Easy Oreo Cupcakes with Oreo Frosting
These Easy Oreo Cupcakes recipe yields a dozen absolutely delightful Oreo cookie-infused vanilla cupcakes topped with cookies and cream Oreo buttercream frosting. They are made from a super light and fluffy vanilla cupcake with Oreo cookies crushed and baked inside. These are perfect for birthday parties, potlucks, BBQs, bake sales, and more!
As a pastry chef, I know a thing or two about cookies, including brand-name cookies you can conveniently grab a package from the store—case in point, OREOS. Sure, Oreos are THE cookie for milk, but they are also delightful crushed up and incorporated into classic desserts, like this Red Velvet Cheesecake with Oreo Crust and these Oreo cupcakes that I’m super excited to share!
At the core of this irresistible Oreo cupcakes recipe is a moist and fluffy vanilla cupcake with Oreo crumbs baked directly in the batter -but wait, there’s more! The cupcakes are frosted with classic vanilla buttercream that is also upgraded with crushed Oreo to make Oreo Frosting!
I just love a fun twist on cupcakes like these Hot Chocolate Cupcakes, or these Espresso Coffee Cupakes.
Needless to say, there’s no shortage of Oreos in these cupcakes. Some may even say these Oreo cupcakes are a “cookies and cream” lover’s dream come true!
WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE THIS RECIPE
- First and foremost, I tested the base vanilla cupcake recipe at least five times, so I can assure you that this Oreo version is literally perfect.
- Oreo cupcakes with Oreo icing are perfect for every occasion!
- The cupcakes are soft and fluffy with crispy nibbles of Oreo cookie in every bite.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
- Cake Flour – The extra fine consistently results in light and airy cupcakes.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda – This pair of leavening agents plays a significant role in the batter rising into tall, stout cupcakes.
- Kosher Salt – Salt also contributes to the batter rising and refines the sweetness.
- Unsalted Butter – Adds moisture and density to the cake batter while enhancing the rich, buttery flavor.
- Granulated Sugar – Sweetens the base cupcake perfectly.
- Egg & Egg Whites – Strengthens the batter so it sets properly and doesn’t fall apart.
- Vanilla Extract – Adds depth to the sweet and creamy Oreo filling flavor.
- Buttermilk – The acidity in buttermilk reacts with the leavening agents, causing the cupcakes to rise. It also adds a touch of tangy flavor.
- Oreos – Oreos are the shining star of this recipe, remaking vanilla cupcakes into cookies and cream cupcakes.
- Oreo’s Cookies & Cream Buttercream – This light and fluffy buttercream frosting is made with softened butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla, and cream or milk -and Oreo crumbs in every bite!
Easiest way to crush Oreos
I usually chop the cookies by hand up on a cutting board. You can also:
- Place the Oreos in a resealable bag, seal it shut, and then whack the bag with a rolling pin or heavy kitchen tool.
- Place the cookies in a food processor, and pulverize them into crumbs. Be careful as to not grind them to a paste.
- Place the cookies in a tall jar or durable container and crush with an immersion blender.
HOW TO MAKE OREO CUPCAKES
Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or silicone liners.
Combine dry ingredients: Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
Cream butter and sugar: With a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attached, cream the butter on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl, add the sugar, and continue mixing until the butter is light and fluffy.
Combine wet ingredients: Scrape the bowl once more, then add the egg, egg whites, and vanilla extract. Again, mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
Combine dry and wet batter: Add 1/3rd of the dry mixture into the wet batter, followed by half of the buttermilk. Add another 1/3rd of the dry mixture, followed by the remaining buttermilk. Finally, add the rest of the dry mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix!)
Mix in chopped Oreos: Roughly chop 10 Oreos into small pieces and mix them into the cupcake batter by hand.
Bake and cool: Using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the batter into the lined muffin tin, and bake until the cupcakes are set (21-22 minutes). Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan and transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. In the meantime, make the Oreo buttercream frosting.
HOW TO MAKE OREO COOKIES AND CREAM FROSTING
To make Oreo cookies and cream buttercream frosting, follow these simple steps:
Cream butter and sugar: Add butter and confectioners sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed, gradually increasing the speed to medium as the mixture combines. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
Combine with remaining ingredients: Switch the speed back to low, add the vanilla and cream (or milk), and mix on low-medium speed for 1 minute. Finally, mix in the chopped Oreos by hand until combined, and you’re ready to decorate.
Decorate cupcakes: Make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting. You can use a piping bag with a Wilton tip or snip a corner of a Zip top bag to use as a piping bag. Alternatively, you can spread the buttercream with an offset spatula. Garnish with extra Oreo, if you like, and enjoy!
A quick tip from a pastry chef: Larger pieces of Oreo will get stuck in a piping tip, so if you’re planning to pipe the frosting, make sure the cookies are chopped into itty bitty pieces. I recommend using a food processor.
TIPS FOR RECIPE SUCCESS
- The butter, eggs, and buttermilk must be at room temperature before starting. Check out my method for softening butter when you’re short on time.
- SPOON, never scoop the cake flour into the measuring cup and level it off a butter knife. If you use a measuring cup to scoop flour directly from the container, you will end up with more flour than needed.
- To check for perfect doneness, stick a toothpick into the center of one of the cupcakes. It should come out clean or mostly clean with a tiny bit of moist crumbs.
- Only allow the cupcakes to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, or else the residual heat will bake the cupcakes further. After 5 minutes, remove the lined cupcakes from the tin and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- Fill the cupcakes only 2/3 of the way full otherwise they will spill over the top.
STORAGE AND FREEZING
Storing: Place the cupcakes in an airtight container in a single layer, and keep them stored at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to one week.
Making Ahead & Freezing: To extend the shelf-life further, freeze them! I recommend doing so before frosting them. Wrap individual Oreo cupcakes in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe container for up to two months. Thaw at room temperature before frosting with cookies and cream buttercream.
WAYS TO ENJOY
Instead of using vanilla buttercream as the base of your frosting, try mixing crushed Oreos into one of these homemade cupcake frostings.
Easy Oreo Cupcakes with Oreo Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup cake flour, (207g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, (113g) softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar, (200g)
- 1 egg, (50g)
- 2 egg white, (70g)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature (118mL)
- 10 oreo cookies, chopped
For the cookies n cream icing
- 1 cup butter, softened 227g
- 3 cups confectioners sugar, 360g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons half and half, cream, or milk
- 8 oreo cookies, chopped small
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a medium size bowl combine the 1 ¾ cup cake flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, and ¼ tsp kosher salt. Whisk until combined.
- In the bowl of a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the ½ cup butter for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape down the bowl and add 1 cup sugar.
- Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the bowl and add the egg, 2 egg whites and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Mix for 1 minute on medium speed.
- Add in 1/3rd of the dry ingredients, then half of the buttermilk and alternate, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
- Mix only until combined. Do not overmix.
- On a cutting board, chop the oreos into small pieces. Add them to the batter and mix together by hand to combine.
- Using a 3 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin liners ¾ of the way full. Bake for 21-22 minutes or until the cake is set.
- Make the buttercream. Add the 1 cup butter and 3 cups powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed working up to medium as the mixture combines. Mix on medium for 1 minute.
- Change the speed to low and add in the 1 tsp vanilla extract and 2 tsp cream. Mix on low-medium speed for 1 minute.
- Chop the oreos again into small pieces. Add the Oreos into the buttercream and mix by hand until combined.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes and garnish with an extra Oreo if desired.
