Birthday Cake Oreo-Stuffed Brownies

Birthday Cake Oreo Brownies

I just got back from vacation and needed to do some baking to get me back into the swing of things. This recipe was just the thing for that! I had all the ingredients so I didn't have to go to the grocery store. With all the unpacking, laundry, cleaning, and going to back to work, the last thing I wanted to do was tackle the grocery store. So not only did I not have to go to the grocery store, I had an end product that was yummy-yummy too!

So before I get into the recipe more, I must share with you some of the most awesome drinks I've ever had while we were in San Antonio! The Dos-a-Rita at the Original Mexican Restaurant and Bar and the drink sampler at Pat O'Brien's were amazing. We had some great food while we were there, but the drinks definitely made a lasting impression. :-) I also learned that you can drink a heck of a lot more at a lower altitude because, believe it or not, these drinks didn't faze me as much as I thought they would. Or maybe I just didn't realize it if they did, haha.

Dos-a-Rita on the Riverwalk

Drink sampler at Pat O'Brien's

Back to the brownies! Everyone has been raving about the new Birthday Cake Oreos that have come out to commemorate Oreos' 100th birthday and recipes including these new Oreos have been flying around. I bought a package of these special Oreos so that I can try out some of these recipes and incorporate them into a recipe or two of my own.

There was one recipe that I found online that I was going to try, but when I saw this recipe on Bake at 350, it trumped everything and knew I had to make these brownies ASAP. Brownies and Oreos sound amazing in the first place, but imagining them with Birthday Cake Oreos was just incredible!

I stayed true to Bridget's recipe, but after preparing the brownie batter, I decided to put it in a 9x9 pan rather than a 9x13 pan, which is reflected in the recipe below. I didn't think the brownies would come out as thick I as like them, so I put them in a smaller pan so thicken them up a bit. :-) I also made the mistake of not increasing the baking time, so they weren't done when I took them out which made them sink in the middle when I put them back in. Nonetheless, these brownies were delicious!

It also might just be me, but I think these are better at room temperature than warm. I couldn't taste the birthday cake part of it when they were warm, which made me really disappointed, but the flavor really came out when they were at room temperature. But that could just be me and my taste buds being all weird. :-)

Birthday Cake Oreos

A close-up of the awesome filling

Adding in the Oreo layer

Ready to be cut into squares!

 

And now they're ready to eat!

 

Check out that layer of Oreo filling!

Birthday Cake Oreo-Stuffed Brownies
Slightly adapted from Bake at 350

1 c. dutch-process cocoa (such as Hershey's Dark)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. unsalted butter
2 c. sugar
1 Tbs vanilla
3 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
1 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
16 Birthday Cake Oreos (or regular Oreos)
1 tsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. water
sprinkles

Preheat oven to 325.  Grease a 9x9" baking pan. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low, until melted.  Add the sugar and stir to combine.  Continue heating about 1-2 minutes, until hot. 

Remove the pan from the heat and add the cocoa mixture, stirring until combined.  Add the eggs and vanilla; stir until totally combined.

Add the flour and stir again until smooth. 

Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan.  Top with 16 Oreos.  Cover with the remaining batter; spread gently with an offset spatula.

Bake for about 40 minutes, until the brownies are done, but the center still looks soft.

Set the pan on a wire cooling rack and let cool at least 10 minutes. (I let the brownies cool nearly completely.) Meanwhile, stir together the corn syrup and water.

After 10 minutes or when brownies are cool, lightly brush the corn syrup mixture onto the cooled brownies.  Scatter on the sprinkles.  (Adding them before baking will cause the sprinkles to discolor and become misshapen.)

Let the brownies cool completely before cutting.(Or eating! I think the flavor comes out more when they've cooled!)