Oreo Cupcakes with Cookies and Cream Frosting

Oreo cupcakes! Fluffy white cake is filled with Oreo cookie crumbles and then topped with a rich, decadent cookies and cream frosting. Top it all off with a whole Oreo cookie for a stunning dessert that’s sure to leave everyone asking for more.

No doubt you’ll want to make these cupcakes for just about every celebration – birthday parties, cookies & milk parties, holiday parties, or even just an afternoon baking with the kids.

What Makes these So Great

• They’re impressive! The homemade buttercream and Oreo cookie garnish looks so much better than grocery store cupcakes.
• With the help of your favorite cake mix, they’re super easy to make.
• The frosting tastes amazing. Before the cookie crumbs are added it tastes just like Oreo filling!
• They’re packed with Oreo cookies! Every bite of these Oreo cupcakes stars a morsel (or three) of Oreo cookie goodness.

How to Make Oreo Cupcakes (Step-by-Step Directions):

To make things even easier for you, I created a simple photo guide below. For all measurements and a more detailed guide, check out the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

If you make this recipe, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. This provides helpful feedback for me and to other readers. And if you want more fun party ideas, subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Make the cupcakes

Preheat your oven and prepare the cupcake batter according to the box directions. 

Place 10 Oreos cookies into a zip top bag, and use a rolling pin to crush them into large chunks. Gently fold the cookie chunks into the cupcake batter.

Transfer the cupcake batter into a muffin tin prepared with baking cups.

Bake according to box directions and cool completely. 

Prepare the frosting:

Place 10 Oreo cookies in a food processor and pulverize until cookies have turned into fine crumbs – about 30 to 45 seconds. Make sure there are no large chunks in your crumbs. Set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat 1 cup softened butter on medium speed until smooth.

Mix in 1 cup powdered sugar at a time until all four cups are combined. You may need to scrape down the side of your bowl with a spatula between each addition. The frosting may still be powdery.

Add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons milk. Mix on high speed until well combined.

Add the crushed Oreo crumbs, and mix a few seconds until just combined.

Decorate the Cupcakes:

Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your favorite tip and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.

When ready to serve, top each cupcake with the remaining Oreo cookies.

Essential Tips:

Don’t skip these tips – read them before baking to avoid any potential mistakes.

Tips for Preparing the Cupcakes

• Using a cookie scoop to transfer your cake batter will ensure that your cupcakes are all evenly sized.
• Fill your muffin tin cavities 3/4 full to ensure you get nice tall cupcakes.
• To keep your cake mix white, make sure your cookies are broken into large chunks, and not crushed.
• Most white cake recipes use egg whites only. Save your extra yolks to make some delicious yolk-only treats like these shortbread cookies.

Tips for Frosting and Serving Your Cupcakes:

• Make sure you double check your crushed Oreo cookies for the frosting. Even one cookie chunk will clog your piping tip, so you want to make sure they’re almost powdery before mixing them into the frosting. (Trust me on this one…you don’t want to fight with a clogged piping tip.)
• Let your butter come to room temperature before making the frosting. This will help make a silky smooth buttercream, and will save you time.
• If you’re making these in advance, wait to add the frosting and Oreo topper until you’re ready to serve. The humidity in the refrigerator makes Oreos get stale fast.

Adaptations

There are so many fun variations you can make with this recipe as a base. Here are just a few ideas:

• Use chocolate cake mix and add a bit of cocoa powder to the frosting for the ultimate chocolate cookie cupcake.
• Carrot cake mix and golden Oreos for Easter or Spring celebrations.
• Red velvet cake mix would be gorgeous at Christmas.
• Green food coloring in the cake mix and mint Oreos for St. Patrick’s Day.
• Add some orange food coloring to the cake mix for Halloween Oreo cupcakes

FAQs:

My frosting got hard in the refrigerator. How can I soften it?

This frosting must be refrigerated if made in advance. And since buttercream frostings get pretty hard when refrigerated, you’ll need to soften it again. According to the Wilton website, you can simply let the buttercream come to room temperature

If it’s still too hard to pipe when it’s come to temperature, you cay also try heating a small portion of the buttercream over a double boiler. Then mix the heated buttercream back into the remaining frosting.

What piping tip should I use?

Because this is a thick frosting, I wouldn’t use a narrow, or closed piping tip. We used a Wilton 1M open star tip for the cupcakes you see here.

How to Store Your Oreo Cupcakes

Oreo cupcakes are best when served at room temperature, but the frosting and frosted cupcakes must be refrigerated if made in advance.

Unfrosted cupcakes can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days, refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week, or frozen for up to 2 months.

Frosted cupcakes will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. Allow the cupcakes to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before eating.

Note: Refrigerated frosting tends to dry out and crust over in the fridge, which can make adding the Oreo cookie topper a bit difficult.

Cookies and Cream frosting will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. Allow the frosting to come to room temperature and then whip it with a mixer to fluff it up before piping.

If you liked my Oreo cupcakes with cookies and cream frosting, you’re going to love my chocolate beer cake. It’s an incredibly moist cake that’s infused with beer in three different ways, creating an amazingly flavorful treat.

Or you can check out my other desserts recipes here.

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