Orange. Crunch. Brownies. I don’t think I need to say much else do I? How about if I tell you there’s a layer of chocolate orange sticks in the middle of these? Good, I’ve got you!
I don’t know why, but I’ve wanted to put a layer of chocolate matchsticks in the middle of some brownies for a while now. Turns out it was a genius idea! They go fudgey in parts and stay crunchy in others.
After struggling to hunt down a box of Orange Matchmakers, I found some own-brand ones in Sainsbury’s. I used one and a half boxes in total, so if you are using Matchmakers which are in smaller packs, I expect you’d need two full boxes.
I used plain dark chocolate and orange extract but you could use a good orange bar such as Green and Black’s Mayan Gold or the Cooperatives Ghanaian with orange and spices.
These need cooking lower and slower than usual so that the bits on top don’t catch. But these orange brownies are well worth the wait…
Orange Crunch Brownies
Makes 16 (depending on your tray)
- 300g dark chocolate
- 125g butter
- 3 eggs
- 250g dark brown soft sugar
- 80g 0% fat Greek yoghurt
- 2 tsp orange extract
- 80g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Full fat milk
- 2 boxes of orange Matchmakers
What you do
- Heat the oven to 170c and line your brownie tin
- In a bowl over simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter – then leave to cool for 5 minutes
- In a food processor (my brownie tool of choice) or mixer, mix together eggs and sugar. Add the orange essence and yoghurt and mix once more
- Add the slightly cooled chocolate mix to the processor and mix until well combined
- Mix in the flour and baking powder until just combined
- Add a good splash of milk. Brownie batter is often thick, but this needs thinning down to help with the final stage. I used about 120ml in total- add slowly until you get a dropping consistency
- Pour half of the brownie batter in to the tin. Cover with Matchmakers – I used a whole box. See pic. Don’t push down or they will just sink to the bottom
- Gently pour the rest of the batter evenly over the bottom layer (this is why it needs to be thinner than usual- you can’t really spread it with a spatula)
- Break up half a box of matchmakers and drop them on top
- Push them in ever so gently – just so they are stuck in. Too far and they’ll be in the middle
- Cook in the middle of the oven for 30-35 mins. Watch from about 25 mins to make sure not catching on top- cover with foil if you need to
- When a cocktail stick comes out nearly clean they are done!
Cool in the tray for an hour and then carefully move onto a rack. Cut, enjoy and feel smug that you are part of the great Matchmaker revival!
Variations
- Mint Matchmakers and mint extract (I love Spice Drops)
- Honeycomb Matchmakers (apparently these are a thing) with little nuggets of honeycomb on top
My brownie tray is 27cm x 18cm. If yours is smaller but deeper, cook a little longer. If it is shallower, reduce the time by a couple of minutes.
Love brownies? Check out my ultimate guide to chocolate brownies for the sugar rush you’ve been waiting for!
