Adults Only Brownies

No, I'm not posting a recipe for hash brownies on my food blog. However, these aren't the kind of brownies you want to bring to the church bake sale or pass around at your child's birthday party. Will and I were both craving something sweet last night, and after finding this recipe and realizing I actually had all of the ingredients in my pantry (which never happens, by the way) I immediately decided to give this dessert a go. Umm, yeah. I never really considered myself a chocolate fanatic, but over the past 18 hours I've found myself looking for excuses to go back in to my kitchen to sneak an extra brownie. The Grand Marnier adds a fantastic kick, and the orange zest is the perfect addition to the incredibly rich chocolate. Don't bake on an empty stomach!
Source: All Recipes

Ingredients:

• 4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons brandy-based orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier®)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square baking pan. 

2. Over low heat, melt chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly. 

3. In a large bowl, beat sugars and eggs until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes with electric mixer). Add melted chocolate, 3 tablespoons of the Grand Marnier, vanilla and the orange peel, mixing until well blended. 

4. Mix in the flour, salt and chocolate chips (on low speed if using an electric mixer). It should look like this:

5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth the top.

6. Bake for 30-35 until sides look done and top feels firm. Inserting a toothpick 2 inches from center should come out clean; however, center will jiggle and look undercooked. 

7.  Remove from oven and brush top with the remaining 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier. 

8. Cover pan with foil or plastic and cool completely. Cut into 2 inch squares. Store covered at room temperature or they may be frozen. Defrost covered at room temperature.