Jousting for Brownies

The Royal Foodie Joust, that is. We get three ingredients every month, which are chosen by the previous month's winner. Last month, Kittie from Kittens in the Kitchen won, and her ingredient choices were whole grains, ginger and citrus. And if you haven't joined The Foodie Blogroll yet, have a look around! It's a great, supportive community of foodies. And word on the street is that Jenn, the Queen, is about to launch an entirely new site packed with good stuff. (ok...not on "the street." I read it in the blogroll forum. I can't lie to you guys. I don't get out enough to hear things on the street. Except maybe "Mom, I dropped my gum, but don't worry, it won't make a mess. I put it back in my mouth." eek! Or the always classic--and loud, "Mom!! I farted, hahaha!!!!")

Whole Grains (or at least they have to start out whole)
Ginger
Citrus

Orange and Ginger, Friends 4Ever.

My mind flew in a dozen different directions. Sweet, savory, savory, sweet. I have a list of things I wanted to make. I actually made two things to enter, and had to think for about a week before I could decide which to post. I'm very happy with both, and will eventually post the other one, but this one is still knocking my socks off. They keep very well in the fridge, and make a great little chocolatey fix when you need one. They're really fudgey/fudgy (Merriam Webster, I need you--call me!) and have hints of orange and ginger. And since they're made with oat flour, I can almost fool myself into thinking they're good for me. Almost.



Ginger Orange Brownies with Ganache Topping

1 (1/2 cup) stick butter
4 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup oat flour *
1/4 cup cocoa
2 eggs
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp orange zest

Ganache Topping

4 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp orange zest

*Making your own oat flour is so easy! Take rolled or quick oats and whiz them in a food processor or a blender until they look ground and...floury. That's it! Who knew? (Use about 1 1/4 cups of oats to make one cup oat flour.)



Heat oven to 325°.
Line an 8x8 pan with parchment or foil--leave some overlapping on the sides, and then grease.
In a medium pan, melt the butter and chocolate.
Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients--but not the ganache stuff!
Bake 28-30 minutes, but don't over bake.
Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, and then pull them out using the foil or parchment and finish
cooling them on a cooling rack.

Make the Ganache:

Put the chocolate in a bowl.
Heat the cream just to a simmer--don't let it boil!
Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute or two, then stir until smooth and all the chocolate has melted.
Stir in orange zest.


Put the brownies, still in the foil or parchment, back in the baking pan.
Pour the ganache over the cooled brownies and spread it out over the top.
Cool in the fridge until ganache has firmed up.
Remove from the pan again and cut into squares.
Store in fridge. I like to take one and let it sit out for a minute or two to soften up a bit, but they're still good right out of the fridge.