Wow, was this winter bizarre or what? Sunshine and blue skies one day, wind and sleet the next, and who knows what in between; I’m ready for the seasons to settle down.

At least I know that I can heat things up in the kitchen. Nothing says “cozy” like a pan of warm, fudgy brownies, no matter what kind of foolishness the weather wants to get up to outside!

Citrus Kiss Brownies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

12 drops sweet orange essential oil

1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

The first thing you wanna do is crank up your oven temperature to that old standby, 350 F. Dig out an 8-by-8 cake pan and give it a light spritz with cooking spray. Cut an 8-inch-wide strip from a roll of baking parchment and use it to line your pan. Let the ends droop over the sides; they’ll act as handles for lifting the finished brownies from the pan.

Zap the butter in the microwave. While it’s melting, grab a medium mixing bowl. Toss in the flour, cocoa and sugar. Stir it around until it’s well-blended and lump-free. Now add the melted butter, vanilla extract, condensed milk (make sure it’s not the fat-free kind) and essential oil. Mix well, then add the chocolate chips. The batter will be really stiff at this point, so be prepared for a mild workout.

Slap the batter into your prepared pan and spread it around. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula and stick the pan in the oven. Set the timer for 30-35 minutes and go kick back with a good book.

When the timer goes off, poke a toothpick into the brownies near the center. These are cake-like brownies, so we need a happy medium. The toothpick shouldn’t be totally gooey, but it shouldn’t be bone dry, either. If it comes out mostly clean, the brownies are done. Set the pan on a rack to cool.

The cake-like texture means that these brownies travel well, and they’re terrific for dunking. They’re firm and slightly crunchy on the outside, and chewy on the inside.

If the thought of citrus in your chocolate doesn’t float your boat, try adding a spoonful or two of instant coffee powder to the dry ingredients instead of the orange oil, or use a few drops of mint to take the brownies in a whole ‘nother direction. Add a little more cocoa to kick up the intensity, or scale it back for a milk chocolate taste. That’s the really cool thing about baking at home — you can try almost anything.

Once the brownies are cool enough (like we’re really gonna wait that long), cut them into squares to serve. The caramel action of the condensed milk makes them harder to cut as they cool, so don’t wait too long. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Enjoy!