Indulgent Red Velvet Brownies (With An Oreo And White Chocolate Layer)

After Valentine's Day came and went a couple of weekends ago, I am finally getting around to writing this post. I made these brownies for my boyfriend on the 14th February, and while the romantic heart decoration may not be appropriate anymore, you can easily substitute it with a crumbling of Oreo biscuit to ensure you can eat these indulgent brownies all year round. The soft, crumbly Red Velvet cake layer is topped with an incredibly more-ish Oreo truffle. As if this wasn't enough, for the serious chocoholics out there, I've added a rich white chocolate topping. To make these brownies even more amazing, I'm pleased to say they are probably the easiest brownies you will ever make, mainly due to the cheating inclusion of a Betty Crocker red velvet mix. But hey, no-one needs to know you didn't make these 100% from scratch! This trio of chocolate layers is enough to make anyone's arteries recoil in horror, but it is so worth it. These come with a warning though; once you have one, you will want them all!

Ingredients ¦ Easy ¦ Time: 25 minutes baking, 2 hours setting ¦ Serves: 25+ brownies

1 Betty Crocker Red Velvet cake mix (you will need 100ml vegetable oil, 200ml water and 3 eggs to complete the cake)

150g cream cheese

12 Oreo biscuits (1 pack, if using them as decoration, bump this up to 18)

350g white chocolate

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees centigrade (gas mark 4) before greasing and lining two relatively large dishes (I used one large dish and a medium-sized one; there is quite a lot of mixture and you want it to be flatter and more like brownies than cake).

2. Pour the oil and water into a bowl, then crack in the eggs. Tip the Betty Crocker red velvet mix into the same bowl, and mix until everything is perfectly combined and there are no lumps. Divide this mixture between your dishes and bake for around 25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave these to cool on a wire rack.


3. Once your brownies are cooled, whizz up the Oreo biscuits in a food processor until the crumbs are quite fine. It doesn't matter how precise you are- having a few lumps just means extra crunch and more texture. Gently melt the cream cheese slightly on a low microwave setting (checking on it every 10/15 seconds), before adding this to the Oreos. Mix these together until it forms a loose Oreo paste (the colour will go a slightly unappetising grey colour if over-mixed but don't worry, it'll still taste as good!). Add this Oreo truffle to the red velvet brownies, smoothing it across the top and right to the edges with a spatula to create an extra layer of yumminess. Leave this to set in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour, or until it seems firm enough to handle melted chocolate.

4. Break up the white chocolate and pop into a glass bowl. Melt on the hob over simmering water, making sure you stir frequently to ensure the chocolate doesn't go funny. Once completely melted, take off the heat and slowly pour the chocolate over the Oreo layer. You don't want the white chocolate layer to be too thick, otherwise it will take ages to set. Using a spatula, smooth the chocolate to the edges of the brownie and make sure that it is all dispersed evenly across the Oreo. Leave this to set at room temperature for about 15 minutes, before popping into the fridge for another 45 minutes to an hour. If you're impatient (like me), keep checking the fridge regularly to see whether it is set!


5. Take the brownies out of the fridge when the chocolate is very nearly set. This makes cutting them into chunks a whole lot easier (I learned the hard way). Cutting set chocolate will only make that top layer crumble and split, so doing this when it's still ever-so-slightly soft will hopefully keep the white chocolate in one piece. Pop the brownie chunks back into the fridge for a final push, before serving or eating them all yourself before anyone has realised you ever baked anything.

This is definitely a recipe that'll impress, and they'd make a great home-made gift for any chocolate lover in your life. I can't wait to make these again after they were demolished the first time, and the best thing about them is how easy they are to make! Most of the time is waiting for the layers to set, so this recipe is perfect for anyone who isn't a skilled baker but still wants to cook up some yummy goods. Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think of it!

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