Cookies and Cream Cupcakes are a decadent dessert made with a chocolate Oreo cupcake and cookies and cream frosting.
When in doubt, make cupcakes. That’s our motto! Today we’re sharing a simple, yet delicious Cookies and Cream Cupcakes recipe featuring one of our favorite cheeses – cream cheese.
Featured Comment
“I’m a huge chocolate cupcake person and I LOVED how the oreo cream cheese frosting complimented them.” -Shell
Cookies and Cream Cupcakes – the low down!
Cookies and Cream Cupcakes wouldn’t be cookies in cream if both parts didn’t have cookies in it!
The cupcakes: the base is a basic chocolate cupcake made with an entire cup of crushed Oreo cookies.
The frosting: the frosting is a vanilla cream cheese frosting made with Oreo crumbs to give them the ultimate cookies and cream flare.
Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes Ingredients
These chocolate Oreo cupcakes are essentially a basic chocolate cupcake with crushed Oreos in them Here’s what you need:
- All-purpose flour: keeping things light and fluffy with AP flour.
- Granular sugar: white sugar is best for cupcakes.
- Cocoa powder: make sure to buy unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe.
- Baking powder: baking powder is used as the leavening agent.
- Vegetable oil: vegetable oil is nice and light to keep these cupcakes airy and divine.
- Milk: any kind of cow’s milk will work.
- Eggs: this recipe calls for 2 large eggs.
- Vanilla: a hint of vanilla really brings out the chocolatey flavor.
- Oreos: you’ll want about 1 cup of crushed Oreos for the cupcake and even more for the frosting.
Cookies and Cream Frosting
And now for my personal favorite part about these cupcakes –> the cookies and cream frosting! This is a vanilla cream cheese frosting made with crushed Oreos to really get the “cookies” and cream effect.
You need 4 main ingredients to get started:
Butter: make sure to use softened butter and not melted as that can really make or break the texture of the frosting.
Cream cheese: this cream cheese frosting calls for 4-oz of cream cheese. Check out our post on how to soften cream cheese.
Vanilla: feel free to use vanilla extract or the paste from 1/2 of a vanilla bean.
Powdered sugar: powdered sugar makes for the best cream cheese frosting. You can really gauge how thick or thin you want your frosting by adding a little at a time.
Oreo crumbs: unlike crushed Oreos, Oreo crumbs are processed more finely to make them more similar to graham cracker crumbs.
Substitutions and Variations
- Varieties of Oreos: There are so many varieties of Oreos out that that you can really make these cupcakes your own. Use vanilla, pumpkin, etc.!
- Milk: We love the creaminess of 2% cows milk for this recipe, but truly any milk will work. Feel free to sub for buttermilk, oat milk, almond milk, etc.
- Sprinkles: I don’t know about you, but my kids are big fans of all things sprinkles! Jazz up these cookies and cream cupcakes with chocolate or rainbow sprinkles. So fun!
How to soften cream cheese
Looking for a quick method to soften cream cheese? Check out our post – How to Soften Cream Cheese – 4 Ways! Here you’ll learn 4 unique (and quick!) methods to soften cream cheese to the perfect amount for baking and cooking.
FAQs
How do you make cupcakes fluffy?
To get fluffy cupcakes, you need to create air bubbles in your batter that’ll expand in the oven. Don’t overmix your batter. Otherwise, you’ll collapse those bubbles and have denser, brick-like cupcakes. To avoid this, always mix at low speed, stopping when everything is just blended.
Can you make these cupcakes ahead of time?
Yes, you can make these cupcakes a few days before serving them. Make the cupcakes and freeze them. Take them out 6-8 hours before serving and let them thaw. Frost them before serving!
Can I use gluten free flour?
We have not tested this recipe with gluten free flour so we cannot recommend using a GF flour alternative.
Storage
Store cupcakes covered in a cool, dark place for up to 3 days.
*The cupcakes will last longer in the refrigerator.
To freeze: If you’re planning to freeze these cupcakes, we recommend waiting to frost them until right before you serve them. Let the cupcakes cool completely before placing them into a freezer-safe bag, and then add them to the freezer for up to 3 months.
Can I make these cupcakes ahead of time?
Yes, you can make these cupcakes a few days before serving them. Make the cupcakes and freeze them. Take them out 6-8 hours before serving and let them thaw. Frost them before serving!
Serving Suggestions
These cookies and cream cupcakes are decadently delicious on their own. If you’re looking to serve alongside a drink, let us recommend a cup of coffee or a glass of milk 😀
Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1.25 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup crushed Oreos
Frosting
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 4 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2.5 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup Oreo crumbs
Instructions
Cupcakes
- First, preheat the oven to 350F and line 12 cupcake tins with paper liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder.
- Add the vegetable oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix just until combined– you don’t want to overmix!
- Add the crushed oreos and fold them in gently.
- Fill each cupcake tin ¾ of the way full (I use a ¼ cup cookie scoop to make sure they’re all the same size). Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean– about 18-20 minutes.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack before icing them (below).
Frosting
- Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract together on medium speed until smooth and creamy– about 2 minutes.
- On low speed, add the powdered sugar a little at a time until completely incorporated.
- Once all of the powdered sugar has been added, turn the mixer to high speed and beat until the icing is light and fluffy– about 2 minutes.
- Add the oreo crumbs and mix until combined.
- Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with your choice of tip. Ice the cupcakes as desired.
- Store any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I’m a huge chocolate cupcake person and I LOVED how the oreo cream cheese frosting complimented them.
Yay!