Candied Orange & Coconut Brownies

Directions

1Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2Line a 12 x 18 x 1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper, or you can use two 9 x 9 baking pans.

3Butter and flour the parchment and sides of the pans and set aside.

4Sift cocoa and sugar together in a large bowl to blend together well.

5Melt your butter slowly so not to brown in the microwave or a heavy-bottomed pot on the stove, stirring in the cocoa and sugar mixture.

6Stir until the sugar is completely melted. Remove from heat and let cool and set aside.

7In a large bowl, blend eggs, vanilla, espresso powder, Pirate Sauce, orange juice, coconut milk, and the cocoa mixture together, incorporating well. Do not whisk or beat, but gently fold ingredients until they just come together, but are mixed well.

8In another bowl, whisk or sift the flour, baking powder and salt together well.

9Add flour mixture to the chocolate batter in increments, blending each addition thoroughly, ½ cup of flour at a time.

10Once your batter is mixed, pour into prepared pan(s) and bake for 15 minutes.

11To make sure all the air is out of your batter, remove the pans at this point and tap the pans on the side of the stove to pop any air bubbles, then return to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.

12Top with candied orange zest and toasted coconut and serve.

Candied Orange Zest

1Peel and slice your oranges, making sure to remove any of the white pithy stuff off the back of the peel. This will make your candied zest bitter. Save the orange flesh or toss it, you won’t use it.

2Place water, 2 cups of sugar, and orange peels in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil.

3Let boil for approximately five minutes, then simmer for 10 more minutes on low.

4Remove from heat and let steep for an hour. (You can reuse the syrup created in this process as a citrus simple syrup.)

5Strain the syrup from the peels and place them on a wire rack lined with a piece of parchment paper. Make sure that the pieces are not touching each other.

6Sprinkle well with the rest of the sugar, making sure to cover each strip of orange.

7Let peels dry for at least five or six hours.

8Use to garnish brownies, or other desserts, or just to eat.

9You can dice, cut into strips or eat in large pieces after the process of candying it is complete. You can store the leftovers in an airtight container for later use.