Black and White Cookie Brownies with a Sugar Cookie Base and Oreos

Black and White Cookie Brownies are built in three layers in one pan. A pale sugar cookie base goes on the bottom, a row of black-and-white Oreo sandwich cookies sits in the middle with chocolate chips, and fudgy brownie batter covers the top. Each slice shows the white cookie, the dark Oreos and the brownie as stripes. The bars are made from a roll of refrigerated sugar cookie dough and a boxed brownie mix.

The cookie base bakes for a few minutes on its own first. Then the Oreos are pressed in, the brownie batter goes on, and everything bakes together.

Ingredients

• 1 roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1 box brownie mix, plus the eggs, oil and water listed on the package
• 15 to 20 Oreo cookies
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• Butter or nonstick spray for the pan
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

How to Make Black and White Cookie Brownies

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. If you want to lift the bars out in one piece, line it with parchment paper first.
2. Press the sugar cookie dough evenly over the bottom of the pan, right into the corners.
3. Bake the cookie base for 5 minutes. It will still be soft and underdone in the middle when it comes out, and that’s fine, because it finishes baking under the brownie layer.
4. While the base bakes, stir together the brownie batter as the box directs and set it aside.
5. As soon as the pan comes out of the oven, press the Oreos into the warm cookie dough in rows. Cover as much of the surface as you can.
6. Scatter 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips over and between the Oreos.
7. Pour the brownie batter over the top. Spread it gently, or tilt the pan, until the batter reaches every edge and covers all the cookies.
8. Bake at 350°F (175°C). Start checking at 25 minutes. Layered cookie-and-brownie bars often need 35 to 55 minutes in a 9 x 13-inch pan, depending on the brownie mix and how deep the layers are. They’re done when a toothpick in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
9. Let the pan cool before cutting. The middle may still be a little gooey while it’s warm, but it firms up as it cools.

Tips and Variations

Brownie mixes bake differently, so trust the toothpick more than the clock. If you take the bars out too early they fall apart when you cut them, and if you leave them in too long they turn hard. If the edges brown well before the center sets, lay a loose sheet of foil over the pan for the rest of the bake.

Fold the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips into the brownie batter, or sprinkle them on top right after the bars come out of the oven. For an even richer brownie layer, stir 1/4 cup of hot fudge topping into the batter before pouring it.

Use Golden Oreos for a lighter middle, or crush a few extra Oreos and scatter them over the batter for a crumbly top. Chocolate chip cookie dough also works in place of the sugar cookie roll. For thicker bars, use an 8 x 8-inch pan and less of each layer.

The bars are good warm, cut into squares and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. For a dessert tray or cookie swap, let them cool completely so the cuts stay clean. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top before slicing is optional.

FAQ

– Do you have to prebake the sugar cookie layer?

A short 5-minute bake helps the base set enough to hold the Oreos.

– How do you know when cookie brownie bars are done?

Push a toothpick into the center of the pan. If it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, the bars are done. Then let them cool completely before cutting so the layers set.