Peanut Butter Oreo Brownies

Oreos AND peanut butter wrapped up in a brownie...this is crazy good! I've been kind of obsessed with peanut butter lately, so when I saw these at Publix the other day I had to get them. 

This recipe is super simple. Just mix up some brownies, throw in some peanut butter Oreos, pour the brownie mix over the top and bake. Easy!!

Peanut Butter Oreo Brownies

Ingredients:

1 package brownie mix

1 egg

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

16 peanut butter Oreos

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 inch pan with aluminum foil and lightly spray with cooking spray. 
• In a large mixing bowl, combine brownie mix, egg, water, oil, and chocolate chips. Mix well. 
• Pour half of the brownie batter into the lined pan. Gently place Oreos on top of batter. Pour remaining batter over the Oreos. 
• Bake for 30-35 minutes until brownies are cooked through. Cool and cut into 16 squares.

Thin Mint Brownies

Since St. Patty’s Day is just around the corner and I had a box of thin mints recently delivered to our house, I thought I’d make one of my all time favorite desserts. 

These rich and fudgy brownies have bits and pieces of thin mint cookies throughout, topped with a perfect mint colored frosting, and then topped with more cookies! 

This is the perfect dessert to take to a party because the recipe makes so many - and plus I would devour the whole pan if they were lying around my house! 

These are seriously good. You have to make them!!

Thin Mint Brownies
Ingredients:
1 package brownie mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 water

2 eggs  

1 box thin mint cookies, chopped
1/2 stick of butter softened
2 TB milk
2 cups powdered sugar 

few drops green food coloring
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl combine brownie mix, vegetable oil, water, and eggs. Fold in 1/2 of the thin mints and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 28-30 minutes. Cool for about an hour. 
• In a medium sized bowl mix butter, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and green food coloring until fluffy. Spread frosting over brownies. Top with the rest of the crushed thin mint cookies. Refrigerate 1 hour. Cut into squares.

Turtle Brownies

There's really nothing better than chocolate and caramel. They go hand in hand. These turtle brownies are oh so chocolatey, super ooey and gooey, and sooo good! 

Sweet caramel and salty pecans are sandwiched between a dense and rich chocolate brownie. 

I cut these into pretty small squares because they are pretty rich.  Just a few bites satisfies my chocolate fix...for now at least!

Turtle Brownies
Ingredients:
1 box (18.5 Ounce) Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
1/2 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup Butter, Melted

1 egg
45 whole Caramels, Unwrapped
1/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, egg, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.

Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

In a heatproof bowl melt caramels with 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips and chopped pecans as evenly as you can over the caramel.

Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips. Slowly drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup of sweetened condensed milk over the entire brownie layer.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. Cut into bars and carefully remove from the pan.

Caramel Cheesecake Bars

Chocolate and cheesecake is the best combo. Throw in some caramel and you've got my heart singing! These are super easy to make and so so so good!

A thin layer of brownie crust topped with a creamy and silky cheesecake layer, drizzled with sweet caramel sauce makes these bars impossible to resist!!

Caramel Cheesecake Bars

Recipe adapted from Cookies and Cups
Ingredients

• 1 pkg brownie mix
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 4 eggs
• 2 pkgs cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1 cup sour cream
• Caramel sauce (I used Hershey's Caramel Ice Cream Topping)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
• Combine brownie mix, melted butter and 1 egg, stirring until smooth. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Using a mixer, beat cream cheese, sour cream, brown sugar, flour and vanilla until combined and smooth.
• Add remaining eggs, one at a time. Finally add half the bottle of caramel sauce.
• Pour over the hot crust.
• Bake for 30 minutes until the center of cheesecake is just set.
• Remove from oven and cool completely. Then refrigerate at least 4 hours.
• When ready to serve, drizzle remaining caramel on top.

Twix Brownies

What comes to mind when you think of your favorite candy bar? Butterfinger, Snickers, Kit Kat...I mean there really is no such thing as a bad candy bar is there? 

But when it comes to favorites, for me, it's Twix! Mostly because of the shortbread.  And the caramel.  Plus the chocolate.  Okay, so I like all of it.  So naturally, I also liked the concept of the homemade Twix bar that's made with a shortbread base, a brownie layer, topped with a caramel layer and then topped with a chocolate layer.  Yup, you read that right...this is what I'm talking about!

The buttery shortbread layer, combined with the gooey caramel and fudgy brownie is so ammaaaazzingly delish! Just like eating a candy bar! They really do taste just like a Twix, and the brownies make them all the more delicious. :)

Twix Brownies

Recipe adapted from Jasey's Crazy Daisy

Ingredients:

Crust Layer

1 (12.8 oz.) package of Simply Sandies Shortbread Cookies

6 Tablespoons butter

Brownie Layer

1 box of brownie mix

2 eggs

1/4 cup water

1/2 vegetable oil

Caramel Layer

1 (14 oz.) bag of caramels

2 Tablespoons milk

Chocolate Topping

1/2 (11.5 oz.) bag milk chocolate chips

1 Tablespoons butter

1/8 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13x9 inch pan with foil for easier cutting.

Using a food processor, pulse cookies until they resemble sand. In a medium bowl, melt 6 Tablespoons butter. Add cookie crumbs, stirring until all crumbs are moist. Press into bottom of prepared pan.

Combine brownie mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large bowl. Pour batter on top of cookie crust and bake as directed. Cool.

Place caramels and milk in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until caramels are melted smooth and creamy, stirring constantly. Pour over cooled brownies. Spread the caramel evenly across the brownie surface. Let cool until set.

Melt chocolate, butter, and milk together in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until melted and creamy. Pour over cooled caramel layer and spread evenly. Cool until set.

Cookies N' Cream Brownies

Do you have just have an intense urge for something chocolate? Well, that was me yesterday...along with every other day. I came across this awesome recipe for brownies using Greek yogurt. I've kind of been on this crazy yogurt kick lately. I guess I never realized how many recipes you could use it in...and everything so far has tasted amazing! Oh and an added bonus: it's healthier! :) 

Since I decided to use a practically fat free recipe, I didn't feel so bad adding an entire bar of Hershey's Cookies N' Cream right smack in the middle of the brownies! The added layer of white chocolate and cookie goodness is ammaaaazing! The batter is a bit thin, which caused the chocolate bar to sink to the bottom...but trust me, the taste is all there. These brownies are super moist, chocolatey, and fudgy!

Ingredients:

3/4 semi-sweet chocolate chips + additional 1/4 cup for batter

1 cup Greek yogurt, fat free

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup flour

1 whole egg plus 1 egg white

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

1 Hershey's Cookies N' Cream chocolate bar (4oz)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a microwave safe bowl, melt 3/4 cup chocolate chips in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir and melt in 30 second intervals, stirring after each time, until melted.
• Pour yogurt in a large bowl. Add the melted chocolate, sugar, eggs, and vanilla to the yogurt and stir to combine.
• In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate/yogurt mixture and stir until just combined. Add water and stir until incorporated. Fold in the 1/4 chocolate chips. 
• Line an 8″x8″ oven safe baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Pour half of the batter evenly into the baking dish and top with pieces of the cookies and cream chocolate bar. Pour the other half of the brownie batter on top and spread to make even. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Fudgy Brownies with Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting

Who doesn't love a soft and chewy brownie?  Who doesn't love Nutella? Who doesn't love cream cheese? This is probably the best combination of ingredients for the yummiest brownie. 

It is the perfect little snack to fulfill any chocolate craving. The only problem is, I can't eat just one!

If you are an ooey, gooey, chocolate brownie lover and have never tried a Nutella brownie before you need to try this one. These are so simple to make, and simply delicious! 

Fudgy Nutella Brownies with Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1 boxed brownie mix (I used Chocolate Fudge)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup Nutella
Frosting:

1/2 cup Nutella

4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup Cool Whip

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 in pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray, then line with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the brownie mix, eggs, oil, water, and Nutella. Stir with a wooden spoon until just mixed. Spread into the prepared pan.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out nearly clean. Cool the brownies completely before frosting.

Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, mix together Nutella and cream cheese until blended. Gently fold in the cool whip.  Spread over the cooled brownies; refrigerate 2 hours before cutting.

Bourban Pecan Pie Brownies

This recipe had me at bourbon. 

I made these for our New Year's Eve shin-dig in Asheville last weekend, along with some red velvet cookies and cake pops, and they were aaaamaaazing.  Granted, mine turned out extremely fudgy and did not hold their shape at all...but they were still quite tasty. I prefer food to be appealing to the eye, because face it, we eat with our eyes first. These, however, did not look so appealing...but my mouth was still watering for more! 

Here is where I went wrong: The recipe calls for the brownies to bake for 30-35 minutes. I would recommend baking them for close to 45 minutes. Make sure they are set in the center before taking them out. Also, make sure you line your pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper - it will make your life much easier when you cut them. 

Now back to the brownies...

These brownies have a very fudgy, rich base, and a sweet, gooey, crunchy top. Oh, and don’t forget about the bourbon. I'm pretty sure that is what makes these brownies out of this world! And if you’re like me, and don’t have a bottle of bourbon lying around, use whiskey instead! I used Jack Daniels since that's what Evan usually drinks and it was perfect!

Bourbon Pecan Pie Brownies

Recipe adapted from How Sweet It Is

Ingredients:

For the brownies:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, beat together eggs and vanilla, then set aside. In a double boiler set over boiling water, combine butter, cocoa, sugar and salt. Mix as the butter melts until everything is combined. Remove from heat and whisk in egg and vanilla mixture.

Add flour and stir until combined. Pour into baking dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely.

For the pecan pie layer:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 tbsp bourbon (I only had Jack Daniels so I used that instead)
  
• 2 cups chopped pecans

Beat together corn syrup and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla and cinnamon, and beat. Add butter and bourbon and beat again until thoroughly combined. Stir in pecans and pour the mixture over the brownie layer. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Let cool completely, then refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Red Velvet Brownies with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

I made these yesterday for Evan's work luncheon. He decided to volunteer me to make the dessert...and I was more than happy to do it! I saw this recipe a few weeks ago and literally started drooling, but didn't have a reason to make them...until now. 

They looked so yummy and delicious on Smells Like Home's website that I just couldn't resist! Good thing Evan took them to work before I devoured every last bite!

Red Velvet Brownies with Whipped Cream Cheese Icing

Recipe adapted from Smells Like Home

For the brownies:
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 oz red food coloring (or a scant 2 tbsp)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract, divided
1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

For the frosting:

16oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy cream, cold

To make the brownies:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line and 8x8 in pan with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, slowly stir together the cocoa powder, food coloring, and 1 tsp vanilla into a thick paste until no lumps of cocoa remain. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the remaining 1 tsp of vanilla.  With the mixer off, add in the cocoa mixture, then turn the mixer to medium and beat the two mixtures together until they are one uniform color.  Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix on medium-low speed, just until combined.  Do not over mix.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir up the batter with a rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all of the flour has incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the brownies.  Allow brownies to completely cool in the pan on a baking rack.

To make the frosting:

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream to nearly stiff peaks, then add the whipped cream into the cheese mixture and quickly and briefly beat to combine. Do not over beat.

Chocolate, Caramel, and Toffee Trifle

I made this trifle for Christmas last year and Evan's eighty-six year old grandmother LOVED it! This was the only requested dessert for Thanksgiving this year, so I didn't want to disappoint. 

It is super easy to make, and super chocolatey! I've made it couple of different ways, but this one seems to be the favorite.

Ingredients: 

1 box brownie mix

1 pkg. chocolate fudge pudding

3 cups cold milk

2 tubs cool whip

1 tsp vanilla

1 bag toffee bits

Caramel Sauce 

Directions:

• Prepare the brownies according to the package. I would make these at least a day in advance so they don't get too mushy in the trifle. Once they have cooled break them into small bite size pieces.
• Mix chocolate pudding mix and 3 cups of milk. Whisk until it begins to thicken. Refrigerate for an hour.
• Mix cool whip and vanilla until incorporated.
• Layer your trifle in this order:

1. Chocolate pudding

2. Brownies

3. Cool Whip

4. Toffee bits

5. Drizzle with caramel

Repeat two more times and end with the toffee and caramel at the very top.  

*Substitutions: Oreos & Brownies; Reese's Peanut Butter Cups & Brownies

Oreo Brownies

 
In my opinion, Oreos are one of the best cookies out there. I mean, you can never get tired of them! They are the perfect little sweet snack and you can do a million things with them. These Oreo brownies are simply amazing. I made these for my Yearbook kids because we met our first deadline and they were a HUGE hit. The combination of brownies, cream cheese, whip cream, and OREOS...you just can't go wrong!

Oreo Brownies
Recipe adapted from Cookies and Cups
Ingredients:

1 box brownie mix – with ingredients to prepare them according to the package directions

1 (16.6 oz) package Oreo cookies divided equally in 1/3, all coarsely chopped

1 (8 oz) tub of Cool Whip thawed in fridge

1 8 oz block of cream cheese softened

1/2-1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Prepare brownie batter according to package directions, folding in 1/3 of the chopped Oreos.

Bake according to package directions, until a toothpick inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean. Let brownies cool completely.

Meanwhile in your mixer bowl beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until combined and smooth.

With a spatula fold in the Cool Whip and another 1/3 of the coarsely chopped Oreos.

Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of cooled brownies. Top with the last 1/3 of the Oreos.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve. Cut into squares.

Smores Brownies

Smores Brownies
Recipe adapted from Sugar Cooking

Ingredients:

• 1 box brownie mix (prepare as directed)
• 1 cup graham crackers, roughly crushed with your hands
• 50 mini marshmallows or 12 big marshmallows

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.
2. Prepare brownie batter.
3. Mix in graham crackers
4. Pour into prepared baking dish and dot with marshmallows.
5. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.
6. Marshmallows will be browned and puffy but will deflate as the brownies cool. Cool for at least 20 minutes then slice with a sharp knife. Be careful, it gets messy!

Peanut Butter, Caramel, and Chocolate, OH MY!

This recipe was inspired by Food Network's new show called Tough Cookies. This woman is absolutely hilarious! The show is about two sisters, Susan and Linda, that own their own cookie bakery in New Jersey. Here's a synopsis on the episode that inspired this recipe:

"It's the biggest event of the summer for Crazy Susan's - the Ocean City Block Party...and Susan is nowhere to be found, which creates an extremely stressful morning for Linda and her army of family members pitching in to make 5000 cookies for the event. Since she's delayed, and out of necessity, Susan has Stephanie take the reins, and gets her first chance to start baking. Susan is inspired to create a special cookie just for the mayor, to present to him at the block party and devises her interpretation of a "Moose Tracks" cookies." - Food Network

And so it begins...after seeing her create those cookies I decided to make some of my own with a twist! I decided to make brownies instead of cookies. I really like chewy and fudgy brownies, so I thought this would be a great combo to substitute. The original browning recipe is from Cookie Madness. This is what I came up with:

Candy Bar Brownies

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp butter, melted
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 12 oz package of Reese's peanut butter cups (chopped)
• 1 12 oz package of Rolo chewy caramels (chopped)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9 baking pan with cooking spray.

Mix eggs, sugar, melted butter and vanilla together in a bowl until combined.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder together and then stir into the sugar mixture. Toss half of the Reese's and Rolo pieces with flour and then stir into batter. (This will keep the candy pieces from sinking to the bottom of the brownies.)

Pour mixture into pan and bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle top with the remaining 1/2 candy bars.

 

Return to oven and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack then transfer to refrigerator and chill. When brownies are cold, cut them into squares. 

These are so yummy and you should go out and make them right away. DO IT! You won’t be sorry. And neither will all of the people who get to enjoy them!!