Birthday Cake Oreo-Stuffed Brownies

 

You didn't give up sweets for Lent, did you?

If you did, may I suggest putting this on your list to make AS SOON AS Lent is over?!?

Did you know that Oreo is turning 100 years old?  Did you know that to celebrate, Oreo is making Birthday Cake OREOS?!?  Really.  The filling looks like a funfetti cake and they taste like, well, Oreo mixed with cake.  How can that be bad I ask you?

So, of course, we can't just EAT the Birthday Cake Oreos, we must BAKE with them.

If you can't find Birthday Cake Oreos (I found them at Target), feel free to use regular Oreos.  I bet these will still be some of the best brownies you've ever eaten.

And, oh...don't feel obligated to top yours with Haagen-Dazs 5-Ingredient Vanilla Bean ice cream.  But if you do, you won't be sorry.  And hey...you still have months until bathing suit season.

Birthday Cake Oreo-Stuffed Brownies

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

Preheat oven to 325.  Grease a 9x13" 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 20 Oreos.  Cover with the remaining batter; spread gently with an offset spatula.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the brownies are done, but the center still looks soft.

{The Oreos will make the brownies a little bumpy....that's ok.}

Set the pan on a wire cooling rack and let cool 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, stir together the corn syrup and water.

After 10 minutes, 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.  (A bench scraper is the perfect tool for cutting brownies.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OREO!!!  

{Can we celebrate this way every year?!?}