#ImprovCookingChallenge ~ Cookies & Cream Brownies

The May 2017 Improv Cooking Challenge is Cookies and Cream and I had quite a time narrowing down what I wanted to make and share today - because COOKIES AND CREAM!! There were some drool worthy Cookies and Cream Bread Rolls that were calling my name - and will be making an appearance in my kitchen eventually. It just wasn't in the cards this month.

Life has been on the hectic side recently. Work has been extra busy with a lot of competing deadlines, we've had a bunch of sickos in the house recently, parties to attend, commitments and events, end of the school year for my son, my daughter getting ready for pre-k, a very busy work schedule for my boyfriend and trying to find time for visits, and of course day to day life with kids and a house to clean up after and take care of... all of that to say - making some boxed brownies a little extra special seemed like a good choice this month!

So, take a double batch of brownie mix, and a whole lotta Oreo cookies, with some cream cheese thrown in for good measure and you'll have your own death and destruction (in a good way) brownies! :)

Cookies and Cream Brownies

Ingredients
2 boxes of brownie mix (plus ingredients called for to make them)
1 8-oz brick cream cheese
30-35 Oreo cookies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Make the brownie batter up. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Layer half the brownie batter in the pan, and top with one solid layer of cookies.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer blend the cream cheese until it is smooth and spreadable. Crush remaining Oreo cookies and add to the cream cheese until well blended.
4. Gently spread the cream cheese over the cookies (I put small "clumps" down and then spread as best I could over the cookies).
5. Top with remaining batter and bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until brownies are starting to pull away from the edges of the pan and are cooked all the way through.

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