Ingredients
Method
Start by making the crust
- Preheat the oven to 325℉. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to help you lift the finished bars out of the pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Using a spatula, fold in the flour and cocoa powder. The dough will be thick and somewhat greasy. Press the dough into the prepared baking pan in an even layer. Poke the top of the crust all over with a fork (this is called docking and it helps the filling stick and prevents large air bubbles). Bake for 22-25 minutes. Keep the oven on once you take the crust out, we'll need it to bake the filling.
- While the crust bakes, prepare the sugar. In a medium sized bowl, rub the orange zest into the sugar. This helps release the flavorful oil in the zest. Let it sit while the crust bakes.
Once the crust is baked, make the filling
- While the crust cools a little, make the filling. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Then, sift in the orange sugar. This will remove the clumps of zest, but the sugar should still look yellow. Save that sugary zest! I like to sprinkle it on top of the finished bars. Whisk together the sifted sugar and flour. Then, whisk in the orange juice, lemon juice, eggs, and salt until smooth.
- Pour over the slightly cooled crust and carefully return to the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes. The center should be set and shouldn't jiggle when the pan is tapped. Allow the bars to cool in the pan at room temperature for 1 hour, before transferring to the fridge to chill (still in the pan) for 2 hours before you add the ganache.
Make the ganache
- Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized heat safe bowl. Set aside. In a saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat until simmering (not boiling, that's too hot!). Once simmering, pour over the chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for 3-5 minutes to soften the chocolate. Then, gently stir until you have a thick glossy ganache. Stir in the vanilla and salt. If you have clumps, set your bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir constantly to melt the chocolate.
- Pour the ganache on top of the chilled bars and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle with the previously reserved sugared orange zest. Chill the bars for 2 more hours. Finally, use the parchment overhang to lift the bars out of the pan and place on a cutting board to slice into bars. Cover and store leftover bars in the fridge for up to 5 days.