Chocolate Brownies with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

I do a little thing called stress baking.  The first thing my mind turns to in very stressful situations is getting into the kitchen.  Yesterday evening our car was totaled (at least that's what we've heard) in a hit and run, as a result I baked these brownies.  Everything about these brownies was perfect for our situation (that and a couple bottles of beer), they were quick, chocolate-y and comforting.  We sat on the couch after they baked, lamenting our suddenly car-less life, stuffing our mouths with fudgy brownies.  These brownies needed attention in the oven, and a bit of recalculating when I made them into a half batch.  My 8x8 inch pan was a little big, so I rigged a smaller pan out of tinfoil, and my ratios on the frosting were off.  But everything worked out, the brownies were delicious.

Baking notes:
-The directions say to whisk the egg-chocolate mixture for a minute before adding the flour, but I missed that step and everything was still good.
-I did think the brownies were very sweet, and in the reviews some commenters used a lot less sugar.  Let me know if it works for you.
-I only used 3.5oz (instead of 4oz in the half size recipe I made) of cream cheese, it's all I had and I didn't use butter in the frosting because I couldn't be bothered to soften 1 Tbsp.
-I did not bake the brownies in a disposable aluminum pan (who the heck would?!) but in a regular metal pan lined with tinfoil.
-I baked the brownies for only 15 or 20 minutes in a 8x6.5-7(ish) inch pan.  Keep a very close eye on them, they will over bake quickly.
-I left off the topping called for (toasted nuts or coconut) because I didn't feel like adding the extra step, and I personally don't miss it at all.

The recipe for Chocolate Brownies with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting can be found on the epicurious website.

60/569