Cookies and Cream Oreo Cupcakes

Name: Cookies and Cream Oreo Cupcakes
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 3/4 cup sugar; 3/4 cup vegan sour cream or unsweetened vegan yogurt; 1/3 cup vegetable oil; 1 egg; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 8 Oreos, crushed; 1 cup vegetable shortening; 5 – 6 tablespoons vegan sour cream or unsweetened vegan yogurt; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 3 cups powdered sugar; 8 Oreos, crushed or processed

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Over the last three weeks, we celebrated three birthdays, both kids and my husband’s, which means lots of cakes and cupcakes. It also means that they’re taste testing new recipes for their birthdays.

Ellie’s had her first party with school friends, and I ordered cupcakes from a friend who makes super awesome beautiful cupcakes (the kind I don’t have time to make), and she even made them dairy free.

We made these Oreo cupcakes for Marc’s birthday (I didn’t give him a choice for the flavor), and they did not disappoint.

Why I love these Oreo cupcakes

I’m always saying “focus on what you can have” rather than what you can’t, and Oreos are completely dairy free. So I figured, it was time to embrace my motto.

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I browsed a ton of recipes before committing to this current formula, but I’m super excited about how they turned out. Instead of using buttermilk, I used unsweetened dairy free yogurt. I didn’t even bother to thin it out because it’s already on the thinner side.

I also tested this recipe with this vegan sour cream, and they turned out amazing, too.

The result was nothing short of amazing. These cookies and cream cupcakes are decadent, dense and full of crushed Oreo cookies. They remind me so much of those cookies and cream candy bars that are off-limits now, but these cupcakes are even better.

Here’s what you’ll need to make them

oreo cupcakes topped with cookies and cream frosting and oreo cookies

How to make Oreo cupcakes

Prep and preheat. Before starting, line your muffin tin, preheat the oven, and measure out your ingredients.

You’ll also need to crush your Oreo cookies. I recommend leaving larger chunks for the cupcakes so you get nice big bites of cookie when you bite into them. For the frosting, you’ll want a finer cookie crumb, especially if you’re going to be piping the frosting.

Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. This helps distribute the leavening agents (aka. baking soda and powders) to make sure your cupcakes will evenly rise.

Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the wet ingredients with a mixer until they’re smooth, but don’t over mix.

Combine dry and wet ingredients. Add about 1 cup of flour mixture at a time to the wet ingredients and beat until it has been incorporated before adding the next addition. Scrape the sides as needed.

Stir in the crushed cookies. Do I need to say more? Be a little gentle when you’re stirring so you don’t break up the cookie pieces too much.

cookies and cream cupcakes before being decorated with oreo frosting

Bake the cupcakes. Portion the batter between 12 baking cups and pop the muffin tin into the oven for 18 – 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let the cupcakes cool to the touch before transferring to a cooling rack.

Make your frosting. In a large bowl, beat the shortening, vegan yogurt or sour cream, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add the salt and sugar (1 cup at a time) and mix until light and fluffy. Add the cookie crumbs and continue mixing until smooth.

Frost and garnish the cupcakes. Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost the cupcakes and, if you want, top each cupcake with a full Oreo cookie.

I used a simple circle tip for piping the frosting to accommodate for any larger cookie crumbs in my frosting, but if you crush your cookies enough, you should be able to use any tip you prefer.

oreo cupcakes topped with full oreo cookies on a cooling rack

FAQs and tips for making the best cookies and cream cupcakes

Do Oreo cookies have dairy in them?

No! Oreo cookies don’t contain any milk and they’re completely vegan. That’s why I love this recipe so much.

How many calories are in a cookies and cream cupcake?

How long in advance can you make cupcakes?

Ideally, you would want to make these cupcakes the day before you’re going to serve them. If you want to make them any further in advance, I would recommend not frosting them and storing them in an airtight container (once they’ve completely cool) until you’re ready to serve.

What’s the best way to freeze cupcakes?

I think the best way to freeze frosted cupcakes is to put them in a plastic or glass container and put them in the freezer. When you’re ready, just thaw them on the counter until they come to room temperature.

What can I substitute for eggs in baking?

If you want to make this recipe vegan, I recommend using 1 teaspoon ground flax seed + 3 tablespoons of water to create a flax egg.

More dairy free cupcakes:

Other dairy free desserts: