Glazed Orange Poppy Seed Bars.

A cross between a blondie and cake, these simple glazed orange poppy seed bars are packed with white chocolate, vanilla, and fresh orange flavor.

It’s spring and it finally feels like spring. Or actually summer. Apparently, spring is a thing of the past here in Philly. But hey. I’m not complaining because the neon pink flip-flops are in full swing step.

I made today’s bars after falling in love with my glazed orange pound cake situation. I picked my brain and archives for inspiration on a variation of said pound cake and came up with today’s bars. Or blondies. Or cake bars. Snack bars? Snack bar Sally? What? They’re a cross between cake and a dense blondie. A blake. Or a clondie. Seriously, what am I saying.

Let me put down my Sunday night wine.

Whatever we call them, today’s glazed orange poppy seed bars are good. Really, really good. I brought them to my friend Sarah last week when we met downtown for happy hour and dinner. I carry dessert in my purse, don’t you? She loved ’em!

To throw you completely off, this recipe doesn’t begin like a blondie or cake recipe. Rather, it starts like a brownie recipe. Butter is melted down with pure white chocolate to create one rich, flavorful base. This is the same way I begin my favorite chewy, fudgy brownies, only using white chocolate instead of semi-sweet. Since we’re using melted butter, there is no need to pull out that mixer. Everything is mixed by hand.

White chocolate is already quite sweet, so I don’t use quite as much sugar as I do with brownies, blondies, or cakes. Two eggs create a wonderfully moist, dense bite while the baking powder lifts everything up to create a cakey blondie texture. I like to compare their texture to these snickerdoodle blondies. So if you’ve had the pleasure of those, you know what to expect here.

For supreme taste, make sure you’re using pure white chocolate. ↓ ↓

For a little texture and crunch, I add poppy seeds. Not too many, but just enough to keep my texture loving tastebuds satisfied. Vanilla extract adds a layer of goodness and and and let’s not forget all that orange flavor! I make the bars with Sunkist navel oranges. Fresh and flavorful, these oranges always fit the bill when I’m looking for high quality taste. Especially when it comes to my baked goods. Fresh orange juice goes right into the batter, along with a hefty amount of orange zest.

The combination of vanilla, white chocolate, and orange is insane. It’s like a creamsicle meets a white chocolate bar. And yes! You can absolutely use lemon instead of orange today. Even grapefruit for an interesting twist. Yay, citrus.

As if all this wasn’t good enough, I add a unique glaze on top. The same glaze I like to use for donuts. It’s the kind of glaze that “sets” after a few minutes and slightly cracks when you take every bite. In other words, the BEST GLAZE IN THE WORLD. You know the kind. To achieve this texture, you simply have to warm the glaze ingredients on the stovetop and pour over the cooled orange poppy seed bars. Or you can dip each bar individually.

The glaze is also flavored with fresh orange juice.

🙂

The glaze is something I want to eat with a spoon.

These wonderfully zesty, sweet, buttery, glazed, truly incredible and unique dessert bars that taste much more fancy than they actually are to make. And one bite will leave everyone begging for the recipe.

Follow me on Instagram and tag #sallysbakingaddiction so I can see all the SBA recipes you make. ♥

PS: These can count as a breakfast food, right? You have the orange juice and the donut glaze, soooo…. (not judging).

 

Glazed Orange Poppy Seed Bars

Yield: 12-16 bars

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours, 10 minutes (includes cooling)

A cross between a blondie and cake, these simple glazed orange poppy seed bars are packed with white chocolate, vanilla, and fresh orange flavor.

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

Orange Bars

• 6 Tablespoons (86g) unsalted butter


• 8 ounces (226g) white chocolate, coarsely chopped


• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar


• juice and zest from 1 Sunkist orange¹


• 2 large eggs


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)


• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Glaze

• 3 Tablespoons (45ml) whole milk²


• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh orange juice¹


• 2 cups (240g) confectioners' sugar


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 1/8 teaspoon salt


• slices of Sunkist orange for garnish

Directions:

1. Make the bars: Melt the butter and white chocolate together in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes. Or melt in a medium microwave safe bowl in 20 second increments, stirring after each, in the microwave. Remove from the heat, pour into a large mixing bowl, and allow to slightly cool for 10 minutes.


2. Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan³ with aluminum foil or parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside.


3. Whisk the granulated sugar into the cooled butter mixture. Whisk in the orange juice and zest, then the eggs. Whisk until the batter is completely smooth, then whisk in the vanilla. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds together. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.


4. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the bars are lightly browned around the sides and on top. If you find they are browning too quickly on top, loosely cover the bars with aluminum foil. A toothpick inserted into the center of the bars should come out with very few moist crumbs when the bars are done. All ovens are different, so keep an eye on them after 30 minutes and use the toothpick test to see when yours are finished. Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.


5. Make the glaze: Combine the glaze ingredients, except for the fresh orange slices, in a medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk until the glaze is smooth. Remove saucepan from heat and either (1) pour glaze over the cooled pan of orange bars, then cut the bars into squares or (2) keep the saucepan of glaze over low heat, cut the orange bars into squares, and dip each individually into the glaze. Garnish each square with orange. The glaze will set after about 10 minutes.


6. Make ahead tip: These bars can be made 3 days in advance and kept in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to serve. I suggest glazing and garnishing with an orange right before serving. Glazed or unglazed bars freeze well, up to 3 months. Simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving. Leftover bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Recipe Notes:

1. 1 medium orange will lend around 1/4 cup fresh orange juice. So if you buy a large orange, just use 1/4 cup juice total in the bars. The zest amount can vary, but you can never go wrong with lots of fresh orange zest. For the glaze, you'll need the juice from half of a medium orange. Bottled orange juice can work for both the bars and the glaze.


2. For creamiest texture, use whole milk. A lower milk fat would be fine; do not use skim.


3. You can use an 11x7 inch baking pan instead - the bake time is about the same.

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Try my Orange Sweet Rolls (Pillsbury copycat!) next.

 

Right this way for more brownies/bar recipes.

 I’m working with Sunkist to bring you today’s fresh and simple recipe.

 

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