The ULTIMATE Oreo Cookies and Cream Cinnamon Rolls
These Oreo Cookies and Cream Cinnamon rolls are truly the best of the best! These Oreo rolls are incredibly soft, have an ooey-gooey centre, are packed with Oreos, and topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Packed with oreos – These Cookies and Cream Cinnamon Rolls feature a delicious filling made with chocolate (cocoa powder) and crushed up oreos!
Cream cheese frosting – They are topped with a tangy sweet cream cheese frosting infused with oreo crumbs, and then topped with EVEN MORE oreos!
SO SOFT – The cinnamon rolls are SUPER SOFT thanks to a special process.
Gooey center – They are ooey, gooey, and oh-so-delicious (but you already knew that!).
Homemade dough - They are made from scratch and have maximum flavor!
Ingredient notes
Tangzhong: Tangzhong is a Japanese water roux (made of flour, water and milk). It makes the rolls SO SOFT and tender!
Oreos: Oreos are used in the yeast dough, the filling, and as a topping for the cinnamon rolls!
Cream Cheese: Because these oreo cinnamon rolls wouldn’t be complete without a cream cheese frosting
Yeast: I love to use instant yeast, because it makes the process of making cinnamon rolls more simple.
How to make cookies and cream rolls
1. Make tangzhong: Add flour, water and milk to a small sauce pan. Whisk until smooth, then turn heat to medium. Continue whisking while it heats. Once the tangzhong has thickened, remove it from the heat to cool until just warm.
2. Make dough: Add the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, milk, eggs, butter and tangzhong to a stand mixer. Knead with hook attachment for 15-20 minutes. Lastly, add in oreo crumbs, then knead until just combined into dough.
3. Proof dough: Place dough in oiled bowl, cover with plastic, and place into a warm place to rise for an hour or until double in size.
4. Roll, fill and cut the rolls: Punch down the risen dough, then roll the dough out with the long side facing you. Spread butter across the dough (leave a ½” strip bare along the top). Sprinkle with cinnamon, brown sugar, dutch cocoa, and oreo pieces. Roll the dough up tightly, then slice into 12 pieces.
5. Proof rolls: Place rolls into prepared pan, cover with plastic, and allow to rise for another hour.
6. Bake: Remove plastic and place the risen rolls into the oven to bake until golden brown. Frost the rolls when still warm for the ultimate gooey cream cheese frosting topping, then sprinkle on more oreos.
Tips & tricks
Use a sharp knife, dental floss, or string to cut the rolls. This will ensure a nice even cut for the cookies and cream rolls.
Add cream before baking. Completely optional, but adding a ¼ of cream over the proofed cinnamon rolls will give them an extra gooey soft centre!
Frost the rolls when they’re still warm. About 5-10 minutes after they’re out of the oven is perfect!
Proof the dough in a warm place. Covering the dough and placing it in a warm spot is crucial for a proper rise! One great tip is to turn your oven on for exactly 1 minute (350F), then turn it off. Your oven should now be at perfect proofing temperature.
Make sure your yeast is good. Yeast is living, and as such it can go bad. Check your expiry date!
Weigh your ingredients. Weighing the ingredients will yield the best and most consistent results. Volumetric measurement can be off by significant amounts, leading to inconsistent baking.
Flour your work surface. Without floring the work surface, the dough will stick, and you will not be able to roll it up after.
Roll tightly. This helps the roll hold its shape.
Equipment required
Stand Mixer: While not required, a stand mixer with a hook attachment makes easy work of dough making!
Rolling Pin: My favorite type of rolling pin is a French rolling pin, as I find it gives the most control.
How to store the cinnamon rolls
Fridge: I personally prefer to store my frosted cookies and cream cinnamon rolls in the fridge. I know some places say room temperature is fine, but I prefer to air on the side of caution, and store them in the fridge in an airtight container. A quick microwave will make these oreo rolls nice, warm and gooey again!
Freezer: The UNBAKED rolls can be frozen in a freezer bag for 4-6 weeks. The baked rolls can be frozen in a freezer bag too, but they may lose some of their softness with freezing.
FAQ
Yes! You can make these as overnight cookies and cream rolls by placing the freshly sliced rolls into your prepared baking pan. Cover the top with plastic wrap, then place into the fridge overnight (8-12 hours). The next morning, bring the rolls out of the fridge and allow them to rise for 1-2 hours in a warm place, then bake as normal!
The UNBAKED rolls can be frozen in a freezer bag for 4-6 weeks. The baked rolls can be frozen in a freezer bag too, but they may lose some of their softness with freezing.
Yes, see the instructions for overnight rolls 2 questions up, or the instructions for freezing unbaked rolls 1 question up.
Yes, you’ll just have to bloom the yeast first. You can do this by warming the milk to about 105°F, adding the yeast, stirring, and allowing it to sit for 10 minutes.
Yes, the rolls will be chewier and more dense though.
Your yeast is likely expired, or you added in something (melted butter, tangzhong, or milk) too hot into the dough (yeast dies at 120°F).
This dough is definitely on the stickier side, but if it seems too sticky to work with, slowly add more flour 1 tbsp at a time until it becomes more workable.
Related recipes
Pistachio Rosewater Cinnamon Rolls
Chocolate SunButter Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe
Get the Recipe: Oreo Cookies and Cream Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 1/4 cup + 2 tsp (70g) Water
- 1/4 cup + 2 tsp (70g) Milk
- 3 tbsp (25g) All Purpose Flour
Dough
- 4 cups + 2 tbsp (495g) All Purpose Flour
- 3 tbsp (38g) White Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Instant Yeast
- 3/4 cup (180g) Whole Milk
- 2 Large Eggs
- 6 tbsp (85g) Unsalted Butter,, melted
- 1/4 cup (30g) Oreo crumbs
Filling
- 6 tbsp (85g) Unsalted Butter,, softened
- 1/2 cup (110g) Light Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Cocoa Powder, (preferably Dutch cocoa)
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon
- 1 cup Crushed Oreos Cookies, (about 10 cookies)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup (120g) Cream Cheese,, softened
- 1/2 cup (114g) Unsalted Butter,, softened
- 1 cup (120g) Confectioners Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1/4 cup (60g) Heavy Cream or Whole Milk
- 1 tbsp Oreo Crumbs
Equipment
- Stand mixer
Instructions
Tangzhong
- Add the flour, water and milk to a small sauce pan. Whisk until smooth, then turn heat to medium. Continue whisking while it heats. Once the tangzhong has thickened (should be thick enough that whisking leaves streaks), remove it from the heat to cool until just warm.
Dough
- Add the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, milk, eggs, butter and tangzhong to a stand mixer. Knead with hook attachment for 15-20 minutes. Lastly, add in oreo crumbs, then knead until just combined into the dough. The dough should be smooth but will also be very soft and slightly sticky.
- Place dough in oiled bowl, cover with plastic, and place into a warm place to rise for an hour or until double in size.
- After the dough is doubled, punch it down, then roll the dough out to be about 12×16”, with the long side facing you. Spread butter across the dough (leave a ½” strip bare along the top).
- In a bowl, mix together cinnamon, brown sugar, dutch cocoa, and oreo pieces. Sprinkle this overtop of the buttered dough.
- From the longside (facing you), roll the dough up tightly into a log. Use string, floss or a sharp serrated knife to slice 12 rolls. Place rolls into a 9×12” pan sprayed with cooking spray and lined with parchment, then cover with plastic, and allow to rise for another hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Remove plastic and place the risen rolls into the oven to bake for 20-22 minutes. Frost the rolls when still warm.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add all of the cream cheese glaze ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and beat together using a hand mixer until smooth. Add to rolls while they’re still very warm, then sprinkle on more crushed oreos.
