Cookies & Cream Oreo Frosting is the answer to any Oreo-lover’s quest for more of the delicious chocolate sandwich cookies in their life! Use it with moist chocolate cupcakes or your favorite vanilla or chocolate cake to create a cookies and cream inspired dessert!
We love Oreo desserts! Be sure to also check out our Cookies and Cream Macarons, Oreo Cookies & Cream Cake, and Slutty Brownies [aka Brownie Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars]!
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A friend recently mentioned that as she has gotten older her love of frosting has diminished. Which made me realize that my frosting obsession is only increasing as I age. I was the opposite of every kid in America and used to scrape off the frosting only to eat the cake beneath!
But now as an adult, I’ve developed a major obsession with fabulous frostings, like this Oreo buttercream frosting that is so delightfully yummy that it really shouldn’t be allowed.
If you love the popular chocolate sandwich cookie, then this is the perfect oreo buttercream recipe for you. It only takes 10 minutes to whip up from scratch, so you can add it to just about anything in very little time!
This is the best Oreo frosting to elevate my classic Moist Chocolate Cupcakes or to give the perfect finishing touch to these Frosted Brownies! Or you may choose to eat it from a bowl with a spoon, it’s okay, I won’t judge.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Customize the recipe to add more or less Oreo, other chocolate, or even different extract flavors!
- Made with simple ingredients, it’s perfect for all kinds of dessert recipes.
- Quick and easy, this recipe only takes 10 minutes to make!
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for the full recipe with ingredient quantities.
- Salted Butter – Use room temperature butter for easy mixing. If you use unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- Powdered Sugar – For the base of the frosting, it’s also known as confectioners’ sugar.
- Vanilla Extract – Pure vanilla extract gives this frosting a warmness to it and really compliments the chocolaty flavor too!
- Salt – Add some salt to contrast the sweetness and enhance the flavors.
- Heavy Cream – Makes the frosting creamy. Use low or full fat for this or even whole milk if you have it to hand.
- Oreos – You’ll need about 12-14 Oreos, finely crushed for the frosting, plus any you’d want to add on top as an extra topping.
How to Make Oreo Frosting
- Cream butter. In a large bowl, beat the butter using a stand mixer or hand mixer on medium speed until it’s smooth, creamy, and light. This should take about 4 minutes.
- Add sugar and flavorings. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating again until combined. Then, beat in the remaining powdered sugar, as well as the vanilla extract, and salt.
- Add cream. Put in just enough heavy cream or milk to help the frosting get to a nice, pipeable consistency.
- Add Oreos. Stir in the crushed Oreos. Make sure to not overmix, unless you want the Oreo pieces to break up and become smaller.
- Frost. Put the frosting into a piping bag with a piping tip large enough for the Oreo pieces to fir through, and frost your cake or cupcakes.
Recipe FAQ’s
The quickest and easiest way to crush Oreos into crumbs is to use a food processor (affiliate link). You can also buy boxes of Oreo crumbs to save time, although I’ve never used them before.
Alternatively, place the whole Oreos in a closed Ziploc bag, press on the bag to remove the air, and roll it out with a rolling pin until they’re crushed-this is every kid’s favorite job ever! Just make sure that you get the Oreos into fine crumbs so that they are small enough to fit through the frosting tip.
Using butter as a base for your icing or frosting will make it buttery and creamy. Adding cream or whole milk will make it even more creamy and delicious! Anything from reduced-fat milk to heavy full-fat cream will work. The more fatty the milk or cream, the creamier the icing or frosting will be.
You can bulk buy the authentic Oreo cream filling in pouches, but this Oreo Frosting recipe is quick and easy, as well as way less expensive!
Store leftover frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. Bring it to room temperature before using it so that it moves easier.
This frosting can be frozen, though the cookie bits will not be crunchy after defrosting it. It will stay good in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost thoroughly before using it.
Tips for Success
This frosting has small bits of Oreo cookie in it, which means you’ll need to have a frosting tip big enough to allow these cookie bits through it. The frosting base is soft and creamy, so your frosting will be as thick as the cookie bits are.
- The Wilton 8B (affiliate link)has a large opening, so this is the one I have used to put a generous amount of frosting on the cupcakes in the pictures for this recipe.
- The Wilton 1M, the Ateco 828 and Ateco 808 (affiliate links).
Other frosting tips:
- If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a plastic sandwich bag with a small hole in the corner and put a piping tip into it instead.
- If you don’t want to pipe, you can always spread the Oreo frosting on with a knife or use a cookie scoop to create a mound of Oreo frosting on top of your cupcakes.
- Keep in mind that if you are decorating with whole Oreos, they will lose their crunchiness after a while sitting in the frosting so don’t add them on too far in advance.
- Like American Buttercream Frosting, this Oreo frosting will harden slightly and develop a crust around the edges if left out for too long. Decorate your cupcakes just before you plan to serve them for the best results.
How much frosting do I need?
This recipe makes 4 cups of frosting, which is enough frosting for 14-16 cupcakes if you are piping it on thick like in the photos, or 24 cupcakes if you are just planning to spread the frosting onto the cupcakes with a knife. It’s also enough for a 2 layer cake, but if you want more frosting to pipe decorative swirls around the top I recommend a double batch, or at least a batch and a half.
Substitutions and Variations
- Mix it up by using different crumbled cookies for different flavors. Try crumbling Biscoff Lotus cookies into it and add some cinnamon for a Biscoff crunch frosting.
- Add toppings to your frosting. Decorate these cupcakes with mini oreo cookie pieces, chocolate sprinkles, or even Hershey’s kisses for an added treat!
- You can use 1 cup of unsalted butter with ¼ teaspoon of salt instead of 1 cup of salted butter.
- Make it extra chocolatey by adding some cocoa powder.
More Fantastic Frosting Recipes
- S’mores Cupcakes with Graham Cracker Frosting
- Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Easy Salted Caramel Frosting
- Cream Cheese Frosting
Frostings
Homemade Chocolate Frosting
Frostings
Best German Chocolate Cake Frosting
Frostings
Fresh Strawberry Frosting
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Oreo Frosting (Cookies & Cream Frosting)
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
- 12-14 Oreos, finely crushed, about 1 ¼ cups of cookie crumbs
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the butter using a stand or electric mixer until smooth, creamy, and light, about 4 minutes.
- Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating together until combined.
- Add in the remaining powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and mix until combined.
- Add just enough heavy cream or milk to get the frosting to a nice pipeable consistency.
- Stir in the Oreos with a spoon, then use a piping bag to frost your cake, cupcakes, or brownies.
Notes
- Unsalted butter: If you use unsalted butter, also add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the mix.
- Fridge: Store frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. Bring it to room temperature before using it so that it moves easier.
- Freezing: Put in an airtight container or Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost thoroughly before using it.
I made this to frost a chocolate layer cake. It was amazing. It was just enough to frost the 2 layers, as you said it would be. I made it exactly as the recipe said. I was slightly concerned because it was a warm day and my butter was sooooo soft but it all worked out great.
Best frosting ever
Please help, i made as instructed but it did not come out thick enough. After popping on my cupcakes the cream started to slightly melt and drip. I added more powder sugar but didn’t help. I put cream in fridge until I get help. Need to frost these cupcakes for the morning.
It sounds like the cupcakes were still hot from baking. They need to cool completely or the frosting will melt. That’s not just cool to the touch but all the way cool so there is no residual heat to melt the butter in the frosting.
Thanks Amy for replying. I actually had cooled the cupcakes in the fridge before frosting. I think I did something wrong when mixing all the ingredients. Was I suppose to include the cream from the cookies or remove it?
You should include the cream from the cookies.
When I crush Oreos do I need to take the cream out of them or can I leave it in ?
Leave it in!
Yum! Best ever! A true keeper!!!! I noticed the oreo and cream flavors were stronger after the frosted cake set for a few hours.
You are the bomb! Thank you!!!!!
Hola buenas tardes estoy leyendo la receta de el glaceado oreo pero no encuentro las cantidades .
Gracias
The flavor was good but the frosting was extremely thick
I tried to thin out with the heavy cream but it didn’t help. I think 3 cups of the oreo crumbs was too much. Next time I will add less.
Hi! Yes definitely adjust to your liking! Sometimes heavy cream can make it a little thicker so you can try using whole milk if you want it a little thinner consistency. Less Oreo crumbs will also help too. Glad it tasted good!
I’ve used this frosting twice now and will continue to however I do tweak it slightly. Instead of 4 cups of icing sugar I only use 3 cups. I just find that it’s far too sweet otherwise. I also add the crushed oreo and keep tasting it as I add more for the same reason. The vanilla cake I make with this frosting is quite sweet already so something to keep in mind (how sweet is the cake you’re making) before going all the way with the quantities in the recipe. Great recipe though and one I’ll keep on rotation!