Oreo Brownies

Go ahead. I dare you. Google "best ever brownies". Don't worry I will wait. Done yet? Of course not! Google best ever brownies and you may as well kiss goodbye your afternoon your week.  Wait, I can hear you saying, I thought this was a post about "oreo brownies". It is! I promise.  But it started with a best ever brownie search and took shape from there. Every site, big to small, seems to have a "best ever brownie" recipe. I'm not a big of such claims to be honest.  I, mean, have they tasted every brownie recipe out there? From what my search did tell me, is that cocoa powder is the key ingredient. I know!  Simple cocoa powder. Everyone has a container of that in their pantry right? Not fussy tempered melted chocolate or a combination of both. So, I heeded advice from those that came before and went for it.

A good, nay, great brownie recipe should have two characteristics.  A crackly top. And a fudgey (fudgy?) interior.  Sorry, cakey brownie lovers, but fudgey wins over here. If I wanted cake, I'd eat cake! When I bite into a brownie, I expect to crunch through a chocolatey exterior to discover that ooey, gooey, fudgeyness (that's a word, right?) on the inside. These brownies delivered on both counts.  Crackly top? Check.  Fudgey interior? Check, check. Best ever brownies? Who knows, but they were d*#@ good! Have I got you clamoring to your cupboards to fish out that container of cocoa powder yet?

To be even more of a sweet genius, I threw in some crushed Oreos.  Have you seen the latest study on oreos? So you can't blame me for throwing them in. Perhaps, that also explains how when I had the idea earlier in the week to make oreo brownies and picked up a package that only a mere 3 days later only a dozen cookies remained.  Self control wasn't exactly my forte this week, people. It can't be helped, it's scientifically proven! Where are the oreos in those photos? I can hear you, out there! The recipe calls for pouring a hot butter and sugar mixture into a egg mixture. If you add the oreos in to the hot mixture, they tend melt into the batter. Trust me, you will still taste them, but you won't necessarily see them. If you are more patient then myself, wait about 20 minutes then add in your oreos. But, if you are like me then you throw them in and get to eating your brownies a little earlier! This is not a moment for delayed gratification.

I adjusted this recipe from a site I visit frequently, King Arthur Flour.  The original recipe called for Dutch-process cocoa powder. I could uncover a container of natural cocoa powder.  Fear not if you are in the same boat! Natural cocoa powder can be substituted for dutch process. So row on people!  If you want the full nitty gritty on these two cousins of powder, I highly recommend skipping on over to Joy The Baker, and read her post on Dutch vs. Natural Cocoa Powder. Then you should skip off to the pantry and whip up some of these brownies!


Oreo Brownies
Note: I used natural cocoa powder because that is all I had on hand. The original recipe calls for dutch process cocoa powder.  I can only speak for how my brownies came out. So use what you have! And I used 12 oreos because sadly that is all I had left! Of course, I highly recommend you use more!

Print this recipe!

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cup natural cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 12 oreos, crushed

Directions:


1.  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan

2. Crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla till smooth.

3. In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Or simply combine the butter and sugar, and heat, stirring, until the butter is melted. Continue to heat (or microwave) briefly, just until the mixture is hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating the mixture to this point will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

4.Add the hot butter/sugar mixture to the egg/cocoa mixture, stirring until smooth.

5. Add the flour and oreos, again stirring until smooth. Note: If you want the oreos to remain intact in the baked brownies, rather than melting in, let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips.

6. Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan.

7. Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving.