Holy Crap Brookie Bars

Before I really started cooking, I could only make two things... chicken parmesan and brookies. I made brookies all the time, especially for long road trips with my soccer friends. They were pretty much a layer of brownie batter, cookie dough, and caramel. I think that's it. And I thought I was just the best baker, hah. Well times have changed and now I could probably teach a dog to make my old brookie recipe. So, I decided the other week that I would bring the brookie back, but with a vengeance. I have dubbed these new brookies as "Holy Crap Brookie Bars" because there are so many different components and layers, I couldn't possibly think of a name that encapsulated all of its loveliness. When Mountain Man actually saw these bars, he said, "Holy Crap!". So, the Holy Crap Brookie Bars were born. Let me play this out for ya... there is a layer of brownie, followed by a layer of double stuff Oreos, that is then drizzled with homemade salted caramel sauce, and then topped with cookie dough. It is then baked to golden perfection and covered with a homemade Cookies & Cream White Chocolate-Peanut Butter Mousse (you heard me correctly) and slathered with a dark chocolate ganache. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is. These Holy Crap Brookie Bars are just flat-out-riduclous. Enjoy :)

Holy Crap Brookie Bars

Layers of Brownie, Oreo, Caramel, Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter Mousse,  & Chocolate Ganache

For the Holy Crap Brookies:

1 16.5oz Package of Nestle Toll House Mini Brownie Bite Dough

Double Stuff Oreos (as many as you want or how many you can fit in your pan)

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce*

1 16.5oz Package of Nestle Toll House Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Prepared Cookies & Cream White Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse

Prepared Chocolate Ganache Topping

For the Cookies & Cream White Peanut Butter:

10 Whole Oreo Cookies

2C Creamy Peanut Butter

1C White Chocolate Chips

2T Creamy Peanut Butter

For the Cookies & Cream Peanut Butter Mousse:

1C Cookies & Cream Peanut Butter

1 8oz Block of Cream Cheese, Room Temperature

2t Vanilla

1C Powdered Sugar (or a little more to taste... if you like it sweeter or thicker)

For the Chocolate Ganache Topping:

1 ½C Semisweet Chocolate Chunks

½C Heavy Cream

1T Unsalted Butter, Softened 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 12x8-baking dish with tin foil and spray with Pam, and then set it aside.
2. To Make the Cookies & Cream Peanut Butter Filling & Mousse: Crush the Oreos into small pieces and place into a large bowl. Add the 2C of peanut butter. Place the white chocolate chips and 2T peanut butter into a double boiled and stir until melted. Add to the bowl of Oreos and peanut butter. Stir just a little so you can see swirls throughout. Once you have made the peanut butter, take 1C of the prepared peanut butter and put it into a large mixing bowl (save the remaining peanut butter for eating or another baking project), along with the cream cheese and vanilla. Beat by hand until smooth and fluffy, and then add in the powdered sugar and beat until smooth, and then place the mousse into the refrigerator to chill at least an hour (or until thick, fluffy, and cold) before spreading onto the brownies.
3. To Make the Holy Crap Brookie Bars: Press the brownie dough into the prepared pan in an even layer. Top the brownie dough with an even layer of Oreos (as many as you can), and then drizzle with some of the salted caramel sauce (to your liking). Flatten the cookie dough and lay pieces on top of the caramel, so that the cookie dough is completely covering all of the other layers.
4. Bake the brookie bars for 30-35 minutes, depending on your oven, until the cookie dough is golden brown and cooked through. Let the brookies cool completely before spreading on the mousse and chocolate Ganache.
5. To Make the Chocolate Ganache Topping: Put the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. In a saucepan or in a microwave-safe measuring cup, heat the cream until starts to boil. Pour the cream over the chips and let stand for a minute. Stir well to melt chips; stir in the butter. Let the Ganache cool before spreading on top of the peanut butter mousse. Spread on the cooled Ganache onto the peanut butter mousse & cooled brownies and let it set until slightly hardened.
6. Cut the brookie bars into squares and serve immediately, and keep them refrigerated.

source: ultimate brownie bars. cookies and cream peanut butter.

*You can use store-bought caramel sauce or make homemade caramel sauce. I had left over salted caramel sauce and decided to use that. I really liked how the salt added some depth to the bars. You can refer to this salted caramel sauce recipe that I have used many times. 

*Check out Sweets for a Saturday for this recipe, as well as many others!!