Mmm, Orange and Feta Brownies. Doesn't this recipe sound delicious? No? Well, it didn't get a lot of love when I originally posted it back in 2007. But honestly, these brownies are really good. I haven't made them since posting because I rarely make chocolate-orange flavored things, but they were surprisingly tasty.
Very Best Baking
This recipe for Orange Feta Brownies, sounds like it’s from Food and Wine or Bon Appetit, but is actually from Nestle’s “Very Best Baking” site. At one point I was able to link to the original recipe, but since this post is 13 years old it makes sense that Nestle moved things around. The link no longer works and I couldn't find it on their site, so you'll have to take my word for it that the brownies are delicious. They also solve the problem of what to do when you have ⅓ cup of feta you need to get rid of.
No Liqueur, No Problem!
The Orange Feta Brownies call for orange liqueur, but I didn’t have any and used some boiled-down orange juice instead. It worked wonderfully and the brownies are amazingly good – not unlike a Cadbury Chocolate Orange in brownie form. I’ve retyped the recipe below as I made it, but the original is here. P.S. You can use whatever brand dark chocolate you want, but since Nestle was nice enough to formulate this recipe, I left the product name in the recipe.
Recipe
Orange and Feta Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cups 10-oz. pkg. NESTLÉ CHOCOLATIER™ 53% Cacao Dark Chocolate Morsels, divided use
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup butter cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 large eggs
- 1 to 2 tablespoons orange liqueur such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier or reduced oranges juice (see note)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup crumbled traditional feta cheese
- 1 to 2 teaspoons orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325º F. Line an 8 inch square metal pan with non-stick foil.
- Set aside 2 tablespoons of the chocolate morsels – you will be melting them and drizzling.
- In a large saucepan, heat 1 cup of the morsels, sugar, butter and water over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate and butter are just melted. Remove from heat. Let cool slightly (about 3 minutes). Stir in eggs, one at a time, until mixed in. Stir in liqueur or concentrated orange juice (see my note). Add flour and salt; stir well. Stir in cheese, remaining morsels (except reserved 2 tablespoons) and orange zest. Pour into prepared baking pan. Bang the metal pan on the counter to bring air bubbles to top.
- Bake for 35 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out still slightly sticky. Remove pan from oven and set it in a larger pan (roasting pan). Fill roasting pan with ice water so that it comes halfway up sides of small pan. Allow the brownies to cool to room temp in the ice water bath. When cool, melt remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate and drizzle decoratively over brownies. Chill thoroughly. Cut into squares.
MARIE says
I WAS WONDERING IF YOUCOULD PUT IN EITHER WEIGHT WATCHERS OR DIABETIC RECIPES. I KNOW NEITHER ARE VERY INTERESTING, BUT THAT IS WHAT I HAVE TO USE THANKS
Claire says
Ha! My dad saw these when I was looking for the Mrs. Field's cookie and said, wow...yum! However, I don't think he realized there was feta in them. Could be interesting the make them and see what he thinks! Hope you had a great THanksgiving.
Emiline says
You crazy girl! Feta in brownies is something I've never heard of, but I would definitely eat these. I love feta!
Hope you had a good Thanksgiving
Anna says
Therese, thanks for the feedback. And now we know goat cheese-chocolate-orange is a good combination too. That is, if you like goat cheese. I have some sort of aversion to all goat products, even Cajeta.
Have a good time at T-Day number 2.
Black Friday wasn't so bad around here. In fact, it seemed like hardly anyone was out and about around 3:00. Maybe they got all their shopping done at 4 AM.
Therese says
Anna:
I made these brownies and they are right-on great!!! What I thought was feta in my frige was goat cheese...it worked! They turned out just like your pic. Sturdy with that chewy crusty edge...yum..yum..yum!!
We are our way for round 2 of Thanksgiving at my mom-n-laws. It is the best food ever!!
Thanks for the intruigingly great recipes you post!
meredith says
I only have fat-free feta in the fridge, which hubby thinks is "too tangy" -- in fact, he wanted to throw it out, but I balked (I'm too cheap to let it go to waste!!!) ....think the fat-free would work here?
In the meantime, waiting for your report on your pumpkin cake!!
Happy Black Friday
Carla says
I have some feta in the fridge right now. If I have any left over from dinner tomorrow, I know what to do with it.
Anna says
Hi Joe,
I didn't add any nuts. That is, indeed, the feta. It dries out a little bit so if you happen to bite into a little piece of it, you just get tangy/salty...but not too salty. Nestle added it at the very, very end and got more chunks. I added it while the batter was still very warm and got fewer chunks due to, I guess, melting. Not sure. You have to try these.
The brownies were fudge-like, but very sturdy. They were so rich that I forgot to do the drizzle before cutting into them. I went ahead and added the drizzle later because it looks cool.....but again, it's unnecessary.
Joe says
I think this sounds fantastic - I bet the saltiness of the feta and the dark chocolate was a perfect match. Is it the feta that looks like nuts in the brownies?