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CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

cake· dessert
February 11, 2019

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes – Vanilla cake is speckled with chunks of Oreo cookies, topped with Oreo buttercream frosting, and finished with a dollop of chocolate ganache to make for the most decadent cupcake you’ve ever had

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes  topped with melted chocolate and an oreo

Happy birthday to me!

Birthdays have changed their meaning for me over the years. I used to look forward to the gifts but now it’s all about the food – I love going out for a great steak, a full glass of Pinot Noir, and finishing the night with something decadent. That’s all I need.

To celebrate, I love to share some of my favorite recipes with you all. Last year, I shared this Birthday Cake Remix Ice Cream. It’s so decadent and loaded with fudgy brownies and rainbow sprinkles. What a tough act to follow, huh?

To live up to the birthday recipes I’ve shared in the past, I had to go all-out, something that was just as delicious as it was gorgeous.

And I think I did just that with these Cookies & Cream Cupcakes!

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes with oreo frosting covered in melted chocolate and an oreo Table full of Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

What’s in the cupcakes?

These cupcakes are made with a vanilla cake with tons of Oreo chunks. I wanted a vanilla cake so you could actually see all the Oreo (and taste it too!). I’ve seen so many “cookies & cream” cupcakes at bakeries and grocery stores that use a plain chocolate cupcake to resemble the color of the Oreo’s chocolate cookie. Sure, it looks like an Oreo but it’s missing all that extra crunch and flavor from the lack of Oreos.

Mixing oreo pieces into the cupcake batter Metal mixing bowl full of batter and oreo crumbles

The same goes for the buttercream frosting – I wanted the Oreos crushed and mixed into the buttercream to slightly offset the vanilla complexion of the cake. See how the frosting looks slightly gray on top of the cupcake?

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

Now, for the topping…originally, I added the chocolate ganache on top of the cupcake for show. But after taking a bite, the richness of the chocolate is just what this sweet cupcake needs. It adds the perfect balance and brings the whole cupcake together.

And finally, to make these cupcakes look super professional and, let’s face it, drop-dead gorgeous, I finished them off with a half of an Oreo.

Tips and tricks

As always, I love giving you guys tips on making the recipe the best it can be. This one is no exception – let’s check ’em out:

  1. For the cake, make sure to chop the Oreos – don’t crush them. You want the texture of the cookie to come through the cake so if the pieces are too small, you won’t get that. However, for the buttercream, you definitely want to crush the Oreos to get that pretty gray color and to make it easy to pipe it.
  2. Speaking of piping, you will not be able to using a piping tip with this buttercream because of the Oreo crumbs. Therefore, I just used a plain bag without a tip and just piped the frosting in a circle.
  3. To make a creamy ganache, the key is letting the hot cream melt the chips first before you even start stirring them. I let the two sit together for 5 minutes before stirring and it’s never let me down.
  4. Before adding the ganache to the top of the buttercream, make sure that it’s had some time to cool. If it’s too hot, it will melt the buttercream.

Alright, there you have it – the most decadent cupcake you’ve ever seen. I hope you get a chance to make it soon!!

Print Recipe

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes

Vanilla cake is speckled with chunks of Oreo cookies, topped with Oreo buttercream frosting, and finished with a dollop of chocolate ganache to make for the most decadent cupcake you've ever had
Prep Time40 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Resting time30 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Servings: 20 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cake:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup butter unsalted, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup chopped Oreos
For the buttercream frosting:
  • 3/4 cup butter unsalted, softened
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup crushed Oreos
For the topping:
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 10 Oreos halved

Instructions

For the cake:
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake pan by lining with paper cups. Set aside. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk together until combined. Set aside.
  • In a bowl fitted for a stand mixer, beat butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and continue beating for 2 more minutes. Add egg whites one at a time, beating after each one. Add vanilla and combine. 
  • Add 1/3 of dry ingredient mixture to butter mixture and combine. Add 1/2 of buttermilk and combine. Repeat once more with another 1/3 of dry ingredients and the remainder of the buttermilk. Then, finish with the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. 
  • Add chopped Oreos to the batter and fold them in. Scoop about 1/3 cup of batter into prepared cupcake pan. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center cupcake. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes in pan and then remove cupcakes to cool on wire rack. Repeat cooking process with remainder of the batter.
For the buttercream frosting:
  • Once the cupcakes are completely cool, it's time to add the frosting. Make frosting by beating softened butter until super fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add powdered sugar, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla and continue beating to combine. Add crushed Oreos and beat on low to combine. 
  • Put frosting into a piping bag or zipper bag and cut about 1 inch off the tip to make a big opening. Pip a circle over each cupcake. 
For the topping:
  • First, make the chocolate ganache. Heat heavy cream in microwave for 45 seconds or until hot. Put chocolate chips in a small bowl. Pour hot cream over chips and let them sit for 5 minutes. Stir chocolate chips and cream until chips are completely melted and combine with the cream. Let mixture sit for a couple minutes to cool slightly and thicken. 
  • Gently dollop a tablespoon of chocolate over the Oreo frosting of each cupcake. Top with an Oreo half. 

Notes

Recipe adapted from Preppy Kitchen

Pin for later:

Cookies & Cream Cupcakes photo collage

More desserts you’ll love:

Nutella Crunch Cupcakes

Nutella Crunch Cupcakes with the paper peeled off

Oreo Truffles

Bowl of Oreo Truffles

Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies with oreo crumbles on top

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25 Comments

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Comments

  1. Kelly Anthony says

    May 26, 2019 at 8:09 am

    Cookies and cream icing is the MOST amazing thing ever! I had it at a kids birthday party once and I’m obsessed! However, love that these are chocolate rather than vanilla. Ace choice đŸ˜‰

    Reply
  2. Gunjan says

    February 18, 2019 at 9:56 am

    Love this combination. I will try a vegan of this for my family

    Reply
  3. Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says

    February 18, 2019 at 3:41 am

    These look delicious! I particularly love that rich chocolate ganache drip/topping! We’re definitely going to have to make a batch of these.

    Reply
  4. Amanda Mason says

    February 18, 2019 at 12:46 am

    WOw – what a delicious looking cupcake! The food styling here is unbelievable! Loving all the ingredients! I’ll be making these soon!

    Reply
  5. Jacque Hastert says

    February 17, 2019 at 10:51 am

    I love that you used real cookies to make this homemade frosting. I can’t stand to buy stuff that is already crumbled when I can enjoy making it from scratch.

    Reply
  6. Des says

    February 17, 2019 at 10:06 am

    These cupcakes are what dreams are made of and they would be perfect for any family. I am going to make these for my kiddos classroom party next month.

    Reply
  7. Anne Lawton says

    February 16, 2019 at 3:27 pm

    Wow these look so good! What a great way to enjoy oreos, thanks for sharing

    Reply
  8. Kiki Johnson says

    February 16, 2019 at 8:23 am

    First off, the pictures are absolutely perfect! The cupcakes look so incredibly delicious and anything Oreos are a pretty easy sell in my house – I haven’t made any in such a long time. Don’t ask me why! This recipe needs to be tried asap!

    Reply
  9. Lauren says

    February 15, 2019 at 10:29 pm

    Oreo lover bliss!! So many amazing things going on with this cupcake. That ganache looks heavenly, but I think I’m digging the frosting most.

    Reply
  10. Dominique | Perchance to Cook says

    February 14, 2019 at 9:54 am

    This takes my love of oreos and cookies and cream to a whole other level! OMG these would be perfect for Valentine’s day!

    Reply
  11. Analida Braeger says

    February 14, 2019 at 9:12 am

    Oreos in baking are TOP! These cupcakes are as pretty as the bakery. Cannot wait to give them a try. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  12. Rhonda says

    February 13, 2019 at 8:37 am

    Yes! Yes! and Yes! Will defintiely love to give this a try. Cookies and cream are my favorite combo so I’m sure this would be a hit!!!

    Reply
  13. Danielle Wolter says

    February 12, 2019 at 9:04 pm

    i’m pretty sure my boyfriend would want nothing more than for me to make these for him. he is a sucker for cookies and cream. these sound just incredible!!

    Reply
  14. Adriana Lopez Martin says

    February 12, 2019 at 5:59 pm

    Oh wow, decadent idea perfect little dessert to enjoy anytime! I love Oreos, so this cupcake is my kind of sweet dessert. Now I need one!

    Reply
  15. anjali says

    February 12, 2019 at 5:36 pm

    My kids would die for this dessert! Love the photographs

    Reply
  16. Colleen says

    February 12, 2019 at 5:10 pm

    Everyone loves Oreos, so I know these cupcakes would be a total hit for any celebration. They look delectable!

    Reply
  17. Emily says

    February 12, 2019 at 4:52 pm

    Oreos are my #1 guilty pleasure and these cupcakes look AMAZING! Must make them soon.

    Reply
  18. Sabrina says

    February 12, 2019 at 4:39 pm

    I love anything Oreos and this looks especially tempting! They may be hard to share!

    Reply
  19. Heather says

    February 12, 2019 at 1:15 pm

    Holy yum! I need some of these in my life asap! The oreo and the chocolate makes me drool!

    Reply
  20. Paula @ I'm Busy Being Awesome says

    February 12, 2019 at 12:17 pm

    Such a delicious treat, they seriously look so tasty

    Reply
  21. Mimi says

    February 12, 2019 at 12:16 pm

    OMG This look amazing girl! Mouth watering

    Reply
  22. Marta Rivera says

    February 12, 2019 at 10:30 am

    Seriously, Sharon!!! You always know the way to my heart. I LOVE cookies & cream anything, so this is definitely going on my Valentine’s Day menu.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Black & White Cake Pops - CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado says:
    May 29, 2020 at 4:08 am

    […] Cookies & Cream Cupcakes […]

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  2. Cookies & Cream Macarons - CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado says:
    October 27, 2019 at 8:19 pm

    […] You guys know how much I LOVE cookies & cream anything. I talk about my obsession extensively in this recipe for cookies & cream cupcakes.  […]

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Hi, my name is Sharon. I’m an accountant by day, risk-taking baker and food enthusiast by night. Come join me as I share my favorite recipes and test out new ones along the way!

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