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
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!
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.
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?
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!!
Cookies & Cream 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
Pin for later:
More desserts you’ll love:
Nutella Crunch Cupcakes
Oreo Truffles
Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies
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 😉
Love this combination. I will try a vegan of this for my family
These look delicious! I particularly love that rich chocolate ganache drip/topping! We’re definitely going to have to make a batch of these.
WOw – what a delicious looking cupcake! The food styling here is unbelievable! Loving all the ingredients! I’ll be making these soon!
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.
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.
Wow these look so good! What a great way to enjoy oreos, thanks for sharing
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!
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.
This takes my love of oreos and cookies and cream to a whole other level! OMG these would be perfect for Valentine’s day!
Oreos in baking are TOP! These cupcakes are as pretty as the bakery. Cannot wait to give them a try. Thanks for sharing.
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!!!
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!!
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!
My kids would die for this dessert! Love the photographs
Everyone loves Oreos, so I know these cupcakes would be a total hit for any celebration. They look delectable!
Oreos are my #1 guilty pleasure and these cupcakes look AMAZING! Must make them soon.
I love anything Oreos and this looks especially tempting! They may be hard to share!
Holy yum! I need some of these in my life asap! The oreo and the chocolate makes me drool!
Such a delicious treat, they seriously look so tasty
OMG This look amazing girl! Mouth watering
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.