Orange Bars โ Like brownies, but made with orange, lemon, and white chocolate!! Fast, EASY, dense, chewy, and packed with big, BOLD citrus flavor!!
Easiest Orange Dessert Recipe
If you like lemon bars and citrusy desserts in general, these fast, easy, one-bowl, no-mixer orange bars are just the thing for you. They’re dense and chewy, and if you’re looking for traditional lemon bars or fluffy lemon cake, this recipe isn’t that.
It came to be because I adapted a very popular recipe for Lemon Lemonies and created Orangies, so to speak. So many readers have asked me on the Lemon Lemonies recipe if it can be made with an orange twist and I decided to give that a whirl.
I used orange extract and orange juice in the white chocolate-based batter so the bars are the orange half. The glaze is made with lemon juice, which is obviously more tart and a nice balance to the sweeter orange base.
What’s in Orange Bars?
To make the orange brownies / bars, you’ll need:
- White chocolate chips
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Orange juice
- Orange extract
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Lemon juice and zest
How to Make Orange Bars
Melt the butter and white chocolate together in the microwave, stopping now and then to stir the mixture together. Then, stir in the eggs, OJ, orange extract, and sugar. The flour and salt are added last.
Turn the batter into a foil-lined 8×8-inch baking dish and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
While the bars are cooling, whisk together the simple lemon glaze and then spoon it over the bars (it’s okay if they’re still warm!). The orange bars will then need 2 hours to set properly before you can slice them.
Can I Double This Recipe?
Most likely, yes. You’ll need to bake it in a 9×13-inch pan, and the bake time should be roughly the same.
Tips for the Best Orange Bars
For the best flavor, I HIGHLY recommend using freshly squeezed orange juice from actual oranges. You just can’t compare the flavor of freshly squeezed juice to the bottled stuff!
I felt that using orange juice in the glaze could cause these orange bars to read too sweet, but if that’s not a problem for you and you really want bold orange flavor, make the glaze with OJ instead of lemon juice.
You must let the bars cool for 2 to 3 hours before slicing them. I know the wait is hard, but the bars have a much better texture after they’ve cooled down.
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Orange Lemon Orangies
Ingredients
Bars
- ยพ cup white chocolate chips
- ยฝ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick
- 2 large eggs
- ยพ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 teaspoons orange extract, or to taste
- 1 ยฝ cups all-purpose flour
- ยผ teaspoon salt
Glaze
- 2 cups confectionersโ sugar
- about 1/3 cup lemon juice, or as necessary for consistency
- about 1 tablespoon lemon zest, or to taste
Instructions
Make the bars:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- To a large, microwave-safe bowl add the white chocolate, butter, and heat to melt,ย about 1 minute on high power. Stop to check and stir and then heat in 20-second bursts, stopping to stir after each burst, until mixture can be stirred smooth. White chocolate is very prone to scorching and seizing up, so watch it carefully and donโt overheat.
- Wait momentarily before adding the eggs so you donโt scramble them. Add the eggs, granulatedย sugar, orange juice, orange extract, and whisk until combined.
- Add the flour, salt, andย stir until just combined; donโt overmix.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Bake for about 25 to 27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter; set aside and make the glaze.
Make the Glaze:
- In a medium bowl, add 2 cup confectionersโ sugar, 1/3 cup lemon juice, and whisk until smooth. As necessary, add additional lemon juice (or sugar) to reach desired glaze consistency. I used slightly overย 1/3 cup lemon juice. Glaze should be fairly thin and easily pourable.
- Evenly pour glaze over bars, smoothing it lightly with a spatula if necessary, but glaze will likely just slide into place.
- Evenly sprinkle with lemon zest.
- Allow bars to cool in pan uncovered for at least 2 to 3 hours, (or overnight and cover with a sheet of foil) before slicing and serving so glaze canย set up.ย
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Citrus Dessert Recipes:
Olive Oil Orange Cake โ A super soft and moist cake thatโs made with olive oil!! Orange zest, orange juice, and Gran Marnier add tons of AMAZING orange flavor to this easy, no-mixer cake thatโs unique, refined, and INCREDIBLE!!
Lemon Lemonies โ Like brownies, but made with lemon and white chocolate! Dense, chewy, not cakey and packed with big, bold lemon flavor!
The Best Lemon Bars โ Truly the best traditional lemon bars Iโve ever had!
Orange Poke Cake with Honey-Orange Glaze โ Bold orange flavor in this easy, 100% scratch, no mixer poke cake! Orange juice, orange extract, and orange zest make this cake the best way ever to get your Vitamin C!!
Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting โ Soft, fluffy, moist, very lemony cupcakes from scratch! Easy one-bowl, no-mixer recipe for cupcakes that taste like theyโre from a bakery!
Lemon Buttermilk Cake with Lemon Glaze โ An easy little cake with big lemon flavor! Soft, fluffy, and foolproof if you like puckering up!
Orange Crush Poke Cake โ Bold Orange Crush flavor in this easy cake thatโs super moist and light! The kid in all of us will love this orange tie-dyed cake!
Orange Creamsicle Cookies โ Thereโs loads of white chocolate in every bite, and they remind me of an Orange Creamsicle!
Averie
Thanks so much for this yummy recipe. I baked these for my fellow Respiratory Therapists to bring a little bit of sunshine into this scary stressful time While we fight this pandemic on the front lines. Very well appreciated and liked. Thanks. Sue
How nice of you to bake for your peers and thank you for the immense service you are doing for everyone right now!!
Averie
Thanks so much for this yummy recipe. I baked these for my fellow Respiratory Therapists to bring a little bit of sunshine into this scary stressful time While we fight this pandemic on the front lines. Very well appreciated and liked. Thanks. Sue
We have a fantastic baker in our office and I requested these for my birthday dessert. They were amazing! So good that they didn’t even make it until noon!! Great recipe!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
these looked yummy. I baked a batch and turned out great The flavors were right on and so was the baking time Just enough chewiness. I am going to next time try Passion Fruit pulp juice in place of the orange juice We grow Passion fruit and I have tons in my freezer
Passion fruit sounds lovely! I bet they will be delicious! Glad you enjoyed this batch, too!
I wonder if this could be adapted to be used as the crust for a cheesecake
I would say no, it’s not going to be the right texture.
Oh sweet jesus I need to jam my face with these
Yes me too! I wish I still had some left!
Lemon bar lover here so I am adoring this recipe with all its orangey goodness!
Thank you!
hey girl- this looks so yummy!
Thanks so much! Enjoy the long weekend!
Nothing like a blast of citrus to brighten up the winter days! That looks great!
I totally agree! :)
What a yummy idea!! I need to make these!!
Enjoy! :)
These are absolutely calling my name! I love orange flavored desserts!
Orange flavored desserts are so refreshing! :)
Citrus desserts always seem nice right about now when we still have blah winter days. These look like a delicious twist on your lemon lemonies–I remember those!
The lemonies have continued to stay popular over the years, glad you remember them! And yes, citrus desserts are great for the winter blah days!