Cookies and Cream Brownies with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

I love brownies and have been wanting to make this idea for weeks. I finally decided to try it this morning. I planned to make homemade brownies but ran out of time and used a box mix instead — you can use the same method with your favorite from-scratch brownie recipe. Cookies and cream is one of my favorite combinations, and swirled into these brownies it’s absolutely delicious.

To top them, I made a rich chocolate-peanut butter ganache that’s so good you’ll want to lick the bowl. My little one is currently having a field day with goldfish crackers all over the carpet, so I’ll keep this short. Enjoy!

A Cookies and Cream Swirled Brownie topped with a Chocolate and Peanut Butter Ganache with a fork and glass of milk.

Cookies and Cream Swirled Brownies with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

Easy brownies swirled with Oreo crumbles and topped with a rich chocolate and peanut butter ganache.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Print
Pin

Ingredients

1 box brownie mix 9×13 size
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
10 Oreos broken into pieces
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 ½ tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons half and half

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare the brownie mix according to the package directions. Pour the batter into a lined and greased 9×7-inch (or 9×13-inch if you prefer thinner brownies) baking dish.
In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with the sugar until smooth. Fold in the broken Oreo pieces. Dollop or spoon the cookies-and-cream mixture evenly over the brownie batter, then gently swirl it into the batter with a knife — avoid scraping the bottom of the pan. Bake 40–45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the brownies cool completely.
For the ganache, place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat about 1 minute. Stir in the peanut butter and mix until smooth. If needed, microwave another 15–30 seconds and stir until glossy. Stir in the half-and-half until fully combined, then spread the ganache over the cooled brownies. Cut into squares and serve.

Notes

I prefer a thicker brownie, so I use the smaller baking dish, but you can bake in a 9×13-inch pan for thinner bars if you like.

Keywords: easy brownies, oreo brownies, peanut butter brownies