Cookies and cream cookies are thick, soft vanilla cookies packed with big chunks of Oreo and a handful of white chocolate chips. The edges turn light gold, the middles stay soft for days, and every bite has a piece of chocolate wafer with its creme still in it.
Two small things make the texture: 1 tablespoon (8 g) of cornstarch in the flour keeps the centers tender, and 30 minutes in the fridge keeps the scoops tall instead of spreading flat. Chop the Oreos into chunks and leave the fine crumbs out, so the dough stays pale. One bowl, about 15 minutes of mixing, and 10 to 11 minutes at 350°F (175°C) for 16 large cookies.
At a Glance
- Yield: 16 cookies from 3 tablespoon (45 g) scoops
- Pan: rimmed half sheet pans lined with parchment, 8 per sheet
- Time: 15 minutes prep, 30 minutes chill, 10 to 11 minutes per sheet
- Difficulty: easy; a hand mixer, one bowl and a knife
- Key technique: chunks, not crumbs, folded in by hand, plus cornstarch for soft centers
Why the Middles Stay Soft
Soft centers come from moisture and from pulling the cookies early. Brown sugar does most of the work: it holds more water than white sugar, so 1/2 cup (100 g) of it with 1/4 cup (50 g) of granulated sugar gives a chewy middle with a lightly crisp edge. Cornstarch softens the flour, which keeps the crumb tender rather than bready.
Height comes from cold butter. After 30 minutes in the fridge the dough holds its shape for the first few minutes in the oven, so the edges set before the middle spreads. Scoop the dough tall and rough rather than rolling it smooth; the ragged tops bake into soft peaks with Oreo pieces poking out.
Butter, Sugar and Oreos: The Ingredients That Matter
The full list is 11 ingredients, with amounts on the recipe card. These are the ones that change the result:
- Butter: 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted, softened to about 65°F (18°C), so it dents when pressed but does not look greasy. Melted butter gives thin, flat cookies.
- Flour: 1 2/3 cups (210 g) all-purpose, spooned and leveled. Scooping straight from the bag can add 30 g and makes the cookies dry and domed.
- Oreos: 12 regular sandwich cookies, about 135 g, cut into 4 to 6 chunks each. Double Stuf works too; the extra creme melts a little at the edges.
- White chocolate chips: 1/2 cup (85 g). They add the “cream” flavor and look. Swap in semisweet chips for a darker cookie.
Mixing the Dough and Folding in the Oreos
Beat the soft butter with both sugars on medium for 2 minutes, until lighter in color. Add the egg and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla and beat for 30 seconds more. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, add them, and mix on low until just a few streaks of flour remain.
Put the chopped Oreos in a sieve and give it a shake to drop the fine crumbs. Fold the chunks and the white chocolate chips in with a spatula, about 10 turns. The dough should look pale and thick, with dark pieces spread through it. Mixing the Oreos in with the mixer grinds them, and the dough turns gray.
Scoop Tall, Then Chill 30 Minutes
Scoop 3 tablespoon (45 g) mounds and press 2 or 3 extra Oreo chunks into the tops, so the finished cookies show big pieces. Set them on a parchment-lined sheet, close together for now, and chill the whole sheet for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) while they chill.
Before baking, space the dough 2 inches (5 cm) apart, 8 to a sheet. Keep the second sheet in the fridge while the first one bakes.
How to Tell They Are Done
Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack for 10 to 11 minutes. They are ready when the edges are set and light golden, the tops have puffed and cracked a little, and the centers still look soft and slightly underbaked. If the tops turn golden all over, they will be crisp once cool.
Leave them on the hot sheet for 5 minutes; the middles finish cooking there. Then move them to a wire rack. A cookie lifted too early will fold, so wait for the full 5 minutes.
Fixes for Flat, Gray or Dry Cookies
| What you see | Why | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Flat, spread cookies | Warm or melted butter, no chill | Use 65°F butter; chill 30 minutes |
| Gray dough | Oreo crumbs mixed in by machine | Sift out crumbs; fold chunks by hand |
| Dry, cakey middles | Packed flour or overbaked | Weigh 210 g flour; pull at 10 minutes |
| Domed, no spread | Too much flour or dough too cold | Rest dough 10 minutes at room temperature |
| Soggy Oreo pieces | Dough stored with chunks for days | Add Oreos the day you bake |
Mix-In Ideas
- Mint: use mint creme Oreos and add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract.
- Dark version: swap the white chocolate for semisweet chips and use 2 tablespoons (10 g) cocoa in place of 2 tablespoons of flour.
- Holiday: fold in 1/4 cup (45 g) crushed candy canes with the Oreos.
- Golden Oreos: the vanilla wafers make a lighter, birthday-cake style cookie.
If you have Oreos left over, Oreo fluff is a no-bake bowl dessert, Oreo frosting takes about a dozen crushed cookies, and Oreo pie puts crushed Oreos in both the crust and the filling. Around the holidays, peppermint Oreo truffles roll crushed Oreos with cream cheese and dip them in white chocolate.
Keeping Them Soft for Days
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. A slice of sandwich bread in the container keeps them soft; the cookies pull moisture from it. The Oreo chunks slowly soften after day 2.
Freeze the scooped, unbaked dough balls for up to 3 months. Bake them from frozen at the same temperature, adding 1 to 2 minutes. Baked cookies freeze for 2 months and thaw in about 30 minutes on the counter.
For a mixed cookie tray, they sit well next to fudgy chocolate crinkle cookies, pillowy cream cheese cookies and s’mores cookies.
Quick Answers
Why did my cookies and cream cookies turn gray?
Fine Oreo crumbs got mixed into the dough. Shake the chopped cookies in a sieve and fold the chunks in by hand at the end.
Do I have to chill the dough?
For thick cookies, yes. Without the 30 minute chill they spread about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wider and bake up thin.
Can I use Oreo crumbs instead of chunks?
You can, but the dough turns gray and you lose the visible pieces. Chunks of 1/2 to 1 inch (1 to 2.5 cm) look and taste best.
Save It for Your Next Bake
Pin these cookies and cream cookies to a cookie or Oreo dessert board, so the chunks-not-crumbs step and the 30 minute chill are easy to find next time.
Cookies and Cream Cookies
Thick, soft cookies and cream cookies with a brown sugar vanilla dough, big chunks of Oreo and white chocolate chips. A tablespoon of cornstarch keeps the middles tender, and 30 minutes in the fridge keeps the scoops tall. Chop the Oreos into chunks and sift out the fine crumbs before folding them in by hand, so the dough stays pale instead of gray. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 11 minutes, while the centers still look soft. One bowl, 15 minutes of prep, 16 big cookies.
Ingredients
Cookie dough
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Mix-ins
- 12 Oreo cookies (about 135 g), cut into 4 to 6 chunks each
- 1/2 cup (85 g) white chocolate chips
Instructions
- CREAM: Beat the softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium for 2 minutes.
- WET: Beat in the egg and vanilla for 30 seconds.
- DRY: Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Add and mix on low until a few streaks of flour remain.
- OREOS: Shake the chopped Oreos in a sieve to remove the fine crumbs. Fold the chunks and white chocolate chips into the dough by hand.
- SCOOP: Scoop 3 tablespoon (45 g) mounds onto a parchment-lined sheet and press 2 or 3 Oreo chunks into each top.
- CHILL: Refrigerate 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- BAKE: Space 2 inches apart, 8 per sheet. Bake 10 to 11 minutes, until the edges are light golden and the centers still look soft.
- COOL: Leave on the sheet 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack.
Notes
- Chop the Oreos into 4 to 6 chunks each and sift out the fine crumbs, or the dough turns gray.
- Fold the Oreos and white chocolate in by hand, about 10 turns.
- Chill the scooped dough 30 minutes so the cookies bake up thick.
- Done: edges set and light golden, centers still soft. Rest 5 minutes on the sheet.
- Storage: airtight at room temperature 4 days; freeze dough balls 3 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 211Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 120mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 2g
