Orange Gingersnap Brownies

I don't know how this is possible, but late last night I was craving a holiday treat of some kind. We have had desserts and treats coming out our ears, but for some reason last night I decided to make, yet another, treat! I figured the new year will come soon enough and I will have to resist those urges. So..I combined a few different recipes and came up with these amazing Gingersnap Brownies. I love orange and after these amazing cookies I decided to infuse these brownies with orange flavor. If you are like my sister and hate anything with orange flavoring, you can keep the orange out of this recipe. They would be delicious with or without the orange. Either way, their smooth, buttery texture is absolutely divine! They are not overly strong on ginger or chocolate, just perfectly subtle. I find myself reaching for another piece to figure out the different layers of flavor. Hope you enjoy them as we did. Happy holiday baking! Four more days and counting ;)

Orange Gingersnap Brownies
1 t. vanilla
1/3 c. cocoa
2 eggs
1/2 t. allspice
1 t. cinnamon
Dash nutmeg
3 sticks butter
1/3 c. molasses
2 c. sugar
1 T. baking soda
1/2 t. fresh ground ginger (could use powdered ginger)
1 t. orange zest
1 T. fresh orange juice
3 1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, softened butter, molasses and cocoa powder until smooth (about 3-5 minutes with an electric mixer). Once combined, add the remaining ingredients. Spread the brownie mixture into a greased jelly roll/cookie sheet pan. If you want a thicker brownie, you can also bake this recipe in a 11x14 pan, it will just increase the cooking time by 7-10 minutes. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes, or until brownie seems to be cooked in the middle, but not overly cooked. I like brownies more underdone, so cook them to your desired liking. Remove the brownies and let them cool for 30-60 minutes until cooled. In the mean time, make the frosting:

Orange Cream Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
Zest of one orange
2 T. orange juice
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
Dash of salt
Cream the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients. Once the brownies are cooled evenly spread the frosting over the top and sprinkle with extra mini chocolate chips.