Use this recipe to make Oreo cupcakes from scratch for a fun birthday treat or easy chocolate dessert. The cookies and cream cupcakes and fluffy frosting are so tasty!
These Oreo cupcakes are what cookies and cream dreams are made of! The rich chocolatey cake is full of crushed Oreos, and there are more crushed cookies stirred into the fluffy frosting!
It's an irresistible birthday cupcake for any chocolate cookie lover!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Delicious: The cookie and cream flavor is a favorite among almost everyone. These will be a hit wherever you share them!
- Freezer friendly. You can freeze undecorated cupcakes for at least 3 months!
- Perfect portion control. Fight the temptation to eat a huge slice of chocolate cake. Just enjoy a single Oreo cupcake instead!
There really is no better treat than an Oreo cookie, and using them in desserts is even better than enjoying them on their own!
Other favorite Oreo dessert recipes include Instant Pot Oreo Cheesecake and No Bake Oreo Cheesecake.
Ingredients
See ingredient substitutions in the next section. ⬇️
To make the cookies and cream cupcakes, you'll need:
- unsalted butter: If you can afford European butter, I highly recommend using it! Because it has less water in it than American butter, the flavor is rich and creamy.
- granulated sugar
- unsweetened cocoa powder: Do not confuse unsweetened cocoa powder with hot cocoa mix, which has sugar in it. You need unsweetened cocoa for this recipe.
- large eggs: I realize that eggs are very expensive right now (March 2025). If you need or want to use an egg substitute, check the section below for my recommendations.
- vanilla extract: Extract adds a depth of flavor to desserts, even chocolate desserts.
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder: This leavener makes the cupcakes rise up in the oven.
- sea salt: Salt is a very important ingredient to include because it counteracts with the sweetener to prevent the dessert from being overly sweet.
- crushed Oreos
- whole milk
Substitutions and Recipe Variations
- unsalted butter: If you need or want to use salted butter, just omit the teaspoon of salt this recipe calls for.
- white granulated sugar: To reduce the calories, you can substitute the sugar with any 1:1 variety of granulated sugar substitute. Light brown sugar can be used as a substitute, but the Oreo cupcakes will have a slight molasses flavor.
Although I haven't tested with plant-based butter substitutes, I think they'll work fine. - all-purpose flour: If you'd like to make gluten-free brownies, substitute the AP flour with a cup-for-cup variety of gluten-free all-purpose flour. Two popular brands are Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour.
- baking powder: If you happen to be out of baking powder, but you have baking soda and cream of tartar on hand, you can make a baking powder replacement!
To use baking soda as a substitute for baking powder, mix ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar with ¼ teaspoon of baking soda for every 1 teaspoon of baking powder the recipe calls for. - unsweetened cocoa powder: I used natural cocoa powder for this recipe. For a darker color and deep chocolate flavor, you can use Dutch-process cocoa powder.
- eggs: Egg yolks are important for creating moisture and structure. If you need a substitute, unsweetened applesauce, plain yogurt, and flax eggs are possible options. For details on how much to use, see my guide on egg substitutes for baking.
- milk: You can substitute whole milk with half and half, low-fat milk or non-dairy milk
- vanilla extract: If you want to omit this ingredient, you can, or you can substitute it with any other extract. Both almond extract and chocolate extract are good substitutes. If you need an alcohol-free flavoring, use vanilla essence.
How to Make Oreo Cupcakes
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
- Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl.
- Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients and crushed cookies.
- Incorporate the milk.
- Fill each muffin tin liner all the way with cupcake batter.
- Bake and cool before decorating.
Storage
Storing: These cupcakes are best when stored in the refrigerator. Unfrosted, you can keep these cupcakes on the counter in an airtight container for up to one week. If they are frosted, they will keep for about five days in the refrigerator.
Freezing: Alternatively, you can store the unfrosted cupcakes in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature before frosting and decorating them.
Liz's Tips for the Best Cupcakes
- Lining your pans with paper liners helps prevent the cupcakes from sticking.
- For the fluffiest cupcakes, use room temperature ingredients. Take cold ingredients out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you start making this recipe.
- Avoid over mixing the batter, as it can cause cake to be dry and crumbly.
- Use a cookie scoop: To make sure your cupcakes are the same size and bake evenly, using a cookie or ice cream scoop to portion the batter.
- Let the cakes cool completely before decorating.
- Easy way to crush Oreos: I crush the cookies in a food processor to make the job quick and easy. Another option is to close the cookies up in a large Ziploc bag, and use a rolling pin to crush them.
Cupcake Decorating Ideas
All of the frostings and icings are great either with or without sprinkles, jimmies, crushed cookies, or a mini Oreo cookie on the top.
- cookies and cream cupcake frosting: Stir crushed Oreo cookies into store-bought or homemade buttercream frosting.
- chocolate cookies and cream frosting: Just add 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder to the buttercream frosting.
- fudge frosting
- cream cheese frosting
- use the frosting from my chocolate ganache cake recipe
- chocolate powdered sugar icing
Instead of frosting them, serve the Oreo cupcakes warm with a scoop or two of homemade Oreo ice cream!
Oreo Cupcake Recipe FAQ
Oreo cupcakes, are typically a chocolate cupcake with crushed Oreos in the batter and/or the frosting. Some people place a whole cookie inside of the paper liner, creating a crust-like base for the cup cake. Obtaining a cookies and cream flavor throughout is the goal.
To keep your cupcakes moist after baking you'll want to store them at room temperature in an airtight container. Placing cupcakes in the fridge will dry them out. Because frosting typically requires refrigeration, it's best to store your cupcakes unfrosted, then frost when you're ready to serve.
Other Delicious Cupcake Recipes
- Rainbow Cupcakes
- Easy Vanilla Cupcakes
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Oreo Cupcakes from Scratch
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated white sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspooons vanilla extract
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup crushed Oreos
- ⅔ cup whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉. Place 18 paper cupcake liners into three 6-cup or two 12-cup standard size muffin pans. Set aside.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a large mixing bowl and electric hand mixer), add butter and sugar. Mix on High speed for about 2 minutes, until smooth and fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla to the bowl and mix on medium speed to incorporate.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder to the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, slowly incorporate dry ingredients, mixing until there are no visible clumps or streaks of flour.
- Add the whole milk and mix again until the batter is smooth. Using a silicone or rubber spatula or spoon, gently fold in the crushed Oreo pieces.
- Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, add batter to the prepared pans, filling 18 wells completely with batter. *If you have empty wells, add 1 tablespoon of water to each, to help prevent the pan from warping.
- Bake the cupcakes in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs when removed.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before decorating with a frosting of your choice. *See recipe notes for frosting ideas.
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
- Lining your pans with paper liners helps prevent the cupcakes from sticking.
- Avoid over mixing the batter, as it can cause cake to be dry and crumbly.
- Let the cakes cool completely before decorating.
- Easy way to crush Oreos: I crush the cookies in a food processor to make the job quick and easy. Another option is to close the cookies up in a large Ziploc bag, and use a rolling pin to crush them.
Cupcake Frosting and Decorating Ideas
All of these frosting ideas are great with or without sprinkles, jimmies, crushed cookies, or other candies on the top.- cookies and cream frosting: Stir crushed Oreo cookies into store-bought or homemade buttercream frosting.
- fudge frosting
- cream cheese frosting
- use the frosting from my chocolate ganache cake recipe
- chocolate powdered sugar icing
Julie
Hi Liz. I’ve been enjoying your recipes for a few years now.
I’d like to try these Oreo cupcakes. Can you post the recipe for the Oreo frosting? If you posted it here, I missed it somehow. Thanks so much.
Liz Marino
I used this recipe - https://numstheword.com/oreo-buttercream-frosting/ hope that helps!