Cooking with Kelly: The Ultimate Oreo Brownie Recipe

Oreos do not belong in my kitchen. And brownies are not welcome in my pantry. Because, you see, those calories are not needed in my diet. My ass has had enough of both during the holidays, and I've been slowly getting back to my post-Mexico eating and training routine.

Except, my mom's birthday was this weekend, and she said she didn't much care what I made as long as I only brought her one. So I had to ensure it was the best dessert ever, if she was only going to eat one. Plus, a friend fixed my broken laptop for free, so I told him I owed him a baked good of his choice. He told me he was into oreos, so I was inspired.

I wasn't quite sure how I would incorporate oreos. I kept going back to my oreo truffle recipe, which I love, but man is it a lot of work and mess. And I'm pretty sure I made those for my mom one year.

So I wondered, can you combine a truffle with a brownie? And how else could I bring the oreos into the brownies?

Well first, I started with a boxed brownie mix that I improved upon by using coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. I also stirred in chopped white and milk chocolate to ensure the batter stayed moist and chocolately. And why not layer in a few whole oreos?

Once the brownies came out of the oven, I topped them with what would normally be the middle of my oreo truffles. Instead of rolling it up into balls and then coating it in melted chocolate, I simply poured melted dark chocolate onto the truffle layer to complete the total package, which is totally delicious.

These brownies are thick, fudgey and decadent,  which is offset by the crunch of the oreo layer. The dark-chocolate ganache literally holds the brownies together, and creates a delicious crackle when you bite through it.

A word of caution: It's best to line the pan with parchment, then complete all the toppings and refrigerate to set. Then, use the parchment paper to pull the brownies out of the pan, and slice using a very large, very sharp knife.

And share, because this is not diet food, ya'll.

Ultimate Oreo Brownie Recipe

1 box fudge brownies, with the ingredients to make it

1/2 cup milk chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup white chocolate, chopped

1 bag oreo cookies

4 ounces cream cheese

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate (I used a large dark chocolate bar)

Spray a 9x9 baking sheet with oil and line with parchment paper. Make the brownie batter according to the package directions, adding the milk and white chocolate. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan, then press 9 to 12 oreos into the batter before topping with the remaining batter.

Bake for 35 minutes or until set. Don't overbake, because brownies should be gooey, not crunchy.

While that's baking, place the dark chocolate bar in a glass bowl and leave near the heat of the oven so it can melt.

You'll also want to crush the remaining oreos and mix them in with the cream cheese until combined.

Once the brownies are finished baking, allow to cool completely, then top with the truffle mixture. If you like salty/sweet like I do, you may wish to top this layer with a pinch of sea salt before pouring the melted chocolate on top.

I added a few mini chocolate chips and oreo segments, but that's your call.