Minty Oreo Cheesecake Brownies

Merry Christmas Eve!!! I can't believe Christmas is tomorrow!!! To round out this wonderful season of baking, I'm leaving you with one last recipe - Minty Oreo Cheesecake Brownies!!

I found the recipe for these decadent treats over at Crazy for Crust and thought they'd be a perfect finale to all the other recipes I've posted in the past week. They are a combo of treats: brownie, cookie, and cheesecake! Scrumptious!

The original recipe calls for Candy Cane Oreos, but since I couldn't find those at any of the stores I ventured to, I opted just to use the Winter Oreos with the red filling. Also, the original recipe called for these to be topped with Andes Baking Chips, but I could find those either! So my lovely friend Nick helped by chopping up some Hershey's Peppermint Kisses so they'd be more chip-like. You rock Nick!

These are an easy-to-make treat that look super involved that will impress (and feed!) a crowd.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas eating, relaxing, and spending time with loved ones. Enjoy!

Minty Oreo Cheesecake Brownies
Recipe Adapted from Crazy for Crust (originally adapted from Inside BruCrew Life)

• 1 box brownie mix, plus eggs, water and oil called for on the box
• 20 Winter Oreos, about 1 package
• 1 egg
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cups Hershey's Peppermint Kisses, chopped (or 3/4 cup Andes Baking Chips)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13x9 pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Make brownie mix according to package directions. Pour half of the batter into the bottom of the pan and spread to coat. Line the brownie mix with the Oreos and then top with the remaining brownie mix.
3. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream until combined and no lumps remain (your ingredients need to be at least room temperature for this!). Beat in egg and sugar. Pour over brownie mix and spread to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle your chopped Hershey's Peppermint Kisses on top of the cheesecake layer.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool completely before cutting. Store in refrigerator.

Peppermint Crunch Brownie Bites

After five finals and a generally tough semester, I am SO happy to be back home for the holidays...and back home to my kitchen! I have been accumulating holiday recipes and since I've been home, I've been baking like a mad woman...I LOVE IT!

This first recipe comes from one of my favorite blogs to follow, Two Peas and Their Pod. The site is home to TONS of fabulous recipes, including lots of cookies!

Now I know Christmastime is alllllll about the cookies (trust me, I've got some coming for you!), but I was dying to make these adorable Peppermint Crunch Brownie Bites. They were just too cute and too festive to pass up!

I chose to make my Brownie Bites in a big pan and cut them into itty bitty squares, instead of using mini muffin liners like Maria at Two Peas and Their Pod did, but feel free to adapt however you'd like. Also, unlike Maria, I chose to use a brownie box mix so I could save time and move on to baking more goodies! But, if you have a favorite brownie recipe, feel free to sub it for the box.

These are bite size and delicious. Mint and chocolate is a perfect holiday combo, rich and fresh! Serve this at a party and guests will never know how easy it was to pull of such a pretty dessert! Enjoy!

Peppermint Crunch Brownie Bites
Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

• 1 box brownie mix + ingredients to prepare it (I used Ghirardelli's Triple Chocolate Mix which called for 1 egg, 1/3 cup water, and 1/3 cup oil)
• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
• 2 cups white chocolate chips
• 10 large candy canes, crushed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x9 or 8x8 pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions, adding 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract to the mixture. Pour into prepared pan and bake according to package instructions.
3. While the brownies are cooling, melt white chocolate in the microwave, in a microwave safe bowl, or by using a double-boiler. Spread the melted white chocolate over your pan of brownies, like frosting. Sprinkle the white chocolate with the crushed candy canes, until the whole pan is coated. Let white chocolate harden before serving your bite sized beauties.