Orange "Brownies" with Orange-Rosemary Glaze

It has been a dreary rainy Monday morning. Not at all a rare thing to see here in the Pacific Northwest. And myself being a born-and-raised Northwest girl, this weather doesn't get me down in the least. For me it means warm and cozy, in my house, no TV or radio, just the peaceful sound of the rain falling outside. I love rainy days, always have, always will.

Another thing I love contrary to most everybody else is Mondays. In my house there resides 2 growing boys, ages 11 and 7, and weekends around here usually include a lot of raucousness, loud action movies and video games, and a lot of "Mom, I'm hungry!"s. So when Monday rolls around, I cheerfully herd those sleepy-eyed boys on outta here, walk back into my house and embrace complete silence. Monday is my Saturday!

So to celebrate my Monday liberation, I thought I'd bake up something sweet! Cheers! Happy Monday!

Orange "Brownies" with Orange Rosemary Glaze

Tip: Don't be so fast to throw those butter wrappers in the garbage. You can use them to butter up the baking dish.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 t. salt

2 c. sugar

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 T. grated orange zest

4 large eggs

For the glaze:

1 c. confectioner's sugar

1 t. grated orange zest

1/2 t. minced fresh rosemary

2 T. fresh orange juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13x9 inch baking dish, set aside.

2. Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl. In a stand-mixer or using a handheld mixer, cream together sugar, butter and orange zest. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in flour mixture, mix until thoroughly combined. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake until golden brown and set, about 30 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes. Using a fork, prick the cake evenly all over.

3. Prepare the glaze. Combine all the glaze ingredients and whisk until smooth. Pour and quickly spread evenly over the brownies. Enjoy!