Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Cookies and Cream Cupcake topped with chocolate sandwich cookie infused vanilla frosting and half a cookie.

5 from 3 votes

These Cookies and Cream Cupcakes are soft gluten free chocolate cupcakes that are mixed with cookie crumbs and filled with a fluffy vanilla buttercream! They're then topped with "oreo" frosting, "oreo" crumbs and half a gluten free chocolate sandwich cookie! This "oreo" cupcakes recipe is a must try for all you cookies and cream lovers out there! Best yet, they're also eggless, nut free and can easily be vegan!

Prep Time45

Cook Time25

Assembly Time15

Total Time1 25

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 623kcal

Author: Lee

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

5 gluten free chocolate sandwich cookies , crushed into a sand like consistency
1.5 cups multipurpose gluten free flour (I use a gluten free multipurpose flour with xanthan gum already in it)
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder (I use 2 tablespoons dutch or natural unsweetened and 2 tablespoons dark)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
7 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 cup cold water

For the Vanilla Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, room temperature
6 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch kosher salt
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon water , room temperature

For the Cookies and Cream Frosting

6 gluten free chocolate sandwich cookies , smashed into tiny crumbs

For the Topping

6 gluten free chocolate sandwich cookies , cut in half

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Cupcakes

Place 5 of the sandwich cookies in a zip top bag and seal it shut.
Crush the cookies with the flat side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin until they have a sand-like consistency.
In a large bowl whisk together the 1.5 cups of gluten free flour, 1 cup of granulated sugar, ¼ cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt and crushed chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs.
In the dry ingredients, using clean hands, make 3 wells for the wet ingredients to be poured into.
In one well pour the 7 tablespoons of vegetable oil, in the other well pour the 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and in the last, pour the 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
Pour the 1 cup of cold water on top of all the ingredients and use a whisk to mix everything together until fully combined. If it gets too thick for the whisk, switch to using a spatula. Do not over mix.
Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake tins ¾ way to the top. Smooth the tops with a small knife. You should have 12 regular size cupcake tins filled.
Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back at you when carefully touched or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let the cupcakes cool almost completely in the pan before trying to remove them.

For the Vanilla Frosting

In the large bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand held mixer, beat the 1 cup of unsalted butter or vegan baking stick until smooth and creamy. About 2 minutes.
With the mixer on very low speed, slowly add in the 6 cups of confectioners' sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and the pinch of salt.
While the mixer is on, slowly add in the water a little at a time until you get the desired consistency. You may not need to use all the water.
Once all the ingredients are combined, turn the mixer to medium high speed. Beat for about 2-3 minutes or until the frosting is super soft, fluffy and creamy. Set aside.

Assemble the Cupcakes

Once the cupcakes have cooled, make the holes for the vanilla frosting filling.
If you have piping bags with tips, you can use that to make the holes. If not, using a clean thumb, simply push down in the center of the cupcakes but not all the way to the bottom.
Fill a piping bag with a tip with about 1 cup of the vanilla frosting. If you don’t have a piping bag, fill a zip top bag with vanilla frosting and snip a small piece of the corner off.
Fill the holes in the center of the cupcakes with the vanilla buttercream, all the way to the top.
If you have any excess vanilla frosting, put it back into the bowl of frosting. We will use it to make the cookies and cream buttercream.

Make the Cookies and Cream Buttercream

Place 6 of the sandwich cookies in a zip top bag and seal it shut. Crush the cookies with the flat side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin until there are tiny crumbs. Not quite the sand like consistency of earlier.
Using a spatula, very gently fold the crumbs into the vanilla frosting. Mix until just combined. If you over mix the frosting will become a muddy messy color.

Decorate the Cupcakes

If you have piping bags, fill the bags with the frosting. Make sure to use a wide tip otherwise the crumbs will get stuck. I like to use Wilton 4B.
Pipe the cookies and cream frosting on top of each cupcake.
If you don’t have piping bags, put a thin layer of frosting on top of each cupcake.
If you frosted the cupcakes by hand, pop the cupcakes in the fridge for 15 minutes to let that thin layer harden.
This is your crumb layer so that when you frost the tops of the cupcakes, the vanilla frosting doesn’t ooze out and get all over the place.
If you have a piping bag, you don’t need the crumb layer or this step.
Take the last 6 chocolate sandwich cookies and cut them in half.
There will be crumbs. Take the extra crumbs and sprinkle them on top of the frosted cupcakes. Place half of the cookie on top of each cupcake if desired.

Video

Notes

Vegan: Use a dairy free gluten free flour, vegan sugar, vegan baking sticks and vegan/gf chocolate sandwich cookies.

All Purpose Flour: I cannot test this due to celiac disease, but use 1.5 cups packed AP flour (252 grams), ¼ cup packed cocoa powder (29 grams) and 6 tablespoons vegetable oil.

Storing: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container or wrapped in foil in the fridge for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for 30 days.

If desired, let each cupcake come to room temperature prior to eating.

Nutrition: The info below is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Nutrition