These Oreo cupcakes are perfect for anyone who loves cookies and cream: tender, fluffy white cupcakes with chopped cookie pieces and the creamiest Oreo frosting. They taste like something from a fancy bakery but are surprisingly simple to make. 
I love Oreo desserts — from Oreo cheesecake and fudgy Oreo brownies to Oreo chocolate chip cookies — but these Oreo cupcakes might be my new favorite. The base is a moist, fluffy white cupcake batter with chopped Oreo pieces folded in for bursts of cookies-and-cream in every bite. The frosting is a silky Oreo buttercream made with both the wafers and the cream filling so it truly tastes like an Oreo, not just vanilla with crumbs.
How to Make Oreo Cupcakes
This recipe is straightforward and requires no electric mixer for the cupcake batter — everything is whisked by hand. Below are the key steps and tips to get bakery-quality results.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a 12-cavity muffin pan with liners. This recipe yields about 16 cupcakes, so you will need one full pan plus liners for four cups in a second pan.
- In a medium bowl whisk the wet ingredients: melted and slightly cooled butter, egg whites, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Use room-temperature egg whites, sour cream, and milk for easier mixing. If the mixture curdles slightly, that’s fine. Note: this is a white cake-style batter that uses only egg whites so the cupcakes remain light in color and don’t compete with the Oreo flavor.
- In a separate large bowl whisk the dry ingredients: sifted all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sifting helps remove lumps since the batter is mixed by hand.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients, then gently mix until smooth. Start with a few stirs with a rubber spatula, then finish with a whisk. Stop mixing as soon as there are no lumps.
- Fold in finely chopped Oreo cookies. Chop each Oreo into roughly 6–9 pieces; very large pieces can sink or cause uneven rising. (You can choose whether to include the fine crumbs — leaving them out keeps the crumb color lighter.)
- Spoon batter into the prepared liners, filling each about two-thirds to three-quarters full (roughly 3 tablespoons of batter per liner). Trying to squeeze all the batter into just 12 liners will overfill them — this recipe makes about 16 cupcakes.
- Bake one tray at a time in the center of the oven for 17–20 minutes, or until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The tops should feel slightly firm when pressed. Let cupcakes cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
For the Creamy Oreo Frosting
The Oreo frosting is a highlight: fluffy, creamy, and genuinely Oreo-flavored because it includes both the wafers and the filling. Crush the cookies very fine if you plan to pipe the frosting with a star tip so crumbs won’t clog the tip. For a rustic spread, crushing by hand with a rolling pin works fine.
Beat softened butter until smooth, then add the powdered sugar (start with about 2 cups, sifted) and salt on low speed. Mix in the crushed Oreos, then add remaining powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until you reach the desired sweetness and thickness. If the frosting is too stiff, add 1 tablespoon of whipping cream at a time until the consistency is perfect. 
Frost fully cooled cupcakes with a piping bag and tip or a knife. A 1M star tip creates pretty swirls; you can top each cupcake with a mini Oreo if you like.
These Oreo cupcakes are ideal for cookie-and-cream lovers or anyone looking for a special cupcake flavor. The combination of moist white cupcakes, lots of Oreo pieces, and rich Oreo buttercream is hard to resist — serve with a cold glass of milk for the full nostalgic experience.
Equipment
- 12-cavity muffin pan
Ingredients
Oreo Cupcakes
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3 large egg whites (discard yolks or save for another use)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 cup granulated sugar (caster sugar preferred)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 Oreo cookies, finely chopped
Oreo Frosting
- 8 Oreo cookies (wafers and filling), crushed fine
- 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 3–4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1–3 tablespoons whipping cream or heavy cream
Instructions
Oreo Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line muffin pans. This recipe makes about 16 cupcakes.
- Whisk melted butter, egg whites, milk, sour cream, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. A little curdling is fine.
- Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until there are no lumps.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir with a spatula, then whisk until smooth.
- Fold in chopped Oreo pieces gently.
- Fill liners 2/3–3/4 full and bake one tray at a time for 17–20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and tops are slightly firm.
- Cool cupcakes in the pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Oreo Frosting
- Crush Oreo cookies (wafers and filling) to fine crumbs. Use a food processor for very fine crumbs if piping with a star tip.
- Beat butter until smooth. Add 2 cups powdered sugar and salt, starting on low speed.
- Mix in crushed Oreos, then add remaining powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until desired sweetness and thickness are reached.
- If needed, add cream 1 tablespoon at a time to adjust consistency.
- Frost cooled cupcakes with a piping bag or knife and top with minis if desired.
Notes
- Frosting yield: This recipe makes enough frosting for generous swirls on 16 cupcakes. For a thinner spread or fewer cupcakes, scale the frosting ingredients down (example: 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons butter, 1 1/2–2 cups powdered sugar, pinch of salt, 4–5 Oreos, 1 tablespoon cream).
- Storage: Store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature up to 8 hours or in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature overnight.
- Nutrition: Nutrition facts are estimates per cupcake with frosting, assuming the recipe yields 16 cupcakes.
