo good too!
Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy that party. 😉
Thanks Geraldine! I think you and I are more into a good bowl of soup! But my husband is really into blood oranges these days, so my head is swimming with ideas for them. Aren’t they amazing?
From the look of this brownie, apparently you can’t go wrong with chocolate and orange – Wish I could have a bite right now!
Hi Nancy, I’m working on that new technology where we can just go into the screen and grab a bite! I’ll let you know when I have it perfected! 🙂
Lol, I’ll be anxiously awaiting your success!
Pretty dessert! Glad I found it at Fiesta Friday!
I’m so glad you did too! Please, have another piece 🙂
I love it! I love the presentation and the recipe! Well done!!!
Thanks so much Serena! Coming from you I take that as a supreme compliment! Have an awesome weekend!
Wow! These sound delicious!
Thanks Lori! Please, take a piece…and one for your husband! I really don’t want any leftovers. 🙂
[…] Julianna […]
Yes! I can believe that those brownies could be inhaled in a minute…the combination of flavors lookswonderful!
So glad you think so! Some people might think it weird to have the Balsamic vinegar in a brownie. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Brownies with exotic ingredients… does it taste sweet’n’sour?
Well I wondered about that before I made them, but no, they are just rich and luxurious.
Ahhh, flagging metabolism and a sweet tooth… I can completely relate Julianna! Though I couldn’t possibly turn down a dessert such as these brownies, they look absolutely delicious – just might need to have seconds! 🙂
So glad to meet someone who can relate! and really glad you like the look of them! We can exercise tomorrow….maybe:-)
Julianna, I think you’ve out-done yourself! What incredible flavors you have going on here. So inspiring. The coulis sealed the deal for me. Looks so yummy!
Thanks so much, Lisa! I love that coulis too! I have been sneaking little spoonfuls of the leftovers when nobody is looking…and then there is that wicked leftover Creme fraiche…sigh…what’s a girl to do?
Been there more times than I care to admit, Julianna! 🙂
Phew! So happy I’m in good company! 🙂
Your hubby is so right! We absolutely LOVE this! Who would turn down a brownie? Especially one that’s so special with blood orange coulis and crème fraîche. Really, Julianna, you hit it out of the park. Brownies never look and sound so elegant! 🙂
Thanks so much for your enthusiasm, Angie! I will tell my hubby that he is now the official taster! He will be so happy to have an official role in all this :-). Awesome soirée, by the way – you know how to do this! can I interest you in another piece of brownie?
Julianna, this is the fanciest brownie I’ve ever laid eyes upon, and I’ve eyeballed quite a few brownies in this lifetime! Wowsers!
Hey Patty, thanks so much! I won’t take all the credit, though. This little cookbook has the best brownie recipes I have ever made and super unusual. There are a bunch more that I just have to make! Have an awesome weekend!
Thanks, Julianna! Same to you!
Yum, this looks delicious! Balsamic Brownies sound so intriguing- never tried that combo before!
Well, honestly I had never tried it before either, but it really works!
Oh my… perhaps you should bake more often. These look amazing! I am always looking for ways to use blood oranges during the (brief!) season. I just discovered your blog (Thanks Fiesta Friday!) Love it… can’t wait follow more adventures 🙂
Well, welcome to Fiesta Friday!! I am loving these weekly parties and I’m sure you will too! A true meeting of the foodie minds! Yes, I could bake more often, but I would have to buy a larger pant size 🙂 Might be a bit too expensive for my life style! See you next Friday!
Now, this is a brownie beyond anything I have ever made. Good job and thanks for sharing – I need to make this when there are plenty of people to eat it as I have a terrible sweet tooth 🙂
Yes, Judi, I really recommend a large crowd! It’s very dangerous if you leave it sitting in your fridge…don’t do it!! 🙂
Thanks for sharing such interesting recipe, Julianna! Next time I’ll add some balsamic in my choco-cake 😉
You’re so welcome! I hope it works…let me know! 🙂
Julianna…you’re so good!! I don’t think I could have stopped at half of these delectable beauties. Oh my goodness… the combination of blood orange and chocolate..all I can say is Yummmm!!! Your photos are absolutely perfect… wonderful post! 🙂
Thanks Prudy! Glad you enjoyed the post! I had never tried this combo either, but it really is awesome! Try it for a party sometime and make sure that lots of people are coming so it all gets eaten up…we people with sweet teeth, don’t want leftovers – bad news!
Oh my, blood orange and balsamic sounds like such an exotic combination of flavours in a brownie, am going to try this once I finish our latest batch of cakes. The texture sound incredible too, since I’m definitely a fudgy brownie rather than a cakey brownie person! 😀
Awesome! Let me know what you think! 🙂
I will take two squares, please!
So many things going on in this dish, so many layers! Totally something you would find on a fancy restaurant’s menu!
Only the finest in our house…(just kidding!) I figured that since I don’t really bake, I would like to try something more unusual. Thanks so much for stopping by to make a comment! I really appreciate it!
Julianna, what an interesting combination, sweet, salty and tangy in a brownie…awesome 🙂
Thanks so much! We just finished up the leftovers with some family and they all agree it is a very interesting dessert! All of the flavours really work! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! Have a lovely week!
You too Chef 🙂
This is a very special brownie. Looks so good! 🙂
Thanks so much! Yes, I would save these for a special occasion. They are so lovely and rich!
i just spotted these and they look divine! I love the sound of blood oranges and balsamic vinegar, even with my non sweet tooth I get excited reading this recipe, a must try! 🙂
Hi Petra! If I do say so myself, these are just awesome! I was really pleased with the outcome – but they are super rich. I recommend some creme fraiche or some whipped cream to balance off the richness. Of course, just eating a smaller piece does the trick too 😀
if you are being bad… I love the sound of some lightly whipped cream! 🙂
Yes, just go for it!! 😀
What a lovely combination of ingredients and flavours, and a beautiful presentation of the dessert. I would definitely want to eat these brownies for dessert.
Thanks so much, Liz! Yes this recipe surprised me and I would make it again – they are super rich! Perfect for a special dessert. 😀
Orange chocolate is my husband’s favorite combo!! I recently made orange chocolate chip cookies that were to die for, but I bet these brownies would be even better. Will have to try a vegan version of these for sure! Celeste 🙂
Hi Celeste. Yes, orange and chocolate are just made for each other! I know you wouldn’t be disappointed in these brownies at all. Let me know what you come up with for the vegan version. 😀
Dear Julianna, these look absolutely lovely! I hope you don’t mind me placing a link for these on my blog!
Hugs, Mai ❤
Hello Mai. So glad that you like the brownies! They were a huge hit. Please feel free to put a link on your blog: I consider it a huge compliment! 😀
[…] (like me), it can be used in myriad desserts that I plan to experiment with. The crème fraîche (recipe here) serves to mellow out the intensity of this sweet experience. And the orange zest elevates each […]