Oreo Cheesecake Reese's Brownies

This is the all around, make everybody happy, crowd pleaser brownie.

Oreos? Check.

Peanut butter? Check.

Chocolate? Cheesecake? Brownies? Check, check, check.

This is not an ordinary brownie. Nathan said it tasted like a giant Oreo and Luke asked for thirds. Elizabeth and Abigail liked the Reese's and Mom liked the creaminess of both the brownie and cheesecake layer. All I know I liked it. A lot. I needed some love after KU's loss to Michigan last night and these brownies were perfect. 

These are very creamy with a nice crunchy crust and peanut butter in the middle. The cheesecake layer is obviously creamy and the brownie layer is soft and fudgy, so I recommend letting this cool for several hours before cutting. I learned that the hard way by cutting too soon and having a Reese's volcano in my brownie! Delicious, but very messy! As if the kitchen needed more to be cleaned ... I create the biggest messes. Cocoa powder has this ability of flying everywhere.

Just look at those layers? I chose to use yogurt brownies because of (you guessed it) how moist they stay. Also, the number of Reese's depends on how many servings you want (or how much peanut butter filling you want in the middle! Have some fun and see how many you can pack in there!)

I added a little milk in the cheesecake layer to make it easier to spread. Have you ever made traditional cheese cake with a very thick filling? Trying to spread that over my crust ends up with me undoing all my careful pressing of the crust. Not good. So I eliminated that problem for my benefit (and hopefully your as well!) by adding milk. It doesn't change the end texture but makes the baking process easier.

Oreo Cheesecake Reese's Brownies

Crust:
14 Oreos, crushed
1 and 1/2 tbsp. butter, melted

Cheesecake:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 egg white
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. milk

9-12 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Brownie:
3 oz. vanilla yogurt
3 oz. plain or vanilla greek yogurt
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup flour
3 tbsp. dark cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease 9x9 pan.

2. Grind Oreos in food processor and add melted butter to crumbs. Press into pan.

3. Cream sugar, egg white, and cream cheese together. Add vanilla and milk. Pour over Oreo crust.

4. Press Reese's into cheesecake layer.

5. Whisk yogurts, egg, and sugar. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder and stir until mixed. Pour over Reese's.

6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. The middle may be a little softer than the edges. Cover and/or refrigerate leftovers.

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life

Yes, some cheering up was in order as the fun of bracket season has gone down the drain so to speak. I'm pretty sure a lot of other fans will be needing a hug and a brownie as well ... I should've made these when K State lost so you all would've had some creamy chocolaty happiness in a bite as well.

Disappointment isn't a lot of fun. I used to not be able to spell it until I read in a book how disappointment is an appointment that was missed. (Since appointment has two "p"s, I knew to spell it that way instead of with two "s"s.). Spelling lesson aside, last night provided yet another opportunity to practice dealing appropriately with disappointment. I am a serious grudge holder - and I'm not proud of it - and when people disappoint me, (or when I disappoint myself) I remember it.

While forgiving requires humility (a whole other topic) even after that, the memory remains locked in my head. Just because someone disappointed me or I disappointed myself does not give me the justification to run it over and over in my head. Yes, the thought may be there, but I can choose to let it go. Ahh, there is my problem. "Letting things go" is not my strong point. I have an incredible amount of respect and admiration for those who do. And the ones in my life who do are not doing it on their own strength. I cannot let go of things on my own. I can't forgive on my own. I can't rely only good deeds to compensate for letting myself down earlier. That is God's department. He takes disappointments and replaces them with His promises. His promise of strength to let things go. His promise of courage to move on. His promise of fulfillment when we fail.

Those promises are WAY better than my promise of decadent Reese's Cheesecake Brownies. Those promises last longer than a pan of dessert (which isn't saying much in this case) and are always true. They never disappoint. Which is good news because a lot of things will. But when they do, grab your Bible and a brownie (if the kitchen is more work than fun for you, just ask and I will gladly make you some!) and spend some time giving those disappointments to God. This time of year especially. Easter is a celebration of God's promises fulfilled in Jesus!