Easy Oreo cookies and cream brownies are deliciously chewy and chocolatey, packed with your favourite American sandwich biscuit for a contrasting crunch. All made in one bowl with this easy, fuss free recipe, and no mixer needed!
Easy Oreo brownies recipe
These small batch Oreo brownies can be thrown together in about 5 minutes’ hands-on time, using one jug or mixing bowl and one spoon, with no need for a mixer!
See also
- My original one bowl cocoa brownies
- Nutella Brownies are just as easy to make – and perfect for that chocolate spread hit
- Love Oreos? Try these easy one bowl Oreo blondies
- here are all my easy brownie recipes in one place!
This easy Oreo brownies recipe is the sort of everyday bake that needs next to no effort and keeps the family happy. Tasty and satisfying, this is the sort of fuss free baking that makes you look generous, whether you are feeding your friends or contributing to the school bake sale.
This bake is quite unusual, with the contrasting crunchy cookie and vanilla cream added to the chewy brownie. Serve these delicious squares with coffee and gossip or slip them into lunchboxes as a special treat.
It couldn’t be easier, so read on for a full step-by-step tutorial.
Small batch baking
Many recipes for brownies are designed for large numbers, but mine is a two person household and I never want to be overwhelmed with baked goods.
This easy recipe for Oreo brownies suits a regular 8″/20 cm square pan. This yields 12–16 servings that will store for up to a week.
That’s enough to serve a few guests when you have friends round for coffee, or to keep us going all week. If you want more, you can double the recipe for a bigger family, a gathering or a bake sale, using a 9″ x 13″ pan.
Why you will love this Oreo brownies recipe
- Oreo brownies are so easy to make.
- Minimal equipment and next to no mess.
- One bowl, and no mixer!
- Brownies store well, so make them in advance.
- Scale the recipe for a bigger group.
Ingredients
- Oreos – I have used the classic Oreo for a cookies and cream brownie but you can use the flavoured versions if you prefer
- Butter – I use salted butter. If using unsalted, add a pinch of salt too, as it rounds out the flavour.
- Flour – I use plain with a pinch of baking powder, but self-raising is fine if that’s what you keep in the house.
Pro Tip – Why Bake with Plain Flour?
I’m often asked why I bake with plain flour and add a raising agent rather than use self raising.
First – I don’t make recipes that would use self-raising that often, and the raising agent in the flour can go off. If you use a separate baking powder it is so much easier to check that it is still fresh.
Secondly – My kitchen is small! If I keep both types of flour, it takes up more space.
- Soft brown sugar – This has more flavour than white sugar and helps to create that lovely fudgy effect. You can either use light as I did, or dark for a more intense flavour.
- Egg – One large free range egg
- Cocoa powder – Regular supermarket brand cocoa powder is fine. Use whatever you have.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract is natural vanilla while vanilla essence is generally synthetic. I like vanilla paste which contains the seeds from the vanilla pod but you can use a liquid extract instead. Different brands vary in strength so get to know what you have and use it cautiously. As always, you can add but not take away.
How to make easy Oreo brownies – step by step
Before you start, preheat your oven to 180° C / 160° C Fan / 356° F /Gas 4. Line an 8″ / 20 cm square baking tray with baking parchment, and then grease with butter, light flavourless oil, or a little cake release spray.
I often use foil backed baking parchment. It is a bit more expensive, but I find it easier to use because it stays in place. Alternatively you can use bulldog clips to hold regular baking parchment in place.
Step One – Melt your butter. I like to use a jug in the microwave but you can use a saucepan on a very low heat or a bowl over boiling water if you prefer. Whichever you choose, you need space for all the ingredients.
Remember that the idea is to melt the butter, not heat it.
Step Two – Add the sugar, egg and vanilla extract and stir in. (If the butter is quite warm, stir in the sugar and vanilla before you add the egg. This will reduce the temperature so that the egg doesn’t cook in the heat of the butter.)
Step Three – Now sift the cocoa powder into the mix and add the flour. While flour rarely has lumps these days, cocoa does, and I do recommend that you sift it. You don’t need to sift the flour unless it is particularly lumpy.
Step Four – Fold the flour and cocoa in until you have a smooth, glossy batter.
Step Five – Break up each of the Oreos into 4 or 5 pieces. It is easiest to do this by snapping them with your fingers, so there is no need for a knife.
Step Six – Add about two thirds of the cookie pieces to the batter and fold them in.
Step Seven – Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared baking tray and smooth it over with a spatula, pushing the mixture into the corners of the pan.
Arrange the remainder of the Oreos on top of the batter, lightly pressing them to create a decorative topping.
Step Eight – Bake your Oreo brownies for 25–28 minutes so that the edges are risen and slightly wrinkled. The centre should still wobble a little if you shake the pan.
If you don’t have a fan oven you may need to turn the pan halfway through cooking to compensate for any hot spots. Do this as quickly and as gently as you can.
Allow your Oreo brownies to cool and firm up for at least 20 minutes on a wire rack before you cut them into squares ready to serve. The centre will carry on cooking as it cools.
Step Nine – Finally, when the bake is cool, cut your Oreo brownies up into even portions. I find a 4 x 4 grid of 16 pieces is just right.
Storage
These cookies and cream brownies will keep well for about 5 days. Wrap them in the baking parchment, before sealing them in an airtight tub to keep them fresh. For a just baked experience, put them in the microwave for 10 seconds to warm. This will restore that delicious soft centre.
To freeze, wrap the brownies well and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Variations
- You can vary the flavour by using Oreos with flavoured centres.
- For all-out indulgence, you could top your brownies with a vanilla cream cheese frosting.
- For a delicious brownie dessert, microwave for ten seconds and then top with cookies and cream ice cream and warm chocolate sauce.
Hints and tips
- If you want to double the recipe use a 13″ x 9″ baking pan. Your one bowl Oreo brownies will be a bit deeper and take slightly longer to cook.
- All brownie recipes contain a little more fat than your average cake. It is important to take time to stir the flour in well so that the fat and flour combine fully.
- Use real butter! Real butter has a much better flavour than substitutes, is a more natural product and behaves better when baking brownies.
- Good vanilla is crucial to good baking. Vanilla extract contains real vanilla, while essence is often synthetically made and contains little or no actual vanilla.
FAQs
It’s all down to the butter. The higher fat to flour ratio (compared to ordinary cakes) is essential to the classic brownie texture. It’s also important to take the bake out of the oven while you still have that slightly wobbly centre.
No, they stand up to rebaking really well and give your brownies a delicious crunch!
Absolutely. The classic British Bourbon would be delicious.
More easy bakes
- Cookies and Cream Blondies – deliciously different
- Classic Cocoa Brownies – for the purist
- Peanut Butter Blondies – an American classic
- Mini Egg Brownies – the perfect Easter treat
- Vanilla Traybake – easy and delicious
Oreo Brownies
Ingredients
- 115 g (1 stick) butter (melted)
- 210 g (1 cups) light soft brown sugar (or dark)
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 45 g (0.4 cups) cocoa powder
- 55 g (0.5 cups) plain flour (or self raising)
- 1 tsp baking powder (leave it out if you use SR flour)
- 1 pinch salt (optional, if using unsalted butter)
- 14 Oreo cookies (1 regular packet )
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C / 160 °C Fan / Gas 4 and line and grease an 8"/20 cm square baking tin. Put the butter into a large bowl or jug. Melt it in the microwave in 10 seconds bursts, stirring in between, until it has melted but not heated..115 g butter
- Next, add the sugar, vanilla and egg. Stir it in well. (If the butter is warm, stir the sugar in first.)210 g light soft brown sugar, 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Next, sift the cocoa powder in and add the flour to the jug.45 g cocoa powder, 55 g plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 pinch salt
- Fold in the dry ingredients until you have a smooth, glossy batter.
- Break the Oreo cookies into pieces and stir in two thirds of the biscuit chunks, reserving the rest to decorate.14 Oreo cookies
- Transfer the brownie mix to the prepared baking tray. Then smooth over with a spatula, pushing the batter into the corners of the pan.
- Arrange the remaining cookie pieces on top, pushing gently into the top of the batter.
- Bake your cookies and cream brownie for 25–28 minutes, until a papery crust forms, and the edges have risen and are slightly wrinkled. The centre will still be soft, barely set, and will wobble a little if you shake the pan.*If you don't have a fan oven you may need to turn the pan half way through cooking if your oven has hot spots. Do this as quickly and as gently as you can.
- Allow the brownies to cool and firm up for at least 20 minutes on a wire rack before you cut into squares. The centre will carry on cooking as the bake cools.
Notes
Storage
These cookies and cream brownies will keep well for about 5 days. Wrap them in the baking parchment, before sealing them in an airtight tub to keep them fresh. For a just baked experience, put them in the microwave for 10 seconds to warm. This will restore that delicious soft centre. To freeze, wrap the brownies well and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.Hints and tips
- If you want to double the recipe use a 13? x 9? baking pan. Your one bowl Oreo brownies will be a bit deeper and take slightly longer to cook.
- All brownie recipes contain a little more fat than your average cake. It is important to take time to stir the flour in well so that the fat and flour combine fully.
- Use real butter! Real butter has a much better flavour than substitutes, is a more natural product and behaves better when baking brownies.
- Good vanilla is crucial to good baking. Vanilla extract contains real vanilla, while essence is often synthetically made and contains little or no actual vanilla.
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