Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Name: Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Cuisine: Baking
Ingredients: 24 chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos); 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour; ¾ cup (150 g) caster sugar; ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, soft; 2 large eggs, room temperature; ¼ cup (60 g) sour cream; ⅓ cup (81 g) milk, room temperature; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1½ tsp baking powder; ¼ tsp fine salt; 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, soft (for the frosting); 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar, sifted; 2 tbsp (30 g) heavy cream

A whole cookie hidden in the base and crushed cookies through the frosting.

Prep30 min

Cook20 min

Total50 min

Yield12 cupcakes

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Before you start

The trick that makes these is putting a whole sandwich cookie at the bottom of each case before the batter goes in. It softens into a fudgy layer as it bakes. Keep the sponge plain vanilla rather than chocolate, so the cookies are the thing you actually taste.

Method

7 steps

Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F and line a 12 hole tin. Put one whole cookie flat in the bottom of each case.
2
Beat the soft butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, then the sour cream and vanilla.
For this step
- ¾ cup (150 g) caster sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup (60 g) sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 g) heavy cream
3
Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together, then add to the wet mix in two goes, alternating with the milk. Stop as soon as the flour disappears.
For this step
- 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (81 g) milk
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine salt
4
Roughly chop 6 of the cookies and fold them through the batter by hand. Don't use the mixer, or they grind to grey dust.
For this step
- 24 chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos)
5
Spoon the batter over the cookies in each case, about two thirds full, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes until springy and a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely.
For this step
- 24 chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos)
6
Blitz or bash 6 more cookies to a fine crumb. Beat the butter for 5 minutes, add the powdered sugar in stages, then the cream, then fold in the crumbs.
For this step
- 24 chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos)
- ¾ cup (150 g) caster sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (60 g) sour cream
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 g) heavy cream
Pipe onto the cooled cupcakes, using a wide plain nozzle since the crumbs block a star tip. Finish each with half a cookie.

Baker's tips

Fine crumbs for the frosting, rough chunks for the batter. Chunks in a piping bag jam the nozzle and the whole thing bursts.
The base cookie won't stay crunchy, and it isn't meant to. It goes dense and brownie-like, which is the point.

Make it your own

Use mint or peanut butter filled sandwich cookies for an easy flavour swap.
For a cream cheese version, replace half the butter in the frosting with 115 g cold cream cheese and skip the cream.

Storing & freezing

Airtight at room temperature for 2 days, or 4 days in the fridge. The cookie crumbs soften over time, so they are best on day one.

Frequently asked

Why did my cookie pieces sink to the bottom?

The pieces were too heavy for the batter, usually because the batter was overmixed and thin. Fold chunks in last, by hand, into a thick batter.

Can I make these ahead?

Bake the sponges up to 2 days ahead and keep them airtight, but frost on the day. The crumbs in the buttercream go soft once they sit in it overnight.

Baking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.

A note on cooking safely. Recipes are provided for informational purposes only and are not medical or nutritional advice. Cooking times, temperatures and quantities are suggestions: use your own judgement, and check that meat, poultry, fish and eggs are properly cooked before serving.

Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making dietary changes, particularly if you have allergies, a medical condition or specific nutritional requirements.