Cookies & Cream Brownies

Most people love Oreo cookies and brownies, so an Oreo brownie is a slam-dunk. This Oreo brownie recipe uses crushed and cut-up Oreos and combines the brownie with rich cream cheese to simulate the Oreos’ creamy filling.

Combining a rich brownie with actual Oreo cookies and a cheesecake-like topping turns your childhood nostalgia into a grown-up indulgence. Whether you pair it with the traditional glass of milk or a strong cup of coffee is entirely up to you.

Oreo Brownie Recipe Ingredients

• Cream cheese: The cream cheese layer in these brownies is a riff on the cream filling of the Oreo cookies but in a much richer and more adult form.
• Sugar: Sugar is used purely as a sweetener in the cream cheese layer. The brownie layer helps form the brownie’s signature dense texture and provides sweetness.
• Egg: Eggs are used in the cream cheese layer to help set the cheesecake-like topping, while in the brownie layer, they help emulsify the wet and dry ingredients as well as provide some of the brownie’s structure.
• Vanilla: Vanilla’s simple, mellow flavor is essential in the cream cheese and brownie layers.
• Butter: Creaming the butter and sugar together creates tiny gaps in the batter, which expand and help lighten the brownie as it bakes. The butter also adds its distinct richness and flavor to the recipe.
• Brown sugar: Brown sugar serves the same sweetening role as white granulated sugar but adds moisture and chewiness.
• Cocoa: Cocoa gives the brownie layer its deep chocolate flavor.
• Flour: The flour is combined with the eggs, cocoa and sugar in the recipe to create the brownie batter and give it the correct texture and structure.
• Baking powder: Baking powder gives the brownies their rise. When it comes in contact with the batter’s wet ingredients, and then the heat of the oven, it changes to carbon dioxide which expands the microscopic holes from creaming the sugar into larger bubbles.
• Oreo cookies: The crushed Oreo cookies go into the finished brownie dough, while the chopped Oreos get baked into the cheesecake layer as a garnish.

Directions

Step 1: Mix the brownies and topping

In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until they come together and form a smooth texture. In a separate mixing bowl, begin the brownie layer by creaming together the butter and sugars with the cocoa until they’re well combined. Whisk the flour and baking powder together and add them gradually to the cocoa mixture. Stir in the crushed Oreo cookie crumbs.

Step 2: Bake the brownies

Pour and smooth the batter into a greased 11×7-inch baking pan. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the stiff brownie batter and sprinkle it evenly with the coarsely chopped Oreo cookies. Bake the brownies at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the pan comes out covered with moist crumbs. Cool the brownies completely on a wire rack, then cut them into bars.

Oreo Brownies Recipe Variations

• Go golden: Pick a blondies recipe , omit any add-ins and replace the crushed and chopped Oreos in this recipe with crushed and chopped Golden Oreos. It’s zero-effort substitution and the blondies pleasantly contrast with the standard version on your desserts tray.
• Double down on the chocolate: If you’re a serious chocolate lover, there are several ways you can double down on the chocolatiness of these brownies. Decorating them with a drizzle of ganache or chocolate glaze is an obvious choice (just plain icing them would hide the Oreos and spoil the appearance). If you’re a big Oreos fan, you might also opt for the chocolate or dark chocolate filled brownies. You can also use chopped up fudge-dipped Oreos as your garnish over the cream cheese layer.
• Roll with the special editions: When new or seasonal Oreo variations come along, it’s a great opportunity to switch up this recipe and make it feel fresh. If gingerbread Oreos come around again, for example, you could use a brownie base and a pumpkin cheesecake filling for the cream cheese layer, and use chopped gingerbread Oreos as your garnish.

How to Store Oreo Brownies

Their perishable cream cheese layer means these oreo brownie needs to be kept in the fridge. Cut them into bars once the brownies have cooled and transfer them to a food storage container with a tight-fitting lid. Put a sheet of wax or parchment paper between layers of brownie to keep them from sticking. Alternatively you can wrap them individually. If you’re making them to serve a group, put them on a serving dish and cover them until they’re needed.

How long will Oreo brownies keep?

Like cakes or cheesecake, these brownies last for up to one week as long if they’re refrigerated promptly and kept covered.You may notice some change in texture and of course the longer they stay in your fridge, the greater the chance they’ll pick up unwanted flavors from the foods around them.

Can I make Oreo brownies ahead of time?

Yes, you certainly can. Their storage life in the fridge means you can easily bake them a day or two in advance and still have lots of time to eat up any leftovers (or gift them to friends and family, if you’re feeling generous).

Can I freeze this Oreo brownie recipe?

Yup. Brownies freeze well and so do cheesecakes. So it’s unsurprising that this hybrid dessert does, too. You can freeze a whole pan to serve later, by wrapping it tightly, sliding it into a large freezer bag and squeezing out any excess air or by transferring the slab of brownies into a suitably-sized freezer container. Alternatively you can cut the pan into individual brownies, then store them using one of the same methods. If you pack them more than one layer deep in a container, put a sheet of parchment or wax paper between them to prevent sticking. If the brownies are well protected and airtight, they’ll keep their quality for up to three months.

Oreo Brownie Recipe Tips

Can I use my “all-edges” or divided brownie pan for this recipe?

It depends on the design of the pan. One type has a zig-zag pattern built right into the pan’s design, making for lots of corners. Our Test Kitchen found this one easy to use and clean and it should work just as well for this recipe. Other types use a grid of dividers to separate the pan into individual brownies, and it might prove difficult to clean the cream cheese layer from those dividers. The only way to know for sure is to try, and to grease the pan well to minimize the risk of sticking.

I already have a favorite brownie recipe. Can I use that as the base?

Of course. If your recipe makes an 11×7-inch pan of brownies, you’re good to go. If it makes a larger or smaller pan, you’ll need to scale your brownie recipe to suit the pan, or the cream cheese topping to fit the brownie recipe. We have a useful guide to help you adapt between different pan sizes.

Does it really matter if my eggs are at room temperature?

Yes, it actually does. It’s not that you can’t bake a decent brownie with eggs straight from the fridge because you can. It’ll just be better if you use eggs that are at room temperature. If your eggs are cold they’ll make the butter start to firm up again, after becoming soft and creamy, so it’ll take more effort to make the batter come together and you’ll risk over-mixing. If need be, you can always warm them in a hurry by sliding them into a bowl of warm (but not hot!) water.