Do you think you can handle the deliciousness?
Last week we started to announce the best recipes we came across during our recent Best Dessert Bar Contest with our fourth runner-up: Strawberry Limeade Bars. (See our other favorite dessert bar recipes so far)
Now it's time to get the delicious details on the third runner-up: Chocolate Orange Bars, by Barbara Lee Parsons of Huntsville, Alabama.
We loved the perfectly chewy texture of these bars (just what a bar should be) paired with the perfect balance of sweet chocolate to citrusy orange. The flavors were just a great combination; we couldn't get enough!
Chocolate Orange Bars
(Welcome to the Neighborhood Treats)
Layer #1
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
Layer #2
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 (6-ounce) package of chocolate chips
1/4 cup coconut, flaked style
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Orange Frosting:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp butter
1 tsp grated orange rind
2 T orange juice
Layer #1: Cream the butter and the sifted flour and salt and mix thoroughly. Line an 8-inch square pan with wax paper and spread the mixture into pan and press down with a spoon. Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees F.
Layer #2: Blend together the sugar and eggs and stir in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips. Add coconut and vanilla. Mix in the flour and salt. Mix well and spread over previously baked first layer. Bake again for 15 minutes in a 375 degree F oven. Remove from oven, cool and then remove from pan.
Frosting: Cream butter and gradually add the sugar. Blend thoroughly. Add orange rind and orange juice. Frost the bars with orange frosting. Melt the remaining chocolate chips and drizzle on top of orange frosting.
Other winning recipes from this contest:
Fourth Runner-up: Strawberry Limeade Bars
Second Runner-up: Butterscotch Nutella Bars
First Runner-up: De Lime in de Coconut Bars
WINNER: Super Yummy Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
