Chocolate Oreo cupcakes baked with a surprise Oreo in the bottom, topped with a creamy vanilla buttercream, and crowned with more crushed Oreos!
To say that I’m obsessed with Oreos would be a HUGE understatement.
Just type the word “Oreo” in the search field of this blog, and you’ll end up with a seemingly never-ending list of recipes that I’ve managed to incorporate this heavenly cookie into.
Whether it’s for making a simple no-bake cookie crust, layering them in trifles, or baking them into brownies, Oreos are probably the most versatile cookie out there. Hence, the reason why my pantry is stocked with at least 10 packages. (That’s not excessive, is it?)
Shockingly, I still had no cupcake recipe dedicated to this handsome little devil! So for all you Oreo lovers out there, today is your lucky day…
These are probably the best Oreo Cupcakes you will ever eat in your entire life. And this is me trying to be humble, guys. While they might look like your average Oreo cupcake, I assure you that they’re much, much, MUCH more than that.
First of all, these cupcakes are unbelievably moist. They’ve got that perfect pillowy touch on the outside with that light and fluffy crumb on the inside. And the richness of the chocolate in these cupcakes is incredible. Along with using dutch-processed cocoa powder (Hershey’s Special Dark works great!), one of the keys to sparking that rich flavor is adding good freshly-brewed coffee or espresso to the batter. I always keep instant espresso powder on hand and simply add it to hot water.
Along with the cocoa powder, this cupcake gets its beautiful chocolatey sweetness from crushed Oreos. Just 3/4 cup of crushed Oreos infuses that wonderfully distinct Oreo flavor into these cupcakes.
And I didn’t stop there, folks. I also baked an entire Oreo into the bottom of each cupcake. Aside from the fact that it’s just a nice little surprise, the Oreo lends a nice crunch when you bite into the cupcake!
While Oreo frosting might have been the obvious choice to top these cupcakes with, I decided to balance out the chocolate cake with some sweet vanilla buttercream instead. I don’t know about y’all, but there’s just something so satisfying about biting into a piece of chocolate cake with white vanilla frosting, or white/yellow cake with chocolate frosting. That contrast in flavors just makes my tastebuds do the happy dance!
Deciding on how I wanted to decorate these cupcakes was probably the most difficult part of all. While using a piping bag with some kind of tip is usually my go-to for cupcakes, I instead went for the simple frosted look. First I piled on a generous mound of frosting, then I flattened the top and frosted the edges inward. If you’ve ever been to Sprinkle’s Cupcakes, that’s the look I was going for.
That first bite says it all…
These Oreo Cupcakes are PERFECTION. They’re fluffy, moist, rich, and chocolatey. And with that delicious Oreo cookie base AND the divinely sweet vanilla buttercream, they’ll have your tastebuds doing cartwheels.
Oreo Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 22-24 regular Oreos
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- ¾ cup hot water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 Tablespoons dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup crushed Oreos (about 6)
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
Vanilla Buttercream:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 4-6 Tablespoons milk
- Crushed Oreos for garnish
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF degrees and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Place an Oreo into the bottom of each liner. Add the espresso powder to the hot water, and stir until fully dissolved; set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, crushed Oreos, and sugar until well combined. Add the oil, sour cream, and espresso liquid and continue stirring with a whisk. Stir in the egg, followed by the vanilla.
- Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and salt together until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and 2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
- Add 4 Tablespoons of milk, along with the remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar, and beat until combined. Add more milk, if needed to get the right consistency.
- Frost cupcakes with the buttercream and decorate with crushed Oreos.