Best Cookies And Cream Brownies Recipe

Brownies with cookies and cream already sound like a heavenly match on paper, so I was actually pretty pissed with myself that I didn’t think of this idea sooner! Plus, the recipe is super basic: the brownies need, like, 2 ingredients,  and the buttercream and topping barely require any fancy chef skills.

Why Cookies And Cream Brownies Are Simply The Best

• This amazing recipe combines the best of both worlds. I mean, rich chocolate brownies meet the classic cookies and cream combo? It sounds like a winner in everyone’s books! The brownie base is like a deep, deep sea of chocolate, while the cookie chunks bring a sweet crunch that’ll keep you coming back for more.
• These brownies don’t just steal the show every time but can also be savored in TONS of ways. Potluck? Checked. Long movie night? Checked. A quick afternoon treat after a long day at work? No problem!
• You can totally make these brownies your own! Adjust the amount of chopped Oreos for more or less cookie bits, add white chocolate chips to yield extra sweetness, or even play around with different types of cookies. Sure, this is my recipe, but only YOU and your taste matter at the end of the day.

12 Basic Steps To Make Cookies And Cream Brownies

Brownie Layers

Step 1.

First, preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare a 13×9 baking pan and line it with parchment paper. Leave some paper hanging over the edges — that way, when your brownies are done, you can easily lift them out for slicing later!

Step 2.

Now, whip up your brownie batter (or buy a boxed brownie mix from a local store). Mine’s pretty thick, so don’t stress if spreading it seems like a workout. Just get it into the pan and smooth it out as best you can.

Step 3.

Here’s the fun part: press down 24 Oreos right into the top of that batter. You want six rows of four Oreos each. Go ahead, make it look delicious!

Step 4.

Pop that pan into the preheated oven and set your timer for about 32 minutes. After that, give it the toothpick test: poke it in the middle. If the toothpick comes out gooey, give it a couple more minutes. You’re looking for just a few wet crumbs clinging to it — that’s when you know they’re ready. For me, these guys usually take around 37 minutes!

Step 5.

Once perfectly baked, take them out and let them rest on a wire rack inside the pan. When they’re completely cool, grab those parchment paper edges (Step 1, remember?) and lift the whole thing out.

Pro tip: Put the entire slab, parchment and all, on a big baking sheet, so chilling them in the fridge will be even easier. Don’t cut them into squares just yet! Trust me, it’s worth the wait. 

Cookies And Cream Buttercream

Step 6.

Grab your mixer — stand or handheld, whichever you have — and whip the butter until creamy. It usually takes me about 3-4 minutes at medium speed.

Step 7.

Now, toss in the milk, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla. Start at slow mixer speed to avoid a powdered sugar explosion (about 30 seconds should do), then crank it up to high for a solid 2 minutes.

Step 8.

Once smooth and fluffy, grab a spatula or wooden spoon and gently fold in those chopped Oreos. Taste test — sweet enough for ya? If not, a little more salt (I go for about ⅛ teaspoon) balances it out perfectly.

Step 9.

Spread this delicious buttercream all over your cooled brownies. Pop them in the fridge, uncovered, for about 30-34 minutes to firm up — or leave them overnight if you have the willpower!

Chocolate Topping

Step 10.

Chop up your butter and toss the pieces in a saucepan with the semisweet chocolate chips. Let them melt together over low heat, whisking like crazy until it’s combined and smooth.

If you prefer the microwave, zap them in short bursts, stirring every 25 seconds until you’ve got liquid chocolate heaven!

Step 11.

Pour this chocolatey goodness all over your buttercream-covered brownies. Smooth it out so every bite has a perfect mix of flavors. Let it sit at room temp for 2-3 hours, or speed things up with an hour in the fridge.

Step 12.

Once everything’s set, slice your homemade brownies into neat squares. Now, dig in and enjoy your masterpiece!

Want more Oreo recipes? Try my Oreo cookies and cream cake! Adding an Oreo buttercream frosting to your baked treat is also an awesome idea.

Notes

1. If fudgy brownies are your jam, ALWAYS use melted butter in the main recipe! Trust me, it creates a very dense better that sets without much rise.

How about a brownie with a more cake-like crumb? In that case, the creaming method is our best friend! Simply cream softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You can also add a bit of all-purpose flour (like 2 tablespoons) for a firmer structure.

2. As I said, there are TONS of Oreo variants out there! This recipe has lots of room for trial and error, so feel free to try everything under the sun. Here are my suggestions (you don’t have to follow them, of course. YOUR preference obviously matters more than mine):

Double Stuf Oreos have lots of cream filling, so your brownies will be super sweet and creamy. Been there, done that!

Mint Oreos bring in quite a mind-blowing flavor profile thanks to the mint + chocolate combo.

Since Golden Oreos have a vanilla wafer base, you can expect a blonder brownie bottom that looks stunning when paired with dark chocolate. 

3. If you want EVERY bite to have a hint cookie, remember to crush the Oreos finely! However, I want fudgy brownie bites with pops of crunchy cookies throughout, so I often leave some Oreo pieces larger than the rest to bring out the textural contrast. 

FAQs

What If I Don’t Have Oreos? Can I Use Another Type Of Cookies? 

Sure! You can use chocolate sandwich cookies (any brand will do), vanilla wafers, or Biscoff cookies. 

Can I Make Cookies And Cream Blondies (Instead of Brownies?)

Totally, but I do not recommend adapting this brownie recipe to blondie. I promise to give you a dedicated blondie recipe in the future; just wait for me, my friend! 

—Have fun with my homemade brownie recipe!

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