My P.S. (Purchases Sweets/hubby) picked up cake mixes on sale a few months ago.  Not one to make dessert often unless it’s a holiday, they’ve been crowding my baking cupboard ever since.  One was an orange cake mix that sounded interesting.  I wanted to work chocolate into it because I love those chocolate candy oranges that separate into wedges.

I saw a recipe that used cake mixes to make brownies, and I remembered my orange cake mix.  Brownies might be my way to incorporate chocolate into the orange.  I’d make the cake brownies using an orange mix and stir chocolate chips into the batter.  And melt a few on top and frost the brownies with chocolate as well.  It might work!

Add cake mix, eggs, oil and water to a mixing bowl

Or it might fail, but either way I’d have used up one of the cake mixes frowning down, unused, from my baking cupboard.  I’m a positive thinking person and I was positively going to try this and see what happened.  I’m extremely lucky that my P.S. will eat most anything, including things I’ve given up on.  So the brownies would probably be eaten anyway.

Stir until smooth

I preheated the oven to 350°, then poured the orange cake mix into a mixing bowl.  I added the eggs and oil and stirred until most of the lumps were out.

Add a cup of chocolate chips

I added 1 cup of milk chocolate chips and stirred to evenly distribute them throughout the batter.

Stir to evenly distribute the chips

I sprayed a 9×13 pan with cooking spray, then spread the brownie batter evenly in the pan.

Spread evenly in a 9×13 pan sprayed with cooking spray

I slid the pan into the oven and set the timer for 25 minutes.  When I checked them they were still wet but I knew brownies continued to firm up as they set awhile, so I removed them from the oven and set them on a rack to cool.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

While still warm I sprinkled about 1/2 cup more of chocolate chips over the brownies and let them sit for a few minutes to melt.  I used a small offset spatula to swirl them chocolate over the top in random swooshes.

Sprinkle warm bars with 1/2 cup more chocolate chips and let sit to melt

I let the brownies cook for 30 minutes and they looked like perfect brownies, although since they were orange maybe they should be called “orangies”?  I cut them into squares and sampled one.  Delicious!  They were a moist, cakey version of that chocolate orange I was trying to replicate.  A unique treat that was so much better than I’d imagined!

Swirl melted choclate over the bars with a knife or spatula when melted

The bars are a good way to please someone who likes a little chocolate with fruit.  The orange really is the main flavor, but the chocolate jumps in and compliments it nicely.  I stored them in a covered container in the fridge, preferring my brownies chilled.

Orange Cake Mix Brownies

I found a lot of variations in using a cake mix to make brownies.  Some had water, some didn’t.  Some had more oil, some had only one egg.  These brownies were a bit crumbly and more like a flat cake than a brownie.  I loved the flavors, now I want to tweak the texture a bit.  I will update my post when I’ve reached perfection.

Orange Cake Mix Brownies

Brownies with a Cake Mix {Orangies}

1 orange cake mix
¼ cup oil
1/3 cup water
2 eggs
1 ½ cups chocolate chips; divided (I used Nestle milk chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Pour cake mix into a mixing bowl.  Add oil, water and egg and stir until most of the lumps are gone.

Add chocolate chips, stir to distribute, then spread into a 9×13 pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Remove from oven and set on a rack.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup chocolate chips and let melt a few minutes before swirling over the top.

Cool for 30 more minutes before cutting into pieces.  Store covered.

About 12 brownies