Cookies n' Cream Cupcakes

Since it's the Oreo cookie's 100th birthday this year, I figured I would celebrate by making some delicious cookies n' cream cupcakes! These cupcakes are a super moist chocolate cake that has a surprise Oreo cookie hidden on the bottom. They are topped with homemade cookies n' cream buttercream icing, which could be the best icing I have made to date - I seriously could not stop eating it out of the bowl! If you'd like to make some other Oreo recipes to celebrate then check out my other Oreo cookie recipes by clicking the Oreo category link on the left side of the main page!


It also happens to be my mom's birthday today too, so Happy Birthday Mom! xoxo

Oreo Cupcake Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine, melted

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

1 large egg

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

12 Oreo cookies, separated into halves

Cookies n' Cream Icing:

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. butter, softened

2 cups icing sugar

3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

2 Tbsp. milk or heavy cream

12 Oreo cookie halves plus 2-4 full Oreo cookies

Cupcake Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter, vegetable oil, and water over low heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the melted butter mixture and whisk or beat with an electric mixture until smooth. Add in the egg and beat until it is incorporated, then add the buttermilk and vanilla and continue to beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Separate your 12 Oreo cookies into one half with icing on it and one half just the plain chocolate cookie. Place the half with the icing on it into the bottom of the paper cupcake liners, icing side up. Set aside the plain chocolate cookie halves for the icing.

Fill the prepared muffin cups 3/4 full with batter. Bake in the centre of the oven for 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached and the tops of the cupcakes spring back when gently pressed. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the muffin tin on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer from the tin onto the wire rack to finish cooling completely before frosting.

Cookies n' Cream Icing Directions:

In a medium bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in the icing sugar, salt, and vanilla and continue to mix until combined. Add in the milk or cream and beat until the icing is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. 

Place the Oreo cookie halves that you set aside in a large plastic bag, along with the 2-4 full Oreo cookies. Crush the cookies in the bag until there is a mixture of small and medium sized cookie crumbs. Pour the Oreo cookie crumbs into the icing and stir with a spoon or rubber spatula until they are evenly distributed in the icing.

Spread the icing onto the cooled cupcakes or pipe on with a piping bag and tip. I just spread mine on with an angled spatula, but if you are planning on piping on the icing then make sure your Oreo cookies are crushed very finely so that no large chunks clog up the piping tip. You can also garnish the cupcakes with Oreo cookie halves, or a single mini Oreo cookie, if desired. Store covered in the refrigerator if you are not serving these immediately.

*Recipe adapted from Food and Wine Magazine