Cookies and Cream Brownies
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These rich and fudgy brownies use my favorite scratch brownie base and are layered with crunchy Oreos and creamy white chocolate chips. Feel free to use a a box mix if you prefer.
YOU WILL LOVE THESE THICK AND FULLY LOADED BROWNIES
When I find a recipe I like, I run with it. No reason to reinvent the wheel, right? I spent close to 2 years testing and retesting the perfect homemade brownie recipe, and when I found the one, I knew with one bite it was the perfect base recipe to build upon.
In fact, all of the homemade brownies on my site (there are 20+ of them!) start with this same exact base. It’s easy to make, it has that signature crinkly top, and that dense and gooey center absolutely melts in your mouth. It’s a total winner.
THE BROWNIE BASE
The cookies & cream brownies you see here are made in an 8″ square baking pan, which is what my homemade brownie recipes yield. If you want to double it, you can make it in a 9″ x 13″ pan.
Of course, you can use a box mix, especially if you have time or resource constraints, but I urge you to go for the scratch version. I promise I make it really simple, and it only takes about 15 minutes to bring the batter together. You can even multi-task and prepare the Oreo pieces while the heated part of the recipe cools (we’ll get there).
INGREDIENTS FOR THE BROWNIES
UNSALTED BUTTER: this is the main fat source we’ll use for these brownies.
SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE: I prefer chopped bar chocolate for my brownies, but you can also use chocolate chips. Just do not use unsweetened, dark, or milk chocolate in this brownie batter. I have tested this brownie recipe and believe me, it matters.
BROWN & GRANULATED SUGAR: I love using brown sugar to sweeten baked goods, since it’s full of deep molasses flavor and extra moisture. Remember how the chocolate matters because of the moisture content? The sugar matters for the same reason. We’ll use just a touch of granulated sugar, too. The granulated sugar is part of the key to that crackly top. As it melts, it combines with the whites of the eggs to form a very thin layer of meringue, which makes that shiny top we love to see on brownies.
EGGS: aside from being a binder for the wet ingredients, the eggs are part of the perfect storm that creates the fudgiest texture in these brownies. By loading up with eggs, we’re avoiding dry brownies while also adding more fat which means a fudgier crumb.
VANILLA EXTRACT: vanilla rounds out the overall flavor of the brownies.
ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR: just a touch of flour here. It’s crucial to be sure you’re only adding ¾ cup of flour (90g) in order to keep the brownies dense and fudgy. If you add too much flour, you risk winding up with a cake-like brownie without the crinkly top. Since we’re using the perfect amount of flour in these perfect brownies, we don’t need any cocoa powder.
SALT: a little salt does wonders for the balance between the brownies and the white chocolate chips.
THE OREO LAYER
When I say these brownies are fully-loaded, I am not kidding. There are Oreo cookies inside and out, and my favorite part is the Oreos that fill the inside of each brownie.
Once the batter is together, you’ll layer whole Oreos right onto the batter. They become super soft as the brownies bake while also maintaining a little structure and “give” to every bite.
Chopped Oreos also get baked into the top of the brownies, and those ones maintain their crunch a bit more.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE OREO COMPONENT
OREOS: when baking with Oreos, it’s important to consider the oil content of the filling, which is why I don’t recommend using Double Stuf for my Oreo crust. In brownies? Doesn’t matter. Use standard filling, Double Stuf, Mega Stuf, or even any flavored Oreos you like a lot! Change it up. And invite me over for a taste test, please?
WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS: my original Oreo brownie recipe did not contain white chocolate chips, so you can totally leave them out if you want to. I think they are a wonderful addition to the creaminess of the “cream” part of “cookies & cream,” but these are your brownies. Feel free to omit completely, use semi-sweet, or use a combination of both.
HOW TO MAKE COOKIES AND CREAM BROWNIES
STEP #1
In a saucepan, melt the butter and chopped chocolate, stirring frequently until completely smooth, then allow this mixture to cool for about 15 minutes.
STEP #2
Whisk the sugar into the cooled chocolate mixture until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth, then whisk in the vanilla. Add the flour and salt and stir gently until everything is completely combined.
STEP #3
Add the white chocolate chips and stir to combine.
STEP #4
Pour approximately one third of the batter into the prepared pan, then layer 16 Oreos evenly over the batter. Pour the remaining batter over the Oreos, spreading with a spatula to insure all of the Oreos are covered. Coarsely chop the remaining 8 Oreos and sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter before baking.
VARIATIONS
MINT: consider using mint Oreos and adding about ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract to the brownie batter. If you love mint brownies, make my mint chocolate cheesecake and my no bake mint chocolate chip pie!
PEANUT BUTTER: make these peanut butter cookies and cream brownies by adding peanut butter chips. Then make a batch of peanut butter cookie brownies and have yourself a delicious peanut butter brownie party!
HALLOWEEN: Halloween Oreos are orange and add a fun colorful twist to the theme. Make them alongside my Halloween cheesecake.
CHRISTMAS: same as the Halloween Oreos, use festive Oreos to dress these brownies up for the holidays. And be sure to make some Christmas Oreos while you’re at it!
MORE OF MY FAVORITE COOKIES & CREAM RECIPES
Cookies and Cream Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter cut into 6-8 slices
- 8 ounces (227g) semi-sweet chocolate coarsely chopped1
- ¾ cup (150g) firmly packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature preferred2
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (90g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (128g) white chocolate chips
- 24 Oreos divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Line an 8" or 9" square baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and chopped chocolate, stirring frequently until completely smooth. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes.½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, 8 ounces (227g) semi-sweet chocolate
- Whisk sugar into cooled chocolate mixture until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla. Add the flour and salt and stir gently until completely combined.¾ cup (150g) firmly packed brown sugar, ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, 3 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¾ cup (90g) all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add the white chocolate chips and stir to combine. Be sure your mixture isn't too warm, as the chips could start to melt.¾ cup (128g) white chocolate chips
- Pour approximately a third of the batter into prepared pan. Layer 16 Oreos evenly over batter. Pour remaining batter over the Oreos, spreading with a spatula to insure all of the Oreos are covered. Coarsely chop the remaining 8 Oreos and sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter, then press them gently into the batter to secure them into place.24 Oreos
- Bake brownies for 30-34 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Allow brownies to cool completely before cutting into squares. Store brownies covered in the refrigerator up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 2 months.
Notes
- Semi-sweet chocolate: I always prefer to use chopped bar chocolate, though many readers report that semi-sweet chocolate chips work well, too. Be sure you’re melting the chips low and slow so the mixture doesn’t seize.
- Room temperature eggs: these incorporate into batter much more easily than cold eggs, although this is not absolutely necessary.
- Box brownie mix: you can absolutely use a box mix if you prefer.
- Double the recipe: double this recipe and bake in a 9″ x 13″ pan instead. Bake time will be about 36-40 minutes.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
These look so good! I have a question, when you doubled the recipe did you make in 2 square pans or did you make them in one big pan?
Definitely two different pans– you’ll get too much variation in doneness if you use one big pan!
These cookies are looking yummy and mouth watery. Its perfect cookies for my kid. He read this recipe and told me to prepare it for him.
I have some Oreos left over from making dirt with my kiddos for Earth Day. This is the perfect recipe for the leftovers!
A family favorite in my house! I’m asked to make them for every birthday party and I don’t mind one bit because I always keep a few for me on the side 😉 thanks for another delicious easy recipe Lynn!
I love that plan! So glad you’re the c&c brownie queen!
These might be the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.
Could not love this more! 🙂
These brownies were so delicious and so easy! I usually go for box brownies because I could never find a recipe that wasn’t cakey, but I had to stop making my favorite brand because they potentially contained tree nuts which my boyfriend is allergic to. Now that I found this recipe I won’t be going back to box mix! So so easy, fudgy, and so amazing! Will definitely be making these again
Thanks so much, Andrea! I’m so glad you found another option 🙂