These were originally called orange brownies but, come on, they’re not brown.
Bret said they should be called orangies, but that didn’t look quite right written down, so bars they are! Whatever you want to call them, you’ll love the results!
Orange and lemon are two of my favorite flavors and when I saw this recipe, the flakes of orange zest and the gooey icing really caught my attention.
Blonde Orange Bars with Orange Cream Icing are everything I thought they’d be – a rich and chewy orange bar with a creamy, fluffy delicious icing.
Although we can get oranges all year long, the citrus season (Jan/Feb/March-ish) is winding down and I really wanted to make a recipe with oranges while they’re still at their best.
These bars are delicious! Great with coffee, great with milk, great alone…. Enjoy!
Blonde Orange Bars with Orange Cream Cheese Icing
Adapted slightly from DessertNowDinnerLater.com . Delicious and easy to make!
Ingredients
- 1 C (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 1/2 C sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp pure orange extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 C all-purpose flour
- Orange Cream Icing:
- 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
- 4 tbsp butter, , softened
- 2 tbsp orange zest
- 3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 1/2 C . powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 13x9x2" pan or use buttered parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and sugar until creamy and slightly fluffy. Add the eggs and mix well. Add the orange and vanilla extracts and orange zest and mix, scraping the sides of the bowl when needed.
- Add the salt and flour - mix until just combined. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-27 minutes - toothpick should come out clean.
- For the glaze, combine the cream cheese and butter and beat until it's creamy and there are no lumps. Add the orange zest, orange juice and powdered sugar - blend well.
- While the base is still hot, poke holes in it with a fork and spread the icing over the bar base. Let it cool to room temperature. Keep refrigerated if not serving right away.
Notes
Tips and Stuff:
This took one giant orange and one medium orange to get the zest. Plan on three medium oranges.
I used aluminum foil in the bottom of my pan so I could lift them up and turn them out. It didn't separate from the foil very well, so either use just a greased pan or, if you're wanting to turn them out, use the buttered parchment paper and butter the sides of the pan, too.
The batter will be spread fairly thinly in the baking pan - don't worry, it will fluff up a little and the bars will be the perfect consistency.
Yummy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 barAmount Per Serving: Calories: 154Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 126mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 0gSugar: 25gProtein: 2g
Nutrition Values are Approximate