Truffle Brownies!

Last night, to celebrate being married for 2 weeks, Ryan went to work (BOO), and I made Oreo Truffle Brownies.  I saw them on Pinterest a couple weeks ago and haven't been able to get them off my mind.  RJ loves brownies, and I love truffles and Oreos, so it seemed like a match made in heaven.

I got the original recipe from here, but I changed a couple things. (You should know- I think she touched up her photos, because I followed her truffle recipe exactly, and mine didn't end up looking all mocha fudgy like that...)

First- I did not make the brownies from scratch.  My domesticity has limits.  Mostly I just didn't feel the need because I know how to make AMAZING brownies from a box.  And I am about to share the secret with you.  Trust me, these brownies will be the best brownies you have ever tasted, and you will say to yourself, "Homemade brownies? I laugh in the face of them. HA HA HA. (Evil laugh)".  I learned this trick from my old boss, who would always bring these INCREDIBLE brownies to work for people's birthdays.  I couldn't believe it when she told me they were from a box.  I asked her what she did to get them so moist (I really hate that word, but it's hard to think of a substitute for it when describing baked goods) and chewy.  She told me that the secret is to separate the eggs, whip the whites, and then stir them in.  (You still include the yolks, mix those in before you add the beaten whites).  Follow the recipe exactly, except stir in the egg whites separately after you have beaten them.  Works like a charm, promise.

Mix together everything but the whites

Beat the whites

Just until they're foamy and thick

Add them to them to the mixture

Combine it all together

Bake away!  Best brownies from a box you will ever eat!

So armed with my secret brownie making skills, Duncan Hines and I did just fine.  And the truffle part is so ridiculously easy it's not even funny.

Grind a package of double stuffed Oreos (minus about 7-8 cookies that you need to save for the crumble topping/eating while cooking process) in the food processor.  Dump the cookie crumbs in a bowl and stir in about 1/4 cup of cream cheese, and 1/4 cup of cream cheese frosting.  The frosting can just be from a can, no need to go all Barefoot Contessa.  You can add a little more or little less of the cream cheese and the frosting, depending on how many cookies you used, and the consistency you prefer.

Don't forget to save some to eat crumble for the topping

I love our food processor.  My September goal is to actually use it to cook something, not just in baking.

Perfect consistency!

Part frosting, part cream cheese- reduced fat, might I add, so this recipe isn't going to make you feel guilty! :)

 If you looked at the original recipe you will see that I improvised on the frosting part.  But I tasted the truffle mixture before I added the frosting, and it definitely tasted better after the frosting was added.  You don't want to add too much though, because the inside of the Oreos act as frosting already.  That's why the 1 to 1 ratio should work just fine.

Oh, I also got mad that my truffle layer wasn't looking as "fudgy" as hers was, so I melted some chocolate chips and threw those in too.  It tasted even better/richer after I did that so I think it was a good call.  And now this recipe can practically be called an original.

Melted chocolate chips make everything better.  Gram taught me well.

After the brownies are cool, spread the truffle mixture on top, sprinkle with Oreo crumbles and voila you are done!  Easiest fancy looking recipe ever.  The original recipe also calls for melting chocolate and drizzling it on top, but I skipped that part.  The 3 layers seemed rich enough to me, and I was feeling lazy.  But I'm sure that addition would only make them even better!

Spread the truffle mixture on

It will look something like this...

Best part- crumbled Oreos on top!!

These taste amazing, in fact, I even had a dream about them last night.  But heads up- they are RICH.  One is more than enough.  I am making RJ take them to work tomorrow so I don't eat the whole pan make myself throw up.  Hope you like them!

These would be great to bring to a party.  Teachers- I would not recommend giving them to children.  A little too rich.

These brownies look a little cake-like in this picture, but that's only because I baked them in a small pan.  They are actually the most soft, fudgy, moist (ew, sorry) brownies ever.