We can never go past a good brownie recipe in our house. So, not unsurprisingly,  perusing the weekend  paper last Sunday morning Frank Camorra’s recipe for Jaffa Brownie jumped out at me. My attention caught by the intriguing addition of a little coconut oil to the mix, imparting a fantastic but subtle tropical flavour to the brownie. What to do on a cold and wet Monday afternoon with the girls home for mid semester break? Bake. Of course.

As usual I couldn’t resist tweaking  Frank’s original recipe to reflect the contents of my pantry. So, in my rendition, it was out with the raisins and in with a little more roasted hazelnuts than originally suggested. One variation always leads to another, and as I zested my oranges I also decided to stir a little of my favourite orange flavoured liqueur, Cointreau, into my chocolate mix.

Luckily, I always have a jar of coconut oil on hand. Sadly, I must confess, not due to its recent elevation to superfood status but more pragmatically because it is a key ingredient in making Ice Magic. The stuff of retro childhood dreams. Chocolate ice cream crackle topping that sets hard in seconds. Like magic. But I digress. Those two tablespoons of coconut oil boosted the citrus flavour of the brownie to a whole new level. It’s an idea that I know I will be borrowing for my future bakes.

What can I say? The brownie was fabulous. Fudgy and delicious. Rich and decadent with an intense orange hit. Our latest new favourite recipe. As Frank points out in his original recipe the brownie batter  is just a base. You can swap nuts and fruit for whatever combination you wish. I will definitely be adding this show stopping version to my repertoire. And just in case you are curious, my girls devoured their squares of  brownie with a scoop of ice magic topped vanilla ice cream. Most definitely a little slice of dessert heaven.

Chocolate and Orange Jaffa Brownie
Adapted from Slice Of Heaven, a recipe by Frank Camorra in The Sydney Morning Herald Spectrum Lift-Out August 9-10 2014
Makes 16 squares

180g butter
2 tablespoons coconut oil
200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1 orange
1 tablespoon Cointreau (optional)
125g castor sugar
2 tablespoons  cocoa powder, plus a little extra for dusting
100g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs, lightly beaten
110g hazelnuts, roasted and skinned

PREHEAT  oven to 170C. Line a 20 centimetre-square baking tin with baking paper.
MELT butter, coconut oil and three-quarters of the chocolate in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
ZEST orange into the butter and chocolate mixture so any orange oil that sprays off goes into the chocolate; this adds as much flavour as the zest. Stir a tablespoon of Cointreau (if using) into the butter and chocolate mix.
PLACE sugar, cocoa powder, flour and baking powder in a bowl. Stir to combine.
BEAT eggs one at a time into the cooled butter-and-chocolate mix, then stir into the dry flour ingredients, until just combined.
FOLD through the hazelnuts and remaining chopped chocolate.
POUR batter into the prepared tin and bake for 30 minutes. Leave to cool slightly in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack. When cool, dust with cocoa powder and cut into squares to serve.