Orange Brownies

Oh my, do I have a treat for you!  My friend recently gave me this recipe for Orange Brownies.  When she first told me about it I thought it sounded kind of gross.  My first thought was those chocolate oranges that they sell around the holidays which I'm not a big fan of.  Turns out there's actually no chocolate in this recipe, they're just called brownies.  She told me everyone she knew who had ever tried them loved them, so I thought I would give them a try.  Boy am I glad I did!  These are a new favorite and one I will definitly make again and again.  They are so easy and they are delicious.  I made them for my husband to take to his Bible study class and they all fell in love with them.  Try them, you won't be disappointed.

Orange Brownies (Recipe Courtsey of Paula Deen)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
4 eggs
2 teaspoons pure orange extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan and set aside. In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter, eggs, orange extract, and orange zest and beat with a handheld electric mixer until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until light golden brown and set. Remove from oven and pierce top of entire cake with a fork.

Glaze:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stirring until smooth. Pour glaze over cake. Cool cake and cut into squares