Last updated: June 28, 2026
This cookies and cream cookie recipe delivers thick, bakery-style cookies with crushed Oreo pieces folded into a buttery vanilla dough, and a recipe card below walks you through every step in detail.
If you have ever wanted a cookie that tastes like an Oreo milkshake in solid form, this is it.
What Makes This Cookies and Cream Cookie Recipe Work
The success of any cookies and cream cookie recipe comes down to three things: fat ratio, chill time, and Oreo distribution.
Using a combination of melted butter and softened butter gives the dough both spread and chew, a technique favored by bakeries like Levain in New York City.
Bread flour adds a slight chewiness you cannot achieve with all-purpose alone, though all-purpose still works perfectly well if that is what you have on hand.
Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes prevents the cookies from spreading too thin, which keeps those thick, fudgy centers intact.
Crushing the Oreos to different sizes, some fine and some chunky, distributes chocolate flavor throughout while still leaving distinct Oreo pieces in every bite.
Ingredients You Will Need
The Dough Base
The foundation is 2 and a quarter cups of bread flour (or all-purpose), one teaspoon of baking soda, and half a teaspoon of fine sea salt.
For fat, use 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter, half melted and half softened to room temperature.
Three quarters of a cup of granulated sugar and half a cup of packed light brown sugar give the right balance of crisp edges and chewy centers.
Two large eggs plus one extra yolk add richness without making the dough cakey, a ratio popularized by the New York Times chocolate chip cookie from Jacques Torres.
One tablespoon of pure vanilla extract rounds out the flavor, so do not skip it or substitute imitation vanilla here.
The Mix-Ins
Fifteen standard Oreo cookies, roughly crushed, form the backbone of this recipe.
One cup of white chocolate chips provide creamy sweetness that contrasts beautifully with the dark Oreo crumbs.
An additional four or five whole Oreos, broken in half, can be pressed onto the tops of the cookie dough balls before baking for a dramatic presentation.
How to Make Cookies and Cream Cookies
Step One: Prepare the Butter and Sugar
Melt five tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to foam, then remove from heat immediately.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the remaining five tablespoons of softened butter with both sugars using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for two full minutes until light and fluffy.
Pour the warm melted butter into the beaten mixture and mix on low for 30 seconds.
The combination of warm and cool butter creates a specific texture in the finished cookie that is difficult to achieve any other way.
Step Two: Add the Eggs and Vanilla
Add the two whole eggs and one egg yolk to the butter-sugar mixture, beating on medium speed for 90 seconds.
The mixture should look slightly pale and ribbony at this stage, which signals that enough air has been incorporated.
Add the vanilla extract and beat for another 10 seconds just to combine.
Step Three: Incorporate the Dry Ingredients
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl before adding to the wet ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients all at once and fold with a rubber spatula, not the mixer, stopping as soon as no flour streaks remain.
Overmixing at this stage develops too much gluten and produces a tough cookie rather than a tender one.
Step Four: Fold in the Oreos and Chips
Crush the Oreos in a zip-lock bag using a rolling pin, aiming for a mix of fine crumbs and pieces up to half an inch in size.
Fold the crushed Oreos and white chocolate chips into the dough using the spatula, distributing them as evenly as possible.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes, though overnight chilling produces even better flavor development.
Step Five: Bake the Cookies
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop the dough into balls using a large cookie scoop, approximately three tablespoons each, placing them two inches apart on the prepared pans.
Press a half Oreo into the top of each dough ball before baking for the bakery look.
Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are set and golden but the centers still look slightly underdone.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies sit on it for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack, as they continue to cook from residual heat and will firm up to the perfect texture.
Variations and Substitutions
Dairy-Free Option
Replace the butter with an equal amount of vegan butter such as Earth Balance or Miyoko’s Creamery, both of which perform well in cookie dough.
Swap the white chocolate chips for dairy-free dark chocolate chips from brands like Enjoy Life.
Double Stuffed Upgrade
Using Double Stuf Oreos instead of classic Oreos adds noticeably more cream filling flavor to each bite.
The extra filling also slightly softens the dough, so add one additional tablespoon of flour to compensate.
Golden Oreo Version
Substituting Golden Oreos for classic Oreos produces a vanilla-on-vanilla cookie with a softer, more caramel-like flavor profile.
Add a quarter teaspoon of almond extract alongside the vanilla to enhance the Golden Oreo character.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
Baked cookies stay fresh at room temperature in an airtight container for up to five days, though they are at their absolute best within the first 48 hours.
Unbaked dough balls freeze beautifully for up to three months. Arrange them on a sheet pan, freeze solid, then transfer to a freezer bag.
Bake from frozen at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 14 to 16 minutes without thawing, adding just a couple of extra minutes to the standard time.
The Origin of Cookies and Cream
Cookies and cream as a flavor combination became a mainstream phenomenon in the early 1980s when Oreo ice cream debuted from Nabisco and several major creameries simultaneously.
The concept of folding crushed sandwich cookies into baked goods followed naturally, appearing in home baking publications throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Today, cookies and cream is one of the most searched flavor profiles in American baking, consistently ranking alongside chocolate chip and peanut butter in cookie recipe searches.
Check the recipe card below for exact quantities, timing, and a printable version you can keep in your kitchen.
Cookies and Cream Cookie Recipe
Thick, chewy cookies loaded with crushed Oreos and white chocolate chips. Soft in the center, golden at the edges, and packed with cookies and cream flavor in every bite.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (5 melted, 5 softened)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 15 Oreo cookies, roughly crushed
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 4 to 5 Oreo cookies, halved (for topping)
Instructions
- Melt 5 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan until just foaming, then set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
- Beat remaining 5 tablespoons softened butter with both sugars on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add cooled melted butter and mix on low for 30 seconds.
- Add eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium for 90 seconds until slightly pale and ribbony.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl, then fold into the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Crush Oreos in a zip-lock bag to a mix of fine crumbs and half-inch chunks. Fold Oreos and white chocolate chips into the dough.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (overnight preferred).
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop dough into 3-tablespoon balls and place 2 inches apart. Press a halved Oreo onto each ball.
- Bake for 11 to 13 minutes until edges are golden and centers look slightly underdone.
- Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
Dough can be refrigerated up to 72 hours or frozen as scooped balls for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookies at 375 F for 14 to 16 minutes. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For extra soft cookies, microwave for 8 seconds before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1 cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 218Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gSodium: 145mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 3g
This site provides estimated nutritional information. This information comes from online calculators. Although we try to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my cookies spread too much?
The most common reason cookies spread excessively is butter that was too warm when it entered the dough.
Make sure the melted butter has cooled for at least five minutes before mixing, and always chill the dough before baking.
Can you use any brand of sandwich cookies instead of Oreos?
Any creme-filled sandwich cookie works in this recipe, including Hydrox, Newman-O’s, or store-brand equivalents.
The flavor will vary subtly depending on the brand, but the texture and structure of the cookie remain consistent as long as the cookie-to-cream ratio is similar to a standard Oreo.
Why add an extra egg yolk to the dough?
Egg yolks contain fat and emulsifiers that produce a richer, more tender crumb than whole eggs alone.
The additional yolk in this recipe is a technique borrowed from professional pastry kitchens and makes a noticeable difference in the final texture, creating that dense, fudgy center that defines a great bakery cookie.
How do you keep the cookies soft after baking?
The key is pulling the cookies from the oven while the centers still look underdone and allowing carry-over cooking to finish the job.
Storing them with a slice of white sandwich bread in the container also helps, as the cookies absorb moisture from the bread and stay softer for longer.
Can the dough be made ahead and stored?
The dough can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours or frozen as pre-scooped balls for up to three months.
Making the dough ahead actually improves flavor, as the sugars and flour have more time to hydrate and the vanilla deepens in the cold environment.
The Cookies and Cream Cookie Recipe Worth Saving
This cookies and cream cookie recipe is the kind of recipe that earns a permanent spot in a baking rotation, with chewy centers, crisp edges, and Oreo pieces in every single bite.
Make a double batch, freeze half, and you will always be 15 minutes away from a warm, bakery-quality cookie.
