Sweet Spot

I woke up yesterday morning with brownies on my brain. I could not stop thinking about brownies. Does this happen to anyone else?
Please say yes.
It didn’t help that I had to go to the grocery store for a few things and had a little time to kill. In an aligning of the stars moment my 3 year old was being a complete angel as well, so….I wandered the aisles looking for brownie inspiration. How could I make them new and different? Something the people of the web haven’t seen before! I do not believe this is possible as I am pretty sure every single cookie, brownie, ice cream, cake, cupcake, cake ball, etc. has been manipulated in every which way possible but….I would try! As I turned into the cookie aisle, there they were- staring at me with what seemed to be a small spotlight highlighting them amongst rows of delicious cookie alternatives. Oreo Peanut Butter Fudge Cremes. I had heard about Oreo’s new line of yummies from my fellow baking friends on Instagram (find me, @SeasideSweets) but had never tried them myself. I grabbed a bag and headed for the checkout excited and giddy like a little school girl heading out for recess with a ziploc bag of her Mama’s chocolate chip cookies in hand….not that I know what that feels like….I have a friend who….ah, nevermind.

After much deliberation I decided to smash the Fudge Cremes up and use them as a crust. Turns out these little beauties are almost exactly like Tagalong Girl Scout cookies but with an Oreo cookie inside as opposed to the vanilla wafer! Well played Oreo, well played. After a bit more mixing and some additional add-in’s, I think you’ll like what I created….actually I think you’ll adore what I created. They are big, gooey, thick, rich and oh so satisfying. These would be great for a party or potluck as a little goes a long way. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Here is our cast of characters:

Preheat your oven to whatever temperature your brownies bake at per the box/recipe directions. I made mine at 325°.

You will start by placing all of your Oreo cookies into a large ziploc bag (or you could use a food processor if you are not ridiculous like I am) and proceed to work out some of your deep seeded rage by hammering the cookies to itty bitty little bits. I do this on the tile floor of my kitchen secretly hoping that I will miss the bag with my hammer and put a gigantic crack in my HIDEOUS tile, leaving only the option of replacing it all. It’s gonna happen, I just know it!! (fingers crossed)

Dump your Oreo bits into a bowl (setting aside about 1/4C for topping later) and add your melted butter. Use a spatula to thoroughly combine the two. You should have a less crumbly, easier to press together mixture. It should not be a paste!

Spray your 8×8 glass dish with non-stick cooking spray (or whatever you fancy) and press all of your Oreo mixture into the bottom of the dish. It’s important that you use either an 8×8 or a 9×9 baking dish and no bigger unless you double the recipe. Your brownies will be too thin and wimpy if your baking dish is too big. Moving on!

Place your baking dish in the refrigerator for at least an hour. This will keep your crust together so upon cutting these beauties you don’t have a crumbly mess on your hands. And your counter. And your plate. You get the idea…

In the meantime, mix up your brownies as directed by the box or recipe. Easy enough.

Grab your bag of peanut butter chips and dump the whole thing in. The whole thing? What? Am I sure? Yes. I am so, so, so sure. If you would prefer fewer peanut butter chips then only add 1/2 of the bag. But know this, I’m washin’ my hands of you! Mix your chips in until well combined.

Grab your refrigerated crust and pour your brownie mixture on top.

Take a moment to behold the beauty that lies in front of you….

Now grab that 1/4C of smashed Oreos you set aside and sprinkle them all over the top of the brownies.

Place your brownies in the oven and bake for the duration suggested in your recipe. Now, you will probably end up adding about 15-20 minutes to this time because of the crust and the PB chips- but start with the baking time suggested and check it in 5 minute increments after that ends. Mine ended up taking almost 65 minutes.

You don’t want them to to get TOO done- gooey brownies are the best! So…insert a toothpick in the center to check for doneness. Once the mixture coming out on the toothpick isn’t pure liquid (might be a thick paste) you can  shut off your oven and pull those lovelies out. Let them rest on a wire rack in the baking dish until completely cooled. They will continue to bake while they sit there.

Thanks for stopping by!