dark chocolate oreo pumpkin spice brownies

Every once in a while, I get the itch to create an off-the-wall, nontraditional recipe that usually consists of throwing in whatever randomness we have in our kitchen. Sometimes these recipes turn out delicious, other times....not so much. Thankfully, these dark chocolate brownies came out so yummy, I ended up making another batch two days later. They're also cute and festive enough to whip up for Halloween parties (or just to devour standing over the kitchen counter, like we did. no judgement here). 

The dark chocolate brownie recipe is one I've been using for awhile and it's a winner around these parts, mostly for its simplicity and tastiness. I'm not at all against good ol' boxed brownies but sometimes, the homemade version is just what the doctor ordered. I also wanted a really dark, almost black, coloring for these brownies, and I knew this recipe would do the trick. 

The addition of Oreos gives the perfect crunch to the otherwise fudgy treats, and the pumpkin spice chips are a match made in heaven for dark chocolate. Seriously, don't knock it till you try it (I was a skeptic too and now have full converted to the dark side- pun intended). Bear thought it was so fun to bite into brownies with an orange center, which was of course his favorite part. These treats are definitely kid, and adult, friendly. :)

Zach and Bear surprised me with some pumpkin treats a few weeks ago and I'm shocked it took me this long to bake with these Pumpkin Spice Morsels. I'm even more surprised that I didn't just straight up eat them out of the bag. I also kinda want to melt them and pour the pumpkiny goodness over ice cream. But then again who needs to when this is only a few blocks away (and I eat at least two a week). 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup dark chocolate unsweetened cocoa powder
3 eggs
1 bag Nestle Pumpkin Spice Morsels (10 oz.)
16 Halloween Oreos (and a few extra for crushing on top-optional)

Directions:
In a glass bowl, melt butter in microwave for 30 seconds to one minute. Add sugar, flour, cocoa and eggs. Stir with a spoon until well combined. Fold in morsels. 2. Grease a 9 inch square baking dish and pour half of the batter into the pan. Place Oreos in 4x4 rows on top of brownie batter. Take remaining batter and pour over the Oreos, being sure to cover them completely. Take 3-4 extra Oreos and crush them, sprinkling them over the mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes. Enjoy!
*You can probably tell that we like our brownies a little under done and fudgy. If you prefer yours well done, add 3-5 minutes to the bake time.

This afternoon, we decided to head to a local park for a picnic and on the way, passed a church having a big fall festival. There were bouncy castles & craft booths galore at St. Ignatius Catholic Church, of which we are not members, but our child still desperately wanted to stop and play. So after the park picnic, we drove back by and stopped to check it out. Bear ran wild with dozens of kids he's never met before and Zach and I pretended to feel right at home, despite being a bit creeped out by the "Massage Chair" tent where an older gentleman was apparently offering his masseuse services. "Tacos Latinos" also brought their truck and graciously catered the event; it was a real shindig, y'all. They had to run us off at 3pm when the festival ended, or else our social boy would've stayed and played, and eaten free tacos, all day. 

Hope your weekend has been a fun one!
xo, Britt