Delicious and fudgy chocolate orange brownies with a chocolate orange cheesecake top layer! Perfectly chocolately with that creamy cheesecake layer that melts into the brownie!
Chocolate Oranges are my Achilles heel, my weak spot! I don’t buy them often because I can sit and eat an entire one before I even realise I’ve opened it! But when they’re on sale I can’t help but grab one or two, and I’ve been very good and had three in my kitchen for a few months – waiting to be baked with – and I didn’t sneak a taste at all! I’m very proud of myself. I don’t know what took me so long to bake with them, I did have them hidden away too so I wouldn’t tempt myself, so they weren’t at the front of my mind.
But when I decided I absolutely had to bake with at least one, I got the gears in my recipe brain going. My first idea was mini chocolate orange cheesecakes, which I’m probably going to go back to at some point, but then cheesecake led me to cheesecake brownies – which are one of my absolute favourite chocolate treats! They combine two of my favourite things, cheesecake and gooey, fudgy chocolate brownies! So Chocolate Orange Cheesecake Brownies just needed to happen – and boy was it a great idea!
The brownie part is my favourite brownie recipe – so chocolately and fudgy, everything a brownie should be! I just love how easy and quick brownies are to throw together too, all you need is a bowl and a wooden spoon! Adding the cheesecake doesn’t create much more work either! Due to the fresh orange juice added to the cheesecake, the mixture is very thin – when I put them in the oven I was worried I had ruined them but after my first taste I knew they were perfect! The cheesecake isn’t in thick and creamy swirls like in my Cheesecake Swirl Brownies, it’s a thin layer across the top that melts into the brownie, giving you that amazing cheesecake taste throughout with a crinkly cheesecake crust on top. Personally I wouldn’t change a single thing about this recipe (if I would, I wouldn’t be sharing it and would instead be sharing the alternative version of course!) but if you did want a more defined cheesecake swirl, you can just omit the orange juice – you’ll loose some of the citrus tang, but it would still delicious!
- 225g unsalted butter
- 300g chocolate orange, divided (200g and 100g)
- 100g sugar
- 100g cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 225g plain flour (all purpose)
- 250g brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 orange
- 25ml cointreau (optional)
- 225g cream cheese
- 115g sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 large egg
- 100g chocolate orange,melted and slightly cooled
- Juice of half an orange
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F, line a 9 x 13" brownie pan with foil, overhanging at the sides (for easy brownie removal). Grease foil.
- Melt the butter, sugar and 200g of the chocolate orange together in the microwave (in 30 second intervals, stirring in between) or in a double boiler. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Sift cocoa into a large bowl, add baking powder, salt and flour - whisk to combine, set aside.
- Add the melted chocolate mixture to a large bowl and beat in eggs and brown sugar with a wooden spoon. Stir in vanilla extract, orange zest and cointreau (if using).
- Add the cocoa flour mixture and beat until fully combined. Break the remaining 100g chocolate orange into small pieces and stir into batter. Pour into prepared pan and set aside.
- Whisk together all the cheesecake ingredients until full combined.
- Pour cheesecake mix over the top of the brownie batter and use a knife or top of a wooden spoon to gently swirl the mixture into the brownie batter.
- Bake for 45-60 mins, until skewer comes out with only a few wet crumbs.
- Cool in the pan and chill overnight.
- Remove brownies from pan and cut into squares.
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days
I am absolutely in love with these brownies, it’s not often you get to enjoy rich fudgyness combined with zesty creaminess but these brownies achieve that perfectly! I gave one to my mum to try (she’s my official taste tester) and she was very upset by how good they were because of how many she would eat – I’m sending them off tomorrow to save us both. But keeping a few behind for us, of course, they’re too good to share them all! They really are dangerous though, especially with how easy they are to make, you’ll be tempted to whip up a batch every weekend – watch out waistlines, the brownies are coming for you!
I missed Fiesta Friday last week due to my lack of organisation and productivity, so I hope these amazing brownies will make up for my absence last week! Well, semi absence, I did bring a little something along after all! Fiesta Friday is a great party with amazing people, our very gracious host Angie spoils us with our own party hall every week so make sure you come mingle, share and taste! Our fab co-hosts this week are Naina and Quinn, make sure you stop by and say hi too!
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Fiesta Friday, Foodie FriDIY, Motivation Monday, Bake of the Week
Yummy! I love how you made this recipe go with the Terry’s chocolate orange. They sound delicious too. Happy FF, and have a wonderful weekend!
Thank you Kaila! Happy FF to you too, have a great weekend!
Michelle!!! I need these!!! I have to get Terry’s ASAP. Saving this recipe now. And can’t wait to try it. Happy FF! 🙂 xx
Thank you Jhuls!! I hope you like them! Happy FF! x
Orangy is TOTALLY a word 🙂 Love these! This reminds me of those weird foil wrapped oranges you get around Christmas time… But I bet yours is even more delish! No. A LOT more delish!
😀 Thank you Mila! x
No doubt the best brownies in town, I can tell by the pictures. Yummmmm
Haha thank you Loretta!
So funny that you made these into brownies! My mom always gave us an orange for Christmas and once we got older it was the chocolate oranges. I wasn’t a big fan of them when I was younger so I always left mine on the counter. Now we know what to do with them!
Haha, I would have happily taken your chocolate oranges off your hands! Brownies is definitely a good use for them!
I love, love everything you bake. What I want to know is where or where do you find the time to make such wonderful dishes! Yummy! 🙂
Haha thank you Arl! Well I do only work part time. Part time paid job, full time unpaid baker haha
I cant get over how fudgy & moist those brownies look Michelle 😀 Love the chocolate-orange combination & the brownie-cheesecake mash-up sounds brilliant! Thanks for bringing these to FF!
Thank you Naina! 😀
These brownies look decadent. Wouldn’t be able to eat just one! Such beautiful photography as well.
Thank you Johanne!
OOh.. just look at those brownies Michelle!! YUM. I can eat a dozen by myself 😉
😀 Thank you!!
I love chocolate and orange together, these sound incredible!
Thank you Joy!
Michelle I love these brownies. Cream cheese, chocolate, orange OMG!!!
😀 Thank you Suzanne!
This combo sounds delicious Michelle!! 😀 I love chocolate and orange too and add cheesecake to that? So awesome! If you are a choc-orange fan… have you tried Jaffas? I know USA doesn’t have them 🙁 but they might have them there! You will love them! 😀
Thank you!
I thought you meant jaffa cakes at first but just googled it and no, we don’t have them here! They sound like something I’d love though!
Okay, I just need to come be your neighbor! Lol, chocolate and orange is one of my favorite flavor combos… and those brownies look SO moist and fudgy!!
Haha, I’m not a fan of my neighbours so feel free to replace them – I will bring you brownies!!
Thanks Amanda x
You are so creative and have to be the queen of desserts! A girl after my own heart.
Aww thank you Julie!!
They sound so tasty and look great as well!
Thank you Caroline!
Michelle, I have never been much of a fan of chocolate and orange together, but after reading about these brownies and your serious love for the combo, I am tempted to try this combo out again.
You should, I’ll be happy to convert you haha! Thanks 🙂
OMG! These sound amazing! I adore chocolate and orange (and the addition of a little booze is always a plus), but can you believe I’ve never had a cheesecake brownie before?! Criminal…I shall have to rectify that…
Thank you Hannah You definitely need to rectify that, cheesecake brownies are the best!
These look amazing, Michelle, as everything you make does! I’m excited to try them! Pinning!
😀 Thank you Michelle! I hope you like them!
Oh my goodness!!! How good do these look???!! Incredible. I love chocolate and I love orange!!!
😀 Thank you Vicki!!
ooooh yes! these are my kind of brownies x
😀 Thank you!
I guess I’ll have to make these one day because my mom loves the Chocolate & Orange combo! 😀 It looks delicious!
Thank you Sarah, your mum would love them then!