Cookies n’ Cream Blondies

The combination of chocolate cookies with a vanilla cream filling is so good that it’s not surprising that Oreos are the best selling cookie in the US and one of the best selling in the world. They were one of my favorites as a kid, always served with a big glass of milk. The cookies n’ cream flavor has found its way into all kinds of other goodies over the years (in the world and here at Baking Bites!), from ice cream to scones, and these Cookies n’ Blondies are just one more item that cookies n’ cream fans should add to their must-try list.

These blondies start with a buttery sugar cookie-like dough that is packed with crushed Oreo cookies. The dough has a hint of vanilla flavor to it, but it is a relatively plain base. This allows the chocolate and vanilla cream of the Oreo cookies to come through and gives the bars the same flavor that you’d find in a batch of cookies n’ cream ice cream. Of course, you will get some texture that you won’t find in ice cream. The bars are slightly crisp on top and chewy in the center.

Regular Oreo cookies are a great choice for this recipe. I also like to work with the vanilla bean Jo-Jos from Trader Joe’s, which aren’t quite as crisp as the classic Oreos but have a more distinct vanilla flavor to their filling. The bars will keep well for several days when stored in an airtight container and travel well, so they can be tucked in a picnic basket or lunchbox. For serious cookies n’ cream lovers, you can even turn them into ice cream sandwiches with a scoop of cookies n’ cream ice cream between two blondies.

Cookies n’ Cream Blondies
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped Oreo-type cookies

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in the egg, followed by the vanilla extract. Add in flour mixture and stir until dry ingredients are completely incorporated.
Fold in Oreo cookies until well-distributed.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until bars are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached.
Allow bars to cool completely in the pan before slicing.

Makes 16 bars.