Oreo Cupcakes

Line up of cupcakes on a white marble background with frosting on top.

Oreo Cupcakes take the classic cookie and transform it into a soft & moist chocolate cupcake base with crushed Oreo cookies, and then topped with a fluffy and sweet Oreo buttercream frosting with more crushed Oreo cookies. This cupcake recipe is made from scratch and if you're a fan of Oreos then I know you'll love this one!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cookies and cream cupcakes, oreo cupcake recipes, oreo cupcakes

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 515kcal

Author Jessica - Together as Family

Equipment

Ingredients

Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup finely crushed Oreos
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
12 tablespoons salted butter softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Oreo Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter softened
1 bar (8 oz) cream cheese softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup finely crushed Oreos
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

Heat oven to 350° F. Prepare a 12-cup muffin/cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
In a small mixing bowl, add the flour, 1 cup crushed Oreos, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Stir with a wire whisk to break up any clumps in the mixture. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat together the softened butter and granulated sugar for 1-2 minuets. At first it will look crumbly, but keep mixing for at least 1 minute until it's a creamy mixture.
Add in the milk, eggs, and vanilla. Beat together until combined. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and mix together just until no flour streaks remain and the batter is combined.
* Start on low speed when mixing in dry ingredients so you don't get a puff of flour in your face. Increase speed as needed.
Fill each cupcake liner almost all the way full with cupcake batter.
Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cupcakes should look done, the tops should be rounded, and if you gently press on the top of the cupcake with your finger it should spring back.
You can also insert a toothpick to make sure they are done baking. A toothpick should come out dry or with crumbs on it.
Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Oreo Frosting

In the bowl of a stand mixer (my preferred way to make frosting) beat together the butter and cream cheese until combined well and it's a smooth mixture.
Add in the powdered sugar, crushed Oreos, and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream. Beat together until combined, creamy, and smooth.
If the frosting is thick enough for you then leave it as is, but if you want a softer frosting or the frosting is not coming together, add the remaining 1 tablespoon heavy cream and mix again.
Place a piping bag, with a 1A tip (just a large sized tip)on the end, into a tall glass. Scoop the frosting out of the bowl and into the piping bag. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.
You can also just spread the frosting on with a knife or frosting spatula as well. Either way works fine.
For a pretty presentation, top each cupcake with a mini sized Oreo cookie.

Notes

Frosting : If you use any other milk, that's lower-fat than heavy cream, you will need less of it in the frosting. I always use heavy cream for frosting because it gives the frosting a really soft and fluffy whipped effect that you just can't get with lower-fat milks.

Oreos : One family-size package is enough for this recipe. Make sure that the Oreos are very finely ground/crushed into crumbs. Especially in the frosting. If there are big chunks of Oreo cookie in the frosting, it will get stuck in the piping tip when frosting the cupcakes. I use a mini food chopper/processor for this. I linked to it above in the recipe card.

Stand Mixer : I prefer to use a stand mixer when I am doing lots of mixing like with homemade cakes/cupcakes, and frosting recipes.

Butter : If using unsalted butter, you will need to add some salt to the cupcake batter (dry ingredients) and probably the frosting as well. I would start with 1/4 teaspoon in the frosting and then 1/2 teaspoon with the dry ingredients for the cupcakes. 12 tablespoons butter is equal to 1 stick + 1/2 stick.

Cream Cheese : For best taste and texture, use full-fat cream cheese and not the reduced-fat stuff. Same thing with the heavy cream, don't substitute it in the frosting.

Nutrition