Oreo Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Did you think maybe I was done bombarding you with Oreo awesomeness? Nope, not even close. Seems I just can’t get enough Oreos lately. Combine them with a fudgy brownie (my major weakness) and a cream cheese swirl – well, it just doesn’t get a whole lot better. I made these for an end of the year parent night in Ben’s classroom and I enjoyed them so much, I seriously considered making something else for the event so I could keep these to myself. I did give them up but have been missing them ever since. Guess I better make them again soon! Word is that these were the most popular of the various desserts I sent, and they were gone in no time. That speaks for itself, no? This recipe is easily doubled in a 9 x 13″ pan (and quite frankly, I can’t imagine making them any other way.)

Yield 1 8x8 inch pan

Ingredients

8 tbsp. unsalted butter
¾ cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
½ tsp. salt
2 large eggs
¼ cup milk
1½ cups coarsely chopped Oreo cookies
6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1½ tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

01
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line an 8×8″ baking pan with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
02
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and sugar. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
03
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt; whisk together to combine. Add the eggs to the pan with the butter-sugar mixture and whisk until well blended. Whisk in the milk. Transfer the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Fold in the Oreo cookie pieces. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
04
To make the cream cheese mixture, combine the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well-blended and smooth. Drop the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter in dollops. Use the blade of a knife to gently swirl the cream cheese mixture together with the brownie batter, creating a marble effect.
05
Bake for about 22-24 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving. (I prefer to refrigerate once the brownies have cooled to room temperature to make for easier slicing.)

Source

adapted from Sugar Plum