These cookies and cream cupcakes are two things, easy and delicious. They use a box mix that’s zhushed up, and a from scratch frosting. This is the type of cupcake to make when your kid forgets and you have to bake them that day or the night before. You will get way more credit than necessary, because you’ll be thinking that was so simple!
Long before I had a baking blog and a wedding photography business, I worked in an office building at a university and I was the cupcake girl. Everyone loved the cake I made and I would experiment with flavors and give them to coworkers. My Easy Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes might have been everyone’s favorite, but I think these cookies and cream cupcakes were a close second.
The thing about cake is, I never ate it so I didn’t want to make it from scratch. Not because of time or effort, but I’d have no idea if it was good or not. MANY people grow up eating cakes made from a box, and for good reason. I’d venture to guess they taste great and they have a lot of leeway when measuring and baking. However, I learned you can make them taste a little bit better by swapping some ingredients and no know can tell they aren’t made from scratch!
Baking Tips
In the recipe card this is noted but follow YOUR cake mix directions and ingredient amounts. Even though we are all making the same cookies and cream cupcakes, not all cake mixes are the same. If you are using a different brand or even an older (or newer if you’re reading this far in the future) box it may be different. I know Betty Crocker box mix has reduced the amount of mix in the box twice over the past 5 years or so.
Cookies and Cream Cupcakes Key Ingredients
- Cake Mix – You don’t need to make the cake from scratch, we’re taking a box mix and fixing it up. I have always bought Betty Crocker because that’s the cake mix my mom bought and that’s what worked for me. Buy whatever brand you like though. Some form of vanilla or white cake mix is the best with these.
- Oreos – Standard, regular filling Oreos. However, I think Oreo thins, or you could probably go with the dark chocolate variety for these as well but if you want to make it how I do, go with the original.
- Milk – Most box cake mixes use water, but you’re going to swap that for milk. It will make the cake a little bit more tender and moist.
Ingredients
- 1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist French Vanilla Cake Mix
- 3 large Eggs room temperature
- 1 cup Whole or 2% milk room temperature
- ⅓ cup Vegetable oil
- 22 Oreo cookies
Frosting
- 225 g Unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ tsp Sea salt
- ½ tsp Vanilla
- 336 g Powdered sugar 3 cups
- 2 tbsp Heavy whipping cream
- 5 Oreo cookies finely crushed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Line your muffin tins with liners, add an Oreo cookie to the bottom of each.
- In a large bowl, add your cake mix and prepare it to box directions, swapping the water for milk in a 1:1 ratio. Mix until smooth.
- Scoop your batter into the liners, filling them about ¾ full.
- Bake your cupcakes for about 13-15 minutes on the middle rack of your oven. Cupcakes should be fragrant and just lightly browned on the edges.
- Remove from oven, remove cupcakes immediately to a wire cooling rack. Let cool completely to room temperature before frosting.
- When cupcakes have cooled, prepare your frosting. Add your butter to the bowl of your stand mixer with paddle attached. Mix on medium for about 2 minutes until butter has become smooth.
- Add in the salt and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Add in the first cup of powdered sugar and mix until a frosting consistency has developed. Repeat with the remaining two cups of powdered sugar.
- Add in your 2 tbsp of heavy cream and mix into your frosting on medium-high for about 5 minutes. The frosting should be light and fluffy when it's ready.
- If you are planning on piping your frosting, make sure your Oreos are crushed very finely with basically no chunks. Anything bigger than about ⅛ inch will get stuck in your piping tip. I'd recommend using a food processor if you have one. Dump your crushed Oreos into the frosting and fold in with a rubber spatula.
- Pipe or use a knife/offset spatula to frost your cupcakes. This frosting should generously frost 12-15 cupcakes, and be almost perfect to frost 20 cupcakes with a smaller to medium amount of frosting.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Enjoy!
