Who else is a cookies 'n cream fan? This is one of my favorite ice cream flavors because something magical happens when dark chocolatey cookies meet anything creamy. These Oreo Brownies are tall, thick and fudgy and packed with Oreos! The brownie batter is made with a bit of black cocoa to mimic the taste of Oreo cookies (that's the secret to their dark color), mini white chocolate chips to add the creaminess and some dark chocolate chips for good measure. These are such a treat and will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth. If you love brownies, don't miss my most popular classic Best Fudge Brownie Recipe with Shiny Crust.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Easy to make brownie recipe - this is a simple homemade brownie recipe that can be made entirely by hand without a mixer.
- Loads of Oreo cookies - this batter holds 12 whole Oreos so you are sure to get a nice big piece in every bite.
- Thick and fudgy chocolate brownies - these brownies are nice and tall and have a soft moist texture with chewy edges.
- Rich dark chocolate flavor - you will certainly get your chocolate fix with the intense rich chocolate taste thanks to bittersweet chocolate, Dutch cocoa AND black cocoa powder.
- No too sweet - since Oreos have a lot of sugar already, this recipe doesn't use as much as a typical brownie to balance it out.
INGREDIENTS FOR OREO BROWNIES
Here are some notes about the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Dark chocolate - anything between 60 and 70% cocoa solids will work. I prefer Bittersweet Chocolate and these bittersweet chocolate callets are very convenient. Semi sweet chocolate will also work, but you can expect sweeter brownies.
- Unsalted butter - the best brownies that have a chewy fudgy texture are made with butter. You can also use salted butter. If you use salted butter, reduce the added salt in the recipe by half.
- Pure vanilla extract - vanilla plays a big role in enhancing the flavor of chocolate. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
- All purpose flour - regular all purpose flour is perfect to make fudgy brownies. Use unbleached flour which will give you that nice dense texture.
- Oreo cookies - you can use any chocolate-vanilla cream-filled cookies, but Oreos really are the best!
- Cocoa powder - you can use natural cocoa or Dutch Process cocoa powder in this recipe. Just note that natural cocoa has a lighter color.
- Black cocoa powder - this recipe uses both regular cocoa and black cocoa to give that classic Oreo taste. I don't use all black cocoa because it is so highly alkalized (it has a high pH in order to give it that black color) that it tends to make desserts taste very soapy. Just 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder will bump up the taste
- Eggs - 3 whole eggs will provide majority of the structure in these brownies and they are nice and thick.
- Granulated sugar - simple fine white granulated sugar keeps these brownies moist. I do not recommend reducing the sugar in this recipe or they will not have the same moist and fudgy texture and it will compromise the shiny crust.
- Brown sugar - you can use light or dark brown sugar here. It will add extra depth of flavor from the molasses, and it will also make them extra fudgy.
- Salt - salt is important in any baking dessert recipe, but especially here in these brownies! It totally enhances the chocolate and coffee taste.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- STEP 1.) Melt chocolate. Combine chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir frequently until melted, or you can do this in the microwave gently with frequent stirring so it doesn't burn.
- STEP 2.) Beat eggs with sugar. Combine eggs with both types of sugar in a large bowl and whisk vigorously by hand until pale, thick and fluffy. You can also use a hand mixer and beat for 2 minutes. Mix in vanilla and salt.
- STEP 3.) Add chocolate to eggs. Add warm chocolate mixture to the beaten eggs and whisk it in until evenly incorporated. The mixture should tighten up and become thick and glossy.
- STEP 4.) Add dry ingredients. Sprinkle flour and cocoa powder over the chocolate batter. Stir it in until evenly blended.
- STEP 5.) Bake! Spread batter evenly into prepared pan and smooth out the top. Bake for 27-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached and the top is shiny crinkly and puffed. It will sink as it cools. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool completely in the pan before slicing. For even fudgier brownies, let them set overnight in the fridge before slicing.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR BEST HOMEMADE BROWNIES:
- Never use raising agents like baking soda or baking powder. Brownies are meant to be dense and using leavening will create gases that can make the brownie seem dry.
- Mix the eggs with the sugar first instead of stirring the sugar into the melted chocolate. Sugar cannot dissolve in fat, but it can dissolve in the water within egg whites. That's the key to getting the shiny crust on these brownies.
- Keep the chocolate warm. Adding warm melted chocolate to the egg mixture will not scramble the eggs! First of all, it is not hot enough, and second of all, the eggs are already protected by the sugar. Adding warm chocolate will keep the batter warm to encourage more sugar to dissolve for that shiny top.
- Measure dry ingredients accurately. Too much flour will make brownies dry. Brownies rely on a low proportion of dry ingredients in the batter to have a moist texture (along with the right amount of sugar).
- Mix gently. When you add the dry ingredients, just mix or fold them in gently until it is evenly incorporated but avoid mixing vigorously. Too much mixing will create gluten which will create large pockets in the baked brownies and will cause them to have a less tender melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Always use room temperature eggs so that they incorporate more evenly and the warmer temperature helps sugar dissolve. TIP: to bring eggs to room temperature quickly, submerge them in warm water for 10 minutes.
- Measure flour accurately. Too much flour leads to a dry brownie.
- Mix the eggs with the sugar first instead of stirring the sugar into the melted chocolate. Sugar cannot dissolve in fat, but it can dissolve in the water within egg whites
- Watch the baking time. One of the main reasons for dry brownies is over-baking. These brownies should take between 25 and 30 minutes when baked in a metal pan. Start checking after 25 minutes. A skewer should not come out clean -- it should come out with a few moist sticky bits attached. If it comes out clean it may be over baked, and if it comes out with wet batter then it is still a bit raw.
- Cool completely. For the best texture, it is important that the brownies cool completely.
RECIPE FAQ
For this recipe I recommend bittersweet chocolate, however you can use any dark chocolate between 50% and 70% cocoa solids. Do not use milk chocolate because there is not enough cocoa to add the chocolate taste. Milk chocolate is often more than 70% sugar.
I developed these brownies to have flour, but if you avoid wheat or if you are interested in a flourless brownie recipe, check out my fudgy Gluten Free Brownies! They are also VERY good.
would not recommend reducing the sugar any further as it will make the texture less fudgy and moist. If you prefer a lower sugar brownie recipe, then check out my Fudgy Low Sugar Brownies with Shiny Crust here!
Again, it's about dissolved sugar. Whisk the sugar into the eggs first. In this recipe you need to gently heat the eggs and sugar which will encourage more sugar to dissolve. The warmer temperature not only helps sugar dissolve, but it will encourage stronger bonds between egg proteins and sugar which is what creates the crackly crust. The longer you whip the eggs with the sugar, the thinner and shinier the crust will be. I'm using food science to make brownies with less sugar that are still soft, moist and chewy!
If your brownies turn out dry, then it is most likely because they are over-baked. These low sugar brownies are ready when a skewer inserted into the center comes out with a few moist sticky crumbs attached - not wet batter, and NOT clean. If the skewer is clean then the brownies are over-baked and if the skewer has wet batter then they are still raw.
Brownies keep really well at room temperature as long as they are stored in an airtight container to prevent drying out. If you plan to keep them for more than a couple of days, then store them in the fridge.
The number one reason why these would turn out dry is if they are over-baked. Check on the brownies at 25 minutes. Also, take care to measure the flour accurately.
If you love brownies, check out these recipes!
Triple Chocolate Brownies Fudgy Grain Free Brownies Olive Oil Brownies with Date Fudge Frosting Fudgy Buckeye Brownies Outrageous Fudgy Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies The BEST Small Batch Fudge Brownies Homemade Cosmic Brownies Recipe!Never enough brownies...
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Oreo Brownies
Ingredients
- 5 oz 142g bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa), coarsely chopped
- ½ cup 113g unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup 200g granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon 7ml pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp 60g all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup 21g cocoa powder (I prefer this one) sifted
- 1 tablespoon 5g black cocoa powder
- ½ cup 85g mini white chocolate chips
- ½ cup 85g dark chocolate chips
- 12 Oreo cookies broken into quarters plus extra for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang along each side.
- Combine chocolate and butter in a saucepan over very low heat and stir constantly until melted and smooth, or melt in the microwave at 50% power in short bursts with frequent stirring.
- Combine eggs, sugar and salt in a large bowl and whisk until pale and thick - it will take 2-3 minutes. You can do this by hand or with a mixer. Mix in vanilla and warm melted chocolate mixture until evenly combined, smooth and glossy.
- Whisk together flour and both types of cocoa powder (sift your cocoa if it is lumpy) and sprinkle it over the surface of the chocolate batter, then fold it in until evenly combined. Add the chocolate chips and broken Oreos and fold them in gently.
- Spread the batter evenly into prepared pan. Top it with extra Oreo cookie pieces and bake for 27-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few sticky crumbs attached. Do not over-bake these as they can become dry with all of those Oreo cookies inside. Let cool completely before slicing and then enjoy!
Katrina
Love these! However, the grams to cups conversion is incorrect, 100 grams sugar is vastly different that 1 cup sugar and the result yields a very different level of sweetness. Please update with correct conversions! I personally liked the 100g version better was sweet with out being way to sweet.
Sarah Youn
I agree the measurement for sugar and the flour doesn’t seem correct in grams. I noticed it in the middle of baking and I hope it turns out good
christina.marsigliese
Hi Katrina, thanks for noticing! It should be 1 cup = 200g. It has been corrected now.
ML
Whoa these look insane and they taste so good it's hard to stop eating them. I love how thick they are and the deep colour from the hint of black cocoa.
christina.marsigliese
Thanks so much ML!