KrausnicKitchen

This take on lemon bars is a delicious surprise. It incorporates a chocolatey shortbread crust, a sprinkling of bittersweet chocolate, topped with a creamy hint-of-orange layer.

Chocolate Orange Essence Bars 

Chocolate Crust: 
1/2 cup white sugar
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup butter
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips plus extra for garnish (like Ghiradelli Bittersweet – 60% cacao)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients. Cut butter into dry ingredients until dough starts to form. Press dough into ungreased 9×13″ pan. (If sticky, use waxed paper to press until dough evenly coats the bottom of pan). Sprinkle chips evenly over dough. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Orange Essence Topping: 
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
3 eggs + 1 yolk
1 medium orange (squeeze 1/3 c juice)

Meanwhile, mix together sugar and flour. Whisk eggs and yolks and add orange juice. Combine until well mixed. Set aside until crust is baked. Once pre-baked crust is ready, again whisk to incorporate and carefully pour over hot pre-baked crust. Bake 20 minutes more. Remove from oven. Cool five minutes and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cool pan completely — bars will firm up once cool. Cut carefully, remove from pan, garnish and serve on a tray.

Orange Zest Garnish:
Zest from leftover peel from orange (plus zest from additional orange)
1-2 tsp powdered sugar

Sprinkle sugar over orange zest. Let rest while pan of bars cools. Once bars are cut, garnish bars with zest and extra chocolate chips.

© Dorene Krausnick and KrausnicKitchen 2011-2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Dorene Krausnick and KrausnicKitchen with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.