Triple Stack Brownies
Updated July 20, 2026
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist. Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
- Ready In
- 1 hr 20 min
- (About 1 hr 20 min)
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
For the Cookie Layer
¾ cup/170 grams unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and softened, plus more for greasing
¾ cup/165 grams brown sugar, light or dark
⅓ cup/66 grams granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or ¼ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 cups/256 grams all-purpose flour
1 cup/170 grams chopped chocolate or chocolate chips (semisweet, bittersweet, milk or a mix)
34 chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreo), 10 of them halved into semicircles
For the Brownie Layer
1 ⅓ cups/227 grams chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
⅔ cup/134 grams granulated sugar
½ cup/110 grams dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or ¼ teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup/48 grams unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup/64 grams all-purpose flour
Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Nutritional analysis per serving
54 grams carbs; 50 milligrams cholesterol; 384 calories; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 18 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 204 milligrams sodium; 4 grams protein; 36 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a metal 9-by-13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper so there’s overhang on the long sides, then butter the parchment. Fill a medium saucepan with about 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat (you’ll need it in Step 4).
- Step 2
Make the cookie layer: As the water comes to a simmer, in a large heatproof bowl (metal preferred), mix together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar with a flexible spatula or hand mixer, until they’re just combined. Whisk in the egg, vanilla extract and salt until it’s slightly lighter in color, about 1 minute. Whisk in the baking soda, then switch back to the flexible spatula and fold in the flour until it’s mostly combined, with a few streaks of flour remaining.
- Step 3
Fold in the chopped chocolate and spread the cookie dough evenly across the prepared baking pan (reserve the mixing bowl). Top with the Oreos in an even layer, arranging the whole cookies in a four-by-six grid in the middle, then nestling the halved cookies around the edges so the cut sides touch the pan edges and only minimal gaps remain. Set the pan aside while you make the brownie batter.
- Step 4
Make the brownie layer: Rinse out the mixing bowl (it doesn’t need to be scrubbed) and wipe dry, then add the chopped chocolate and butter. Set that bowl over the pot of simmering water and gently heat, stirring occasionally, until everything is melted and evenly combined, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and turn off the stove.
- Step 5
Add the granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, vanilla extract and salt to the bowl, and whisk for 1 minute, until the mixture is smooth and the sugars have started to dissolve. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition, and continue whisking for another minute, until the batter is roughly the consistency of marshmallow fluff. Add the cocoa powder and baking soda, and whisk for 1 minute, until they’re fully absorbed and the mixture is visibly thicker. Fold in the flour with a flexible spatula just until no streaks remain.
- Step 6
Scrape the brownie batter on top of the cookie batter and smooth into an even layer. Set a kitchen towel down on a work surface close to the oven.
- Step 7
Bake for 20 minutes, until the top looks shiny and puffy. Gently rap the pan a couple times on the kitchen towel-lined surface, then top with flaky salt and put it back in the oven for 14 to 16 minutes to set the salt and finish baking. Take the pan back out of the oven and rap it once more to ensure the fudgiest brownie texture possible.
- Step 8
Cool completely at room temperature, about an hour, then slice into squares. For the cleanest slices, refrigerate the cooled brownies for about 30 minutes before cutting.
Private Notes
Comments
@Susan in Clyde, NC I had the same question! So I googled it and learned that they are sometimes called “slutty brownies” — I think the logic is that you feel guilty for eating them but can’t help wanting more? I could go on a rant here about how everything is sexualized these days but maybe I’ll just bake up a batch of these instead! :)
The more common name is "slutty" brownies, because they are easy but not free. I was taught to make them with cookie dough out of the tube, packaged cookies, and boxed brownie mix. They are always gobbled up quickly.
I used to make these for our daughter's softball team all of the time. I would make them in a muffin tin and then there wasn't any issue cutting them, you got a whole cookie in every treat. I would make half of the batters using double stuff Oreos and the other half I would use a full sized peanut butter cup. The girls gobbled them down and they were indeed called slutty brownies! I believe I cooked them for 18 minutes, it has been a while since our daughter was in school.
Anyone halve this recipe and bake it in a 9x9 pan?
How are these "triple stack" when there are only 2 layers? Am I missing something?
My husband and I may be the only people who didn't really like these. The brownie and chocolate chip portions were fine but not outstanding. What really ruined the bars for us though was the artificial flavor of the sandwich cookies, especially the filling. I ended up using double filling cookies because that's what my store had. I definitely wouldn't do that again. Overall, a lot of work for something we didn't want to eat.