Vegan Oreo Brownies – Fudgy & Easy

The BEST vegan Oreo brownies are here! There’s Oreo in the brownie batter, in the middle of the brownies, and of course, more on top of the brownies to maximise the cookies and cream flavour in every mouthful. They are super easy to make yet incredibly indulgent, fudgy, moist, and full of delicious chocolate flavour. Perfect for Valentine’s Day, home parties and afternoon teas.

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One of the very first recipes I ever made was Cookies and Cream blondies. I was into raw desserts at the time so I made it all raw. Well except the cookies and cream cookies! I’ve been wanting to recreate the recipe into something that’s actually baked for so long but instead, I went on and baked these vegan cookies and cream brownies because Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!

This recipe is one of the recipes I had to test what seemed like forever. Initially, I was experimenting with adding broken pieces of Oreo cookies into the batter or making an Oreo layer in the middle of the batter. But… the texture was a bit off. The Oreos in the brownies had an odd texture – like something solid but not quite crunchy with a bit of mushiness when I bit into it. My boyfriend and I weren’t digging it. And then, he came up with one of the most amazing ideas ever – mixing the Oreo cream with white chocolate and making an Oreo cream layer in the middle with it. 

And it worked! I decided to crush the biscuit into a fine flour to mix it into the batter to flavour up the brownies too, and it came out exactly how I wanted them to be. Incredibly fudgy and moist with all of that chocolaty Oreo flavour. One of the best things about this recipe is that it’s pretty easy to make too even though there is quite a few steps. This one is a true indulgent dessert that is perfect to make for Valentine’s Day or any other occasion like home parties!

Main ingredients and substitutions

Plain flour: I used regular plain flour for this recipe. You can use 1:1 gluten-free flour to make it gluten-free too. If you are making it gluten-free, make sure that the Oreos you are using are gluten-free too!

Oreo: Surprisingly Oreos don’t contain animal products! They are one of my childhood favourites and still are today. When you are buying Oreos, be extra careful to see the ingredient list to make sure that it doesn’t contain animal products. This is because some Oreos manufactured in some countries actually do contain milk. I live in Tokyo and most Oreos in the supermarkets here contain milk! So I order ones that are free of animal products online. So make sure your Oreos are free from milk especially if you have a dairy intolerance.

Caster sugar: I used regular caster sugar for this recipe. You can also use other sugars such as brown sugar if you prefer.

White chocolate and milk chocolate: I guess it’s not so common to use white chocolate in brownie recipes but why not, I used both white chocolate and milk chocolate in this recipe! I mixed Ichoc’s vegan white chocolate with Oreo cream(the white cream between the cookies) to make an Oreo cream layer. I also melted some milk chocolate and mixed it into the batter.

Soy cream: I mixed some soy cream to make the Oreo cream layer even creamier.

Cacao powder: Cacao powder, not cocoa powder! Cocoa powder has sugars and other additives in it already, but cacao powder is a pure powder of cacao which gives brownies a rich chocolate flavour.

Instant coffee powder: To deepen the flavour of chocolate even more, I added a tablespoon of coffee powder mixed in hot water to the batter.

Vegan butter: Vegan butter helps create a moist and fudgy texture in brownies. I used Naturli’s vegan butter which is slightly salted so it’s perfect for this recipe!

Soy milk: I used soy milk in this brownie recipe but feel free to use any other plant milk of your choice here! Hazelnut milk would be a lovely substitution.

Cornflour: cornflour improves the texture of the brownie as well as works as a binder in place of eggs.

Other ingredients: vanilla extract

*I use bone char-free sugars for all of my recipes. I cover the topic in my article Vegan Baking 101. Go to the “Is sugar vegan?” section to learn more!

Recommended equipment for this recipe

Brownie tray: I used a brownie tray that is 29cm by 19cm and 5cm deep(about 11.5 inches by 7.5 inches and 2 inches deep). You can use square or rectangular as long as the size is not smaller than the one I used.

Food processor: To blitz the Oreo cookies into fine flour, I used my KitchenAid food processor. 

Parchment paper: Line your tray with parchment paper to prevent the brownies from sticking to the bottom and sides of the tray! I’ve done this so many times, baking brownies without lining. Honestly, it makes it sooo much easier to remove the brownies even if your tray is non-stick.

Wooden spoon/silicone spatula: I always mix my batter with either a large wooden spoon or a silicone spatula. Because if you use a whisk to mix batter you can easily over mix and it will develop too much gluten which is one of the most common causes of tough and rubbery texture in baked goods. 

*The ingredient list and measurement for this recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom.

How to make vegan cookies and cream brownies

Step 1: Separate the Oreos into the cream and cookies

First, the fun bit, let’s separate the Oreos! Using your fingers, hold each Oreo cookie and twist in the opposite direction. This separates the cookies from the cream in the middle! Scrape the cream from the cookies and place it in a medium-sized bowl. Place the cookies in a different bowl too. Try not to lick the cream off too many while you’re at it!

Step 2: Make the Oreo cream layer filling

To make the Oreo cream filling, first, melt the vegan white chocolate in a bain-marie (double boiler) until completely smooth and there are no lumps of chocolate left. Pour the melted white chocolate into the bowl with separated Oreo cream and mix with a whisk until very well combined and smooth. Add the room temperature soy cream and mix again until well combined and smooth. Room temperature is the key here! If the soy cream is cold, the mixture will start to solidify quickly and will not become smooth. If this happens, transfer the mixture to a bain-marie (double boiler) and mix again. Set aside whilst you make the brownie batter.

Step3: Blitz the Oreo cookies and mix dry ingredients

Blitz the separated Oreo cookies in a food processor until it becomes very fine, like flour. In a large bowl, mix the flour, fine Oreo cookies, caster sugar, cacao powder, and cornflour with a whisk until well combined.

Step 4: Mix the wet ingredients

In a small bowl, mix and dissolve the instant coffee with hot water until the coffee is completely dissolved. Melt the vegan butter in a small pot over medium heat, and melt the vegan milk chocolate in a bain-marie (double boiler) until smooth. In a large jar or bowl, mix the melted butter, vegan chocolate, coffee, room temperature soy milk, and vanilla extract until well combined and smooth. Again, use room temperature soy milk so that it will mix with the butter and chocolate without a problem.

Step 5: Mix the dry and wet mixture

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix it until they are just combined with a large wooden spoon or a silicone spatula. Be careful not to over-mix here! Over-mixing will develop too much gluten in the batter and your brownie can turn out to be tough and unpleasant in texture. The batter doesn’t have to be super smooth, just until combined is perfect!

Step 6: Pour the Oreo brownie batter and Oreo cream layer filling

First, line the brownie tray! Simply cut out some parchment paper the same size as your tray, grease the bottom and sides with either oil or vegan butter, and then line. If you don’t have parchment paper, greasing is better than nothing.

Pour half of the brownie batter into the brownie tray and smooth out the top with a wooden spoon or the spatula you used to mix the batter. Now, using a spoon, add about 2/3 to 3/4 of the Oreo cream layer filling on the first brownie layer like shown in the picture and carefully smooth it out evenly. Pour the remaining half of the batter on top of the filling layer and smooth out evenly. 

Step 7: Decorate with the Oreo cream mixture, more Oreos and milk chocolate

To decorate the brownies a little more and make it look a bit fancier, I made l some swirls with the remaining 1/3 of the Oreo cream filling mixture. To do that; place dollops of it randomly on top of the brownie batter and draw swirls with a chopstick with a circular motion. The tip here is not to overdo it! If you do this too much, the swirl will start to blend into the brownie batter and can end up looking like a mess. Just a few strokes for each dollop will be perfect. After making some swirls, top the brownies with some broken Oreos and milk chocolate pieces. 

Step 8: Bake!

Finally, bake the brownies for 35 mins until an inserted toothpick in the middle comes out clean. If not, bake for another 5-10 mins and do the toothpick test again until it’s baked. Take the tray out of the oven and let it cool down until it’s not too hot to touch. Take the brownies out of the tray and cut them into brownies. They are at their absolute best when they are still warm! Enjoy.

Expert tips and tricks

Use room temperature ingredients

As I mentioned above in the instructions, use room temperature soy milk and soy cream to make the process as smooth as possible. Take them out of the fridge beforehand to let them go room temperature so that they won’t make the butter and chocolates hard in the mixing process.

Twist the Oreos

I didn’t know twisting would make it easier to separate Oreo cookies from the cream! If you just try to pull it away there’s a great chance that the cookies will break before separated from the cream, which can make the separating process a bit messy. Twisting the cookies in the opposite direction separates them super easily!

Dollop the filling, don’t pour in one go

Because the Oreo cream filling and batter are both not solid when layering if you pour the filling in one go it may be difficult to spread it evenly on the first batter layer. For this reason, I recommend you try dolloping an equal amount of the filling mixture throughout then spread carefully like in the picture above.

Use a sharp knife to cut the brownies

The Oreo brownies are a little trickier to cut into squares than normal brownies as Oreo cookies on top are harder than the actual brownies. So to cut them with ease, use a sharp knife. 

How to store

To store the brownies, put them in an airtight container and store them at room temperature or in the fridge. They will last and taste great for about 3 days. If you live in a very hot area though, I suggest you keep them in the fridge as the chocolate can melt at hot room temperature and the brownies can go bad too.

They freeze well in the freezer too. To freeze, simply put them in a freezer-friendly airtight container and keep them in your freezer for up to 2-3 months.

Q and A

Can I add chocolate chunks or pieces of broken Oreos to the batter?

Absolutely! Adding choc chunks would make fudgy and gooey brownies, mmm. If you are adding chocolate chunks or any other things to the batter though, make sure that you use a bigger baking tray than the one I used(19cm by 29cm / 7.5inch by 11.5inch) as this recipe is just the right amount for this size of the tray. If you add additional choc chunks or broken Oreos and use a tray the same size as mine, it will probably overflow a little.

Can I make it without Oreos to make chocolate brownies?

That would defeat the purpose of this recipe but yes sure go for it! If you are omitting the Oreos, use only 1 cup of soy milk and see how the batter turns out. If it looks too thick, then add the remaining soy milk little by little until you get a good consistency. 

Are Oreos suitable for vegans?

Oreos don’t contain any animal products! So they are suitable for vegans. However, according to their website, the factory also handles other products with milk so there is a small chance of cross-contamination. Oreo itself doesn’t contain milk but if you are allergic to dairy products you may want to avoid eating them.

Want to master the basics of vegan baking?
Check out Vegan Baking 101 – the beginner’s guide to vegan baking for you to become an excellent vegan baker and familiar with the basics of vegan baking, ingredients, and techniques with useful tips!

You will LOVE these vegan Oreo brownies because they are:

• moist and fudgy
• easy to make
• full of chocolate flavour
• filled with Oreo cream filling
• vegan
• delicious

Please leave a comment and rate this recipe in the comment section below if you like this recipe! Let me know and tag me @thechestnutbakery on Instagram too. Thank you for making my recipe, my friend!

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