Cookies and Cream Brownies combine a rich, fudgy brownie recipe with a sweet cream cheese layer that is swirled on top! There are Oreo cookies in the brownies and also on top for more cookies and cream deliciousness!
Cookies and Cream Brownies take a regular brownie recipe to the next level. I absolutely love brownies, but they often need something added to them. Like ice cream. Or frosting. Or something!
I found this recipe recently for Cookies & Cream Brownies and loved the idea of it because there is a cream cheese layer on top that is actually baked in with the brownies – it’s like built-in frosting! I also love that there are crushed up Oreos in the batter as well. And then I added more on top just because. You can never have too many Oreos. Plus, sprinkling Oreos on top adds a little bit of decoration and makes the brownies even prettier!
Every time I make these brownies, the whole pan is gone within a few hours – always a sign of success!
Ingredients in Cookies and Cream Brownies
CREAM LAYER
-1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
-1/4 cup sugar
-1 egg
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
BROWNIE LAYER
-1/2 cup butter, melted
-1/2 cup sugar
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1/2 cup baking cocoa
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-12 Oreo cookies, crushed + 5-10 more crushed Oreo cookies for the top (if desired)
How to make Cookies and Cream Brownies
In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. Set aside while you make the brownie batter.
In a separate bowl, combine the butter, sugars and cocoa and blend well. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for a minute. Add the flour and baking powder and stir until well combined. Stir in the crushed Oreos. (You want the Oreo chunks to be decent sized, so don’t crush the cookies too much! I like to place the Oreos in a Ziplock bag and then crush them with a rolling pin or meat mallet – it works great!)
Pour the batter into a greased 8X8 pan. Spoon the cream cheese mixture on top and cut through the batter with a knife to swirl. If you want to add more Oreos to the top, crush them and sprinkle on top of the brownies.
Bake at 350° for about 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely and then cut into bars and serve.
COOKIES & CREAM BROWNIES
Ingredients
CREAM LAYER
- 1 pkg 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
BROWNIE LAYER
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup baking cocoa
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 Oreo cookies crushed (+ 5-10 more Oreo cookies crushed for the top)
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the butter, sugars and cocoa and blend well. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for a minute. Add the flour and baking powder and stir until well combined. Stir in the Oreo cookie crumbs.
- Pour the batter into a greased 8X8 pan. Or an 8X8 pan that is lined with parchment paper on the bottom and up the sides.
- Spoon the cream cheese mixture on top and cut through the batter with a knife to swirl. If you want to add more Oreos to the top, crush them and sprinkle on top of the brownies.
- Bake at 350° for about 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely and then cut into bars and serve.
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How to cut perfect brownies
The answer to getting every single brownie cut and looking perfect is parchment paper! I used to always get frustrated with brownies and other desserts that are made in a 9X13 pan because I felt like I was always destroying the entire first row trying to get them out of the pan! Then I discovered that if you use parchment paper, you can remove all the brownies from the pan and slice them perfectly without having to dig the first few servings out with a spoon.
If you don’t have parchment paper, you can just grease your pan like you usually do but you may have to sacrifice the first brownie or two before you can get perfectly cut squares out of the pan! I’ll be honest – sometimes I prefer to have eat the first one or two with a spoon so this isn’t such a bad thing!
Also, if you allow the brownies to cool completely, they will stay together better and not fall apart when cut. This particular brownie recipe is one of the easiest to cut into squares – the brownies stay intact much better than other recipes I’ve tried!
How do you soften cream cheese?
Cream cheese is easy to soften – you can set it out at room temperature or soften it more quickly in the microwave.
-To soften at room temperature more quickly, just set the cream cheese on a plate and cut into smaller pieces. The cream cheese should reach room temperature in about 15-20 minutes with this method.
-To soften the cream cheese in the microwave, remove the foil packaging and set the cream cheese in a small bowl or on a plate. Microwave for about 10-15 seconds. If the cream cheese is still cold and hard, continue to microwave for about 5 seconds at a time until the cream cheese is soft throughout. Just make sure not to microwave it too long or it will start to melt!
Like brownies? Check out these great brownies recipes:
- Smores Brownies Recipe
- The Best Mint Brownies Recipe
- The Easiest Brownie Recipe
- Snickers Brownie Bites Recipe
- Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies Recipe
- Double Chocolate Banana Brownies
- Orange Cheesecake Brownies Recipe
- Marshmallow Brownies Recipe
- Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies Recipe
- Easy Black Forest Brownie Recipe
- BEST Brownies Ever Recipe
Cookies & Cream Brownies are made with Oreo cookies in the batter and sprinkled on top as well! This delicious brownie recipe is made by combining a rich, fudgy brownie with a sweet cream cheese layer for the most amazing cookies and cream flavor!
HM says
Did not enjoy these at all. The cream cheese mixture & brownie mixture did not swirl easily, and the brownie part was super dry after being cooked. Will not make again.
Michelle Frick says
Taste was great but feel that the time, temperature, or pan size was off (maybe it was my oven?). I cooked for 50 minutes on 350 in an 8×8 inch pan and the inside wasn’t just gooey – it came out completely uncooked and poured out like lava cake (not a terrible thing – actually was pretty delicious). The top was too crispy to put in for longer to cook a bit more. Will make again but will probably use a larger pan or muffin tin!