Oreo Crunch Brownies

Oreos are one of my favorite store bought cookies (first would have to be Mint Milanos) and the great thing about Oreos is you can bake with them.  So far I have made Oreo chocolate chip cookies and Oreo cupcakes.  Both those treats got rave reviews so i figured why not make Oreo brownies.  I started searching and found this recipe on How Sweet It Is.  She has some amazing recipes on her blog but this particular one caught my eye.  So once again off to the store I went to get Oreo's on a rainy Sunday morning. Because of my work schedule, Sunday has sorta become my baking day.  I like baking on Sunday because then the treats sit in my apartment for less then 24 hours before I ship them off to Lakeshore Learning Materials, Working Wardrobes, or Nordstrom.  These Oreo brownies got shipped off to the lucky people in the accounting department of lakeshore and I don't think they lasted more then 10 minutes.  There is a layer of brownie, that has Oreo cookies baked into it, then a layer of crushed Oreos and chocolate chips, and its all covered with a melted chocolate and peanut butter topping to hold it all together.  I really don't think it gets better then that.  Maybe if you wanted more of the peanut butter flavor you could add peanut butter chips to the brownie, and/or the middle layer.  But I think its a chocoholic dream brownie just the way it is.  I think the best part is how the Oreos stay crunchy and add texture to each bite, that's how I got the name. I hope you enjoy these as much as my friends and family did!

Somebody took a bite....

Oreo Crunch Brownies - Adapted from How Sweet It Is

Yield - 16 squares

1/2 Cup Butter, room temperature

1 1/2 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

2 Teaspoons Vanilla

1 1/4 Cup Flour

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder

2 Cups Chocolate Chips

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter

20 Oreo Cookies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Butter and flour an 8 x 8 cake pan. 
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla. Add in cocoa powder and mix until combined. 
4. Add flour and salt, mixing well until batter is smooth and comes together. Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
5. Spread in the 8 x 8 pan. Sink 9 Oreo cookies into the batter and press gently. Bake for 20-25 minutes. 
6. While baking, crush the remaining Oreos in a ziplock bag. When brownies are finished baking, remove from the oven and sprinkle with 1/2 cup chocolate chips and crush Oreos. Place back in the oven for about 2-3 minutes.
7. During this time, melt remaining chocolate chips and peanut butter together. Remove brownies from oven and pour melted chocolate mixture over top, spreading with a spatula. Make sure chocolate gets down into the Oreo crevices, as it is the “glue” that holds the top to the bottom. 
8. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
9. Let brownies sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before cutting.
10. Enjoy!!