Triple Dark Chocolate Truffle Brownies

Triple Dark Chocolate Truffle Brownies - made October 13, 2021 from Sprinkle Some Sugar

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons regular cocoa powder

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons dark cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Truffle Layer

4 ounces cream cheese, cubed, room temperature

30 Oreo cookies

Chocolate Coating

1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 teaspoons shortening

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9 x 9 baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place butter, both cocoa powders and sugar in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds or until butter is melted. Whisk mixture until combined. 
3. Stir in salt, eggs and vanilla, mixing until combined. Add flour and mix until just combined.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out slightly moist with a little bit of batter left on it. Cool completely in pan.
5. Prepare truffle layer: in a large food processor, pulse Oreo cookies into a fine crumb. Add cream cheese and pulse until a dough-like consistency forms and cream cheese has been fully incorporated into Oreo crumbs.
6. When brownies are completely cool, dollop chunks of the truffle mixture over brownie and smooth into an even layer.
7. Prepare the chocolate coating: in a small bowl, melt the chocolate chips and shortening in 30-second increments in the microwave until completely melted. Whisk until smooth and pourable. Pour the chocolate on top of the truffle layer and spread with a small metal spatula into a smooth, even layer. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to allow the top to set. Remove from refrigerator and let come to room temperature before cutting and serving.

I've had this recipe on my pinterest board for awhile. I didn't have "dark cocoa" and had been using the Kirkland cocoa powder from Costco (the light-colored cocoa in the picture above) for my baked goods. But I was running out of the Kirkland and couldn't find it during my last Costco run so I ordered my beloved Pernigotti cocoa (the darker colored cocoa in the picture) from Chef Shop (female-owned small business).

I still had some of the Kirkland cocoa and with the Chef Shop cocoa arriving, it seemed like a good time to try out this recipe. It's got a brownie base (make sure you stir the batter enough to get to the glossy stage above), followed by a Oreo-cream-cheese layer and topped with a melted chocolate chip layer.

Note that I don't call the top layer "frosting". It's simply chocolate chips melted with a little shortening then you chill it to let it set and harden.

This was a good brownie. The brownie layer itself was a good fudgy brownie. Not sure I was an equally huge fan of the oreo "truffle" layer. I keep baking with Oreos and I keep finding I prefer Oreos in their pristine, straight-from-the-package state. That's not the fault of the brownie; it's just a taste preference for me.

Fortunately for all of us, I don't really bake just so I can eat a pan of brownies. I bake to try out recipes and I'm fortunate enough to have opportunities to share the end results with others. Win-win.