Gooey, chocolatey, and pillowy soft, cookies and cream cinnamon rolls are an easy and delicious way to up the ante of any morning! Traditional cinnamon rolls come together with beloved Oreo cookies for a sweet bun that is every bit as cinnamon-sugar filled as the original but with the added flavor and crunch of chocolate Oreos.
They’re relatively simple to make, don’t require any special equipment, and are a great recipe to have in your back pocket.
Cookies and cream cinnamon rolls are perfect for fun, low-key brunches or as a specialty cinnamon roll for holiday mornings. There is enough sweetness and texture for them to be served as dessert, or they can easily fit into a brunch or breakfast spread alongside savory fare.
And don’t forget to wash them down with a fresh cup of coffee or homemade hot chocolate for the ultimate cozy morning treat!
To make cookies and cream cinnamon rolls, crushed Oreo cookies are used to fill and top the cinnamon rolls for maximum flavor and texture. The Oreos should be crushed, but don’t need to be blitzed into a fine powder. Anywhere from dime to rice-sized pieces will do.
To ensure a pillowy cinnamon roll, make sure your eggs are room temperature before you get started. This will help them seamlessly integrate with the butter and milk and make for a silky soft dough.
To cut the dough into rounds you’ll use unscented dental floss to ensure a clean cut without squishing the layers. If you opt to not use dental floss, a serrated knife works as well, just take care not to compress the dough.
What You Need to Make Cookies & Cream Cinnamon Rolls
To make cookies and cream cinnamon rolls, you’ll need a handful of pantry staples, eggs, milk, butter, active-dry yeast, Oreo cookies and cream cheese for the frosting. If you prefer a buttercream frosting, replace the cream cheese with softened butter.
Oreos provide the cookies and cream element to this recipe, but any chocolate wafer with or without a vanilla cream filling will do.
This recipe calls for bread flour, though all-purpose flour can be used as well. If you use AP flour, start with 3 ½ cups and add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time as needed.
Ingredients:
- Bread Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Kosher Salt
- Active Dry Yeast
- Milk
- Eggs- Room Temperature
- Butter-melted
- Ground Cinnamon
- Brown Sugar
- Oreo Cookies
- Plain Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
How To Make Cookies & Cream Cinnamon Rolls
Lightly grease a medium to large mixing bowl with butter and set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix together bread flour, ¼ cup +1 tbsp sugar and the salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Heat milk to 100-105F, then pour into a separate large mixing bowl. Add in yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Stir to dissolve. Let the yeast activate for 10 minutes, or until the milk starts to bubble and froth.
Once the yeast is activated, add the melted butter and room-temperature eggs to the milk mixture and whisk until combined.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the milk mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, and use a spatula to mix. When a dough starts to form in the bowl and about ¾ of the flour has been added in, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
Sprinkle the remaining flour over the top of the dough and begin kneading by hand until the dough is soft, pliable and slightly tacky. About 10 minutes.
Form the dough into a ball then transfer to the prepared mixing bowl and cover tightly. Place in a cold oven with the light turned on and proof for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
While the dough is proofing, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon and whisk until combined and set aside. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper and set aside. Crush the oreo cookies and set aside.
When the dough is proofed, punch it down and turn it out onto a moderately floured work surface, then sprinkle the top with flour. Use your hands to form the dough into a rectangle, then roll out the dough into a large ¼ – ½ inch thick rectangular slab.
Spread the softened butter across the entire surface area of the dough, stopping just short of the edges. Generously sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the butter, and press with your hand so it adheres.
Evenly sprinkle 1 cup of the crumbled Oreo cookies over the butter and cinnamon and lightly press the cookie crumbles into the butter so they stick.
Carefully but tightly, roll up the long edge of the rectangle until it forms a large log. When you reach the opposite end of the dough press lightly to seal the edges. If the ends have tapered, cut them off to create an even cylinder.
Slide a large piece of unscented dental floss underneath the dough until you reach the middle of the log. Grip the dental floss on either side of the dough, then cross the floss ends and pull down to the counter to create a clean cut. Using this same motion, cut out 9 rounds that are approximately 1½ – 2 inches thick. Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking dish.
Cover the baking dish with a piece of plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Place the baking dish in a warm corner of the kitchen, and let the cinnamon rolls proof again for 45 minutes to an hour, or until doubled in size.
While the cinnamon rolls are proofing, heat the oven to 350F, then make the frosting. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together cream cheese, milk and powdered sugar until smooth. Set aside.
After the cinnamon rolls are proofed, bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes, then turn the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Spread the frosting over the cinnamon rolls, then sprinkle the remaining crumbled Orea cookies over the top of the frosting.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Cookies and Cream Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 4 cups bread flour
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar + 2 tbsp
- ½ cup butter melted
- 2 eggs room temperature
For the Filling
- 5 tbsp butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon +1 tsp
- 1 cup Oreo cookies crushed
For the Frosting
- 1 cup plain cream cheese softened
- 2 tbsp milk use more or less depending on desired consistency
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup crushed Oreo cookies for topping
Instructions
- Lightly grease a medium to large sized mixing bowl with butter and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix together bread flour, ¼ cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar and the salt and whisk to combine; set aside.
- Heat the milk to 100-105F; pour into a large mixing bowl, then add in the yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar; stir to dissolve and let yeast proof for 10 minutes or until the milk starts to bubble and froth.
- Once the yeast is activated, add in the eggs and melted butter and whisk to combine.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the milk mixture, about ½ cup of flour at a time, and use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix.
- When a dough starts to form in the bowl, and about ¾ of the flour has been added in, turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.
- Sprinkle the remaining flour over the top of the dough and begin kneading by hand until the dough is soft, pliable and slightly tacky; about 10-15 minutes.
- Form the dough into a ball and transfer to the prepared mixing bowl and cover tightly.
- Place the bowl in a cold oven with the light turned on and proof for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- While the dough is proofing, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon and whisk until combined and set aside, then line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- Crush the Oreo cookies and set aside.
- When the dough is proofed, punch it down, and turn it out onto a moderately floured work surface, then sprinkle the top with flour.
- Use your hands to form the dough into a rectangle, then roll out the dough into a large ¼ – ½ inch thick rectangular slab.
- Spread the softened butter across the surface area of the dough, stopping just short of the edges.
- Generously sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the butter, and press with your hands so it adheres
- Evenly sprinkle 1 cup of the crumbled Oreo cookies over the butter and cinnamon and lightly press the cookie crumbles into the butter so they stick.
- Carefully but tightly roll up the long edge of the rectangle to create a log; once you reach the opposite end of the dough press lightly to seal.
- Slide a large piece of unscented dental floss underneath the dough until you reach the center, then cross the floss ends and pull down to the counter to create a clean cut.
- Using this same motion, cut out 9 rounds that are approximately 1½ – 2 inches thick and transfer to the prepared baking dish.
- Cover the baking dish with a piece of plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and place in a warm corner of the kitchen; let the cinnamon rolls proof again for 45 minutes to an hour, or until doubled in size.
- While the cinnamon rolls are proofing, heat the oven to 350F.
- Make the frosting; in a medium sized bowl, combine the cream cheese, milk and powdered sugar and whisk until smooth; set aside.
- After the cinnamon rolls are proofed, bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes, then turn the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Spread the frosting over the cinnamon rolls, then sprinkle the remaining crumbled Oreo cookies over the top of the frosting.
Notes
Nutrition
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Rebekkah is a food writer, recipe developer and sommelier who is obsessed with all things food and drink. When she isn’t lingering too long in her kitchen, she can be found making music in her apartment or traveling the globe in search of the perfect noodle.