The ultimate soft and gooey cookies and cream cinnamon rolls! My epic Oreo filled brioche dough makes for a fluffy base for my Oreo cookie crumb and chocolate chip filling, which oozes out of the fresh baked rolls. Topped off with a dreamy and creamy cream cheese frosting and more Oreo pieces.
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Why you'll love them
- Soft and fluffy Oreo brioche dough - my classic soft brioche dough gets an Oreo packed upgrade in this recipe! All the fluffy and buttery richness of my classic dough, but loaded with Oreo flavour from whole cookies crumbed complete with their filling!
- Gooey chocolate and cookie crumb filling - if the dough isn't enough, the filling for these Cookies and Cream Cinnamon Rolls is loaded with cinnamon sugar, Oreo crumbs and chocolate chips. Get ready to indulge in gooey oozey chocolatey Oreo decadence!
- Silky smooth and super indulgent cream cheese frosting - what goes better with a Cookies and Cream theme than cream cheese? And my easy cream cheese frosting here is a dream come true for cinnamon roll connoisseurs!
- Did I mention all of the Oreo?? - so, you might have noticed, these rolls have some Oreo in them! If you missed it, don't worry, there's even more Oreo on top! A combination of cookie crumbs and a few larger broken cookie pieces gives a nice decorative finish.
Ingredient Notes for the Dough
This dough is essentially an Oreo packed variation of my classic Brioche Cinnamon Roll recipe. You'll need:
- Milk - full fat or whole milk, warmed to around 104°F. The temperature here is important as this will be key to activating the yeast. Too cold and the yeast won't enliven, too hot and you risk killing the yeast. For success, the specific temperature can be anywhere from about 100°F-120°F, which essentially means warm, but not steaming hot.
- Dry active yeast - you can substitute with other yeasts, such as Instant or Fresh yeast, but I've not personally tested this recipe with other varieties.
- Sugar - granulated sugar or caster sugar will work in this recipe.
- Flour - all purpose flour or plain flour as well as bread flour. The mix of these two flours helps to give the trademark soft texture to these rolls.
- Oreo cookie crumbs - I tend to just blitz a pack or two of Oreos in the food processor and keep a jar of cookie crumbs for use in various recipes. They keep well for a couple of months! This recipe will need the equivalent of about half a pack processed to a fine crumb, with the filling included.
- Salt
- Eggs - large eggs, ideally at room temperature. One of the eggs will be divided into yolk and white.
- Butter - unsalted butter, softened at room temperature. You can use salted butter here, but it will add extra salt to the overall recipe, which will come through in the flavor.
How to Make Oreo Cookie Brioche Dough
This dough recipe follows a process very similar to my standard brioche dough. Like my graham cracker brioche from my S'mores Cinnamon Rolls, this dough uses cookie crumbs in the dough itself, adding flavour and enhancing the texture.
- Start by activating your yeast in the warmed milk. Adding a teaspoon of sugar to this will help to ensure the yeast is well livened up and foamy.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, stir together the flour, bread flour, sugar, salt and cookie crumbs.
- When the yeast is ready, add this to the flour mixture, immediately followed by two eggs and one egg white. Reserve the remaining egg yolk for an egg wash before baking.
- Knead the dough on a low setting for 15 minutes until it has come together and is showing signs of pulling itself from the sides of the bowl.
- Add the butter a couple of small bits at a time, while continuing to knead slowly.
- Once all of the butter has been added, knead for a further 15 minutes until the dough is again showing signs of holding together and slapping the sides of the bowl. Tip: this is a wet dough. It will still be quite sticky after 15 minutes, but it should be pulling on itself as it kneads.
- Scrape the dough into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a long slow proof - about 8 hours (overnight) or until doubled in size.
Ingredient Notes for the Filling
The filling here includes both cinnamon sugar, like a traditional cinnamon roll, but also Oreo cookie crumbs and chocolate chips, giving you all the fun of Cookies 'n Cream!
For this filling, you'll need:
- Butter - unsalted butter, softened at room temperature into an easily spreadable consistency, but not melted. Like with the rolls, you can use salted butter here if you prefer, but the saltiness will make it's way into the overall flavor profile of your bake.
- Sugar - granulated sugar or caster sugar.
- Oreo cookie crumbs - some more crushed up Oreo cookies (filling and all!). For ease of rolling, these should be finely ground into a crumb in the food processor, just like for the dough, or like you would make for an Oreo Cookie Crust.
- Dark chocolate chips - you can also use solid chocolate chopped into pieces. These should be small chunks, similar to the size of chips, to make the rolling and slicing effective.
- Cinnamon - you can't have a cinnamon roll without some ground cinnamon! Cinnamon works well with the flavours of the Oreo and chocolate to give a warmth to these Cookies 'n Cream rolls.
How to Make Cookies and Cream Cinnamon Rolls
To make these homemade gooey cookies and cream cinnamon rolls, you'll want to start off by mixing together the butter, sugar, cookie crumbs and cinnamon. Mashing these together will create a paste that is easy to spread over the surface of your dough.
Also, for easiest baking and serving, line your square baking pan in parchment paper.
- After the slow proof, scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a well floured work surface. Press this into a rectangle and roll to a large rectangle about 12" wide by 15" long.
- Spread the filling paste over the surface of the dough, leaving a small gap around the edges.
- Then roll up from the bottom to the top, into a tight log. (image 1 below)
- Using flavorless dental floss or kitchen twine, trim the ends off of the log, removing uneven and unfilled dough. This normally means trimming about an inch or so off of each end.
- Then divide the remaining log into 9 equal rolls. Cut these with the floss and place in the lined baking tray. (images 2 and 3 below)
- Allow the nine rolls to proof for 2 hours at room temperature (until doubled in size). (image 4 below)
- Near the end of the proof, preheat the oven and make a quick egg wash with the reserved egg yolk and a splash of milk.
- Brush the egg wash over the rolls and place them in the middle of the oven to bake for about 25 minutes, until risen and golden.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes while you prepare your frosting.
Frosting
My quick and creamy cookies and cream frosting requires a few simple ingredients. You'll need:
- Powdered sugar - or icing sugar. This doesn't normally need to be sifted for this frosting, but you might wish to sift yours if it is super lumpy!
- Cream cheese - soft spreadable cream cheese, not the block version. This should be full fat to make the creamiest frosting possible.
- Vanilla extract
- Oreo cookies - a mix of crumbs, like the ones you've used in the dough and filling and a few whole cookies broken into large bits. This will give you the best flavour, texture and decoration for the topping.
Simple mix together the powdered sugar with the cream cheese and vanilla extract. This mixture will start out thicker than glazes made with more liquid, like when you use milk or heavy cream. Don't be worries, the soft spreadable cream cheese will melt the powdered sugar into a creamy oozing cinnamon roll glaze, just give it a little time and patience with the mixing!
To adjust the frosting, additional cream cheese can be used to make it more runny. Alternatively, a teaspoon of milk will also loosen it up if needed.
As a finishing touch, add some crumbled up Oreos - I like to use a mix of crushed Oreo crumbs and some larger broken up Oreo cookie pieces.
Expert Baker Tips
- The dough here is very wet and sticky. This is because the Oreo cookies are crumbed with their filling, which adds extra sugar and moisture to the dough. Don't worry if its still sticking to the bowl and seems a bit wetter than your usual brioche (especially if you've made my other roles!).
- I always advise to line your baking tray for cinnamon rolls. This isn't strictly necessary - it won't impact the baking. But, it really does make life simpler when serving. You can just lift the whole tray's worth of rolls straight out and onto a serving dish while still warm. No fuss, no sticking to the pan or scraping your baking tray.
- Mixing the filling ingredients together (the butter, cinnamon, sugar and Oreo crumbs), makes for a quick spreadable filling. This makes the assembly process for the rolls a lot easier and less messy than if you spread the butter on the dough and then sprinkle the other ingredients. Either method will be successful, but I strongly recommend making the spreadable butter paste.
- I know using floss to slice rolls is a bit of a trend at the moment, and I don't normally bother paying much attention to trendy tips. But, I've tried a lot of bread dough slicing methods and floss is truly the best way to achieve nice rounded rolls here. This is because of the way it allows you to apply pressure all the way around the roll, leaving you with a nice round roll, as opposed to one that has been misshapen by the downward pressure of a knife or dough cutter.
Variations
Just like any good recipe, you can make this one your own and change it up with a few quick alterations. Here are some of my top tips for varying this recipe for personal tastes and preference.
- Different chocolate - I love dark chocolate and Cookies 'n Cream is fundamentally a dark rich chocolate with cream. But, if you like milk chocolate or white chocolate, you can easily substitute either in this recipe. The flavour will of course change, but the process, baking times and general gooey results will still be the same!
- Flavoured Oreos - want to try something a bit different? This recipe will work with any Oreo cookie crumb. This means that you could use a vanilla Golden Oreo or one of the many special and seasonal Oreo flavours. Be aware that different flavoured Oreo cookies and fillings will impact the overall flavour here. Take this into consideration when making changes to the cookie crumbs - will it go with cinnamon and chocolate?
- Frostings and glazes - you can swap out the cream cheese glaze here for a thick vanilla frosting, like I use with my Funfetti Rainbow Sprinkle Cinnamon Rolls or a super indulgent chocolate ganache, like the one I use for my Chocolate Cherry Rolls (minus the kirsch). The frosting recipe here makes for a thick creamy glaze. You could also opt for a drizzle, by splitting the recipe in half and using a spoon or piping bag.
- Sprinkles - who doesn't love a little colour?! Especially for a special occasion or a holiday. You can easily add some colourful sprinkles to the topping here to give these a bright a fun twist.
Making Ahead
A common question for these rolls is whether they can be made ahead. It's a little bit complicated, but in short, yes!
Firstly, the vast majority of active time involved in these rolls is in the kneading. With a slow proof overnight, this means that you would normally make the dough the day before (in the evening) and then fill, roll and bake the next day.
If you want to get a further head start, you can actually make these a bit further in advance with success. My suggestion is:
- Make the dough in the morning the day before you want to serve, allow it to proof as directed in the fridge for about 7-8 hours.
- Then fill, roll and bake as directed.
- Once baked, allow them to then cool completely in the pan and don't frost.
- Wrap the rolls well in the pan and keep on the counter overnight.
- The following day, reheat in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes. Then frost and serve.
Storage
So, I'll always maintain, cinnamon rolls are best fresh! But, if we're being fair, especially if you're not trying to feed a small army, you might end up with a few leftover! I regularly keep my rolls for a few days.
The best way to store these Cookies and Cream rolls is well wrapped in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Due to the cream cheese frosting, it is not advisable to keep them out overnight once frosted.
FAQs
Well, its a bit hard to say - they disappear pretty quick! In practice, I've kept leftovers for about 3-4 days stored well wrapped and in the refrigerator if already frosted.
Yes - the rolls will freeze fine. If you're seeking a recipe to make in advance, I would recommend following the process outlined in 'making ahead' above. Bake and allow to cool, unfrosted. Then, remove from the baking tray, wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months.
When wanting to bake, remove from the freezer, allow to defrost at room temperature and rewarm in the oven before frosting.
Alternatively, freeze leftovers. These will keep ok, but the frosting may seep a bit and become messy during the defrosting process.
Absolutely! If you're looking for a way to fit Oreo cookies into your favourite brunch time treat, you've come to the right place. This recipe is for an Oreo Cookies and Cream Cinnamon Roll. Not only is the dough packed full of Oreo cookie crumbs, but there are more crumbs in the filling and sprinkled over the top!
Need more Oreo inspiration? Try:
- Mini Oreo Cheesecakes
- Golden Oreo Crust
- Two Ingredient Oreo Crust
- No Bake Pistachio Cheesecake with Pistachio Golden Oreo Crust
- Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes with Oreo Crust
Cookies and Cream Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- 8" square baking tray
- stand mixer fitted with a dough hook
Ingredients
Ingredients for Dough
- ¼ cup full fat milk or whole milk, warmed to 104°F (40C)
- 2¼ teaspoon dry active yeast
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or caster sugar, divided so that 1 teaspoon is added to the warm milk and the rest to the dry ingredients for the dough
- 1 cup all purpose flour or plain flour
- ¾ cup bread flour
- ½ cup Oreo cookie crumbs whole Oreo cookies finely ground in the food processor (cookie and filling), the measurements are lightly packed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs ideally at room temperature, one egg divided into yolk and white
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature and cut into small pieces
Ingredients for Filling
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter softened at room temperature into a spreadable consistency
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup Oreo cookie crumbs
- 3 oz dark chocolate chips or finely chopped solid dark chocolate
Ingredients for Frosting
- 1 cup powdered sugar or icing sugar
- ¼ cup full fat spreadable cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Oreo cookies some as crumbs and others broken into larger pieces for decoration
Instructions
Instructions for Oreo Brioche Dough
- Begin by greasing a bowl and setting this aside.
- Sprinkle the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar into the warmed milk. Give this a quick stir and set aside for about 10 minutes while the yeast activates. It should become very foamy on top.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, bread flour, remaining sugar, salt and Oreo cookie crumbs. Give them a stir.
- When the yeast is ready, add this to the flour mixture, immediately followed by two whole eggs and one egg white. Reserve the leftover egg yolk for an egg wash later.
- Turn the mixer to a low setting and knead for about 15 minutes, until the dough appears to be coming together and pulling itself from the sides of the bowl (see note).
- Add the softened butter a few pieces at a time, while continuing to knead.
- Once all of the butter is added, continue to knead as before for a further 15 minutes until you again have a dough that is showing signs of pulling itself from the sides of the bowl.
- Scrape the dough into the greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to proof overnight (for about 8 hours), until doubled in size.
Instructions for the Filling
- Begin by lining an 8" square pan with parchment paper.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix together the softened butter, sugar, cinnamon and Oreo cookie crumbs until you have a spreadable butter paste.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and scrape out of the bowl onto a well floured work surface.
- Form the dough into a rectangle and roll out to be about 12" wide by 15" long.
- Spread the Oreo butter paste over the surface of the dough, leaving a small gap around the edges.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chip cookies over the top.
- Roll the dough up from the bottom to the top to form a tight log.
- Use flavorless dental floss or a thin kitchen twine to trim the ends off of the log, removing an inch or so off each end. This removes uneven and unfilled dough.
- Then divide the remaining dough into nine and slice using the floss. Place the slices in the square baking pan in three rows of three. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to proof for about 2 hours at room temperature, until doubled in size.
- After 2 hours, preheat the oven to 350°F (175C/155C Fan) and prepare a quick egg wash by beating together the leftover egg yolk with a splash of milk.
- Brush the egg wash over the proofed rolls and place them in the centre of the preheated oven for about 25 minutes until risen and golden.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes while you prepare the frosting.
Instructions for Frosting
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the powdered sugar with the soft cream cheese and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
- Spread the frosting over the warm rolls and then top with crushed Oreo cookie crumbs and crumbled whole Oreos.
A connoisseur
Very good, these ones