Cookies & Cream Cookies

Using a combination of butter and cream cheese, these cookies & cream cookies are extra soft and uniquely creamy-tasting. Fill the dough with white chocolate chips and big chunks of Oreo cookies. Brown sugar and a touch of cornstarch adds extra softness, while the chopped Oreos add a little crunch. You definitely won’t regret making a double batch.

Oreo cookies and cream cookies on pink plate

Two cookies in one. Literally! If you love cookies & cream ice cream and Oreos are your weakness, you’re going to be REALLY happy about this.

Do you have a paperback copy of Sally’s Baking Addiction cookbook? If so, you’ll see Cream Cheese Cookies ‘n Cream Cookies on page 125. We’re using the same exact ingredients here, but I add even more cream cheese and butter. I also skip 1 egg and add white chocolate chips. The cookies are just as soft, but they have more flavor, a creamier texture, and chewier edges. You’ll love the sweet white chips in each bite, too. You can’t go wrong with either variation!

These Cookies & Cream Cookies Are:

  • Exceptionally soft from the cream cheese
  • A texture lover’s dream (crunchy Oreos, soft cookie base)
  • As chewy as my chewy chocolate chip cookies
  • As thick as my peanut butter cookies (but with big chunks of Oreos!)
  • Perfectly sweet with white chocolate chips

One reader, Janel, commented:I’m usually not a big Oreo girl unless there’s peanut butter involved, but man, I am so glad I made these! The flavor is outstanding—truly cookies and cream-tasting through the whole batter, not just regular cookies with a few Oreos thrown in. Holy yum. ★★★★★

stack of cookies and cream cookies on pink cake stand

Cookies & Cream Cookies: Power Ingredients

A few ingredients add to their signature flavor and texture. Here’s how:

  • Cornstarch: I love adding a touch of cornstarch to chocolate chip cookies because it helps create a softer, thicker cookie. Same story here.
  • Cream Cheese: Like I mention above, I use more cream cheese in this recipe than the cookbook version. I wanted a more noticeable cream cheese flavor and a creamier texture, too; one that exceeds the texture of my cream cheese sugar cookies.
  • Butter: Room temperature butter, along with cream cheese, is the base of this cookie recipe. You can soften butter quickly with this trick. (This trick also works for softening the cream cheese, too!)
  • Granulated & Brown Sugar: Sugar is not only used for sweetness, but for providing structure and tenderness too. Granulated sugar helps the cookies spread, and brown sugar keeps the cookies soft.
  • White Chocolate Chips: White chocolate chips add a similar sweet “cream” flavor that’s found in the Oreo cookies. If you don’t have white chocolate chips or don’t want to use them, semi-sweet, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or even peanut butter chips work instead. Or skip them altogether and add more Oreos.
  • Oreo Cookies: Just what you need to make the perfect Oreo cookie crust, too. To prevent the cookie dough from turning gray as a result of all the Oreos, keep the chunks of Oreo cookies on the larger side. And I actually broke them up by hand instead of using a knife.

Can I use other flavor Oreos? Yes, of course! Try peanut butter, birthday cake, golden, mint, or any other Oreo cookie flavor you love. If you love playing around with flavored Oreos, try my cookies & cream pie, too. It’s fantastic with the mint Oreos!

butter, cream cheese and Oreo cookies
side by side photos showing creamed butter and cream cheese and cookie dough

Cream the Butter & Cream Cheese Together

Creamed butter and sugar is the base of many cookie recipes. (Here’s more on how to cream butter and sugar, if you need a refresher.) But before we add the sugar, it’s imperative to properly cream the cream cheese and butter together. The two are different textures—cream cheese is much softer than butter. My tip is to beat the cream cheese in your mixer until very soft and smooth, with no lumps. Then add the softened butter and beat together until combined and thick. See photo above (left).


The cookie dough is soft and creamy, so make sure you take the time to chill it in the refrigerator. The cookies will spread into puddles otherwise.

After chilling, roll the cookie dough into balls and bake:

cookies and cream cookie dough balls on lined baking sheet
cookies and cream cookies on cooling rack

3 Cookie Tips to Improve Your Next Batch

  1. Spoon & Level the Flour: The amount of flour makes or breaks a cookie recipe—literally. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour.
  2. Chill the Cookie Dough: Chilling the cookie dough is an imperative step in this recipe. The colder the dough, the less the cookies will over-spread into greasy puddles. You’ll have thicker, sturdier, and more solid cookies.
  3. Bake 1 Batch at a Time: You get the best possible results when the oven only concentrates on 1 batch at a time. If you need to bake more than one batch at a time, rotate the baking sheets from the top rack to bottom rack a couple times through the baking process to encourage even browning. And turn the sheets around as well. Ovens have hot spots!

The bites with excessive Oreo cream are clearly the best. You’ll love this cookies and cream cake and cookies & cream Oreo cupcakes, too!

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Oreo cookies and cream cookies on pink plate

Cookies & Cream Cookies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 111 reviews
  • Author: Sally McKenney
  • Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes
  • Yield: 30 cookies
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Using a combination of butter and cream cheese, these cookies & cream cookies are extra soft and uniquely creamy-tasting. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours before baking.


Ingredients

  • 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 ounces (113g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (180g) white chocolate chips
  • 1 and 1/4 cups (about 110g) roughly chopped Oreos (10 whole Oreos)


Instructions

  1. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the butter and beat until combined (see photo for a visual), scraping down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
  3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, beat in the white chocolate chips. Add the Oreos and beat on low speed or gently fold in with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon (dough is heavy) until combined. Cover and chill the dough for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator (and up to 4 days). If chilling for longer than a few hours, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard.
  4. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
  5. Roll cookie dough, a heaping 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie (I use this medium-size cookie scoop), and place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 12–13 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. While the cookies are still warm, I like to press a few more white chips or Oreo pieces into the tops—this is only for looks!
  7. Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Notes

  1. Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 4. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Here’s how to freeze cookie dough.
  2. Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mat and Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
  3. Cornstarch: I love adding a little cornstarch to some cookie recipes because it helps keep the cookies extra soft. You can leave it out if you don’t have any with no other changes to the recipe needed. (The cookies are still pretty soft without it!)
  4. Cream Cheese: You only need 4 ounces (113g) of cream cheese, so use half of an 8-ounce brick of full-fat cream cheese. Do not use cream cheese spread or whipped cream cheese. If using low-fat or fat-free, keep in mind that the texture of the cookies will be different. They won’t be as rich or chewy and could spread more. I recommend full-fat.
  5. Oreos: You need about 10 Oreos. Use any flavor you love, including Golden Oreos. I like to use Double Stuf, but regular work too. Give the Oreos a very rough chop into bite-sized pieces as pictured above. Or break them up by hand. Chopping into finer pieces creates a lot of dark sandy crumbs. Obviously the taste of the cookies won’t change, but your cookies will look different and darker than pictured.
  6. White Chocolate Chips: Feel free to skip the white chocolate chips and add 5–6 more chopped Oreos or replace with the same amount of your favorite cookie add-in such as peanut butter chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped nuts, etc.
  7. Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
cookies and cream cookies with Oreo pieces
sally mckenney headshot purple shirt.
About the Author

Sally McKenney

Sally McKenney is a baker, food photographer, and New York Times best-selling author. Her kitchen-tested recipes and step-by-step tutorials have given millions of readers the knowledge and confidence to bake from scratch. Sally’s work has been featured on TODAY, Good Morning America, Taste of Home, People, and more.

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Reader Comments and Reviews

  1. Sarah N says:
    October 21, 2023

    This is one of my most requested cookies from family and friends! I love making them year round with holiday-themed Oreos (ex. orange for Halloween, red for Valentine’s Day or Christmas), and I’ll even replace the white chocolate chips with holiday themed M&Ms for a more festive touch!

    Reply
  2. Nicole says:
    August 17, 2023

    Made this cookie to make ice cream sandwiches. Let the dough chill in the mixing bowl for 2 hours before scooping. I do not recommend that if you’re leaving out the white chocolate chips and adding more oreo pieces. This cookie taste amazing but was discolored by the Oreo pieces when scooping cold. I would scoop, then chill. It is sticky, but worth it, If you want a cleaner looking cookie.
    Divided the recipe yield by weight and got 22 perfectly sized cookies for ice cream sandwiches.

    Reply
  3. Cara says:
    August 16, 2023

    Amazing recipe! I use milk chocolate chips instead. I have also used Reese’s cups in place of the Oreos and the cookies are delicious! I’m sure other mix-ins would be just as fabulous.

    Reply
  4. Ana says:
    August 3, 2023

    Is there an alternative to cream cheese? I don’t love it. Could it be done with more butter or without? Or adding whipped cream or anything else?

    Reply
  5. Lydia says:
    July 19, 2023

    Awesome recipe, I’ve made it so many times. Everyone I share the cookies with are amazed by the flavor and fall in love, a highly requested cookie.
    Sally, this last batch of dough I made, I accidentally mixed up recipes and added an extra egg yolk. After I whisked it, I realized in horror. Is there a good way to balance the extra yolk into the recipe? I read online adding a little extra flour would balance the moisture, so I did, but I want your opinion. What do you think?

    Reply
    1. Sally @ Sally's Baking says:
      July 22, 2023

      Hi Lydia, a couple extra Tbsp of flour will help. Let me know how the cookies turn out.

      Reply
      1. Lydia says:
        July 26, 2023

        Hey! So I added around 3 tablespoons of flour until the dough wasn’t so wet and the consistency was close to the original. I shaped the dough into three different shapes (circle, cylinder, puck) to kind of experiment and the puck came out the best. I noticed they weren’t as sweet as the original, but they were servable at the least lol. Thank you Sally!

  6. Donna says:
    July 5, 2023

    I have baked this around 10x now with only half of the time successful with the texture, sometimes the oreos dont come out crunchy. What could I be doing wrong sometimes? Still tastes awesome though. Any chance I could also make this into 100g cookies?

    Reply
    1. Lexi @ Sally's Baking says:
      July 6, 2023

      Hi Donna, the texture can change a bit depending on how much you crush your Oreos. For a more crunchy texture, keep your Oreo pieces on the larger size, as they will keep their original texture better than smaller pieces, which will soften in the dough. Feel free to make the cookie dough balls a bit larger if you’d like, too. Hope this helps for your next batch!

      Reply
      1. Donna says:
        July 8, 2023

        Wow, thanks! I’ll try to keep the oreos into bigger sizes on my next batch. One more, if I make ahead and freeze dough balls as instructed, would the oreos keep crunchy as long as the crushed oreos are on the larger size?

  7. Claire German says:
    June 21, 2023

    Wow, these cookies were really good. Came together easily.

    Reply
  8. Libby says:
    May 31, 2023

    These look amazing Sally! Do you think they could be made into bars instead of individual cookies? Thank you!! Love all your amazing recipes!!

    Reply
    1. Trina @ Sally's Baking says:
      May 31, 2023

      Hi Libby! Absolutely. For cookie bars we recommend a 9×13 inch pan for thin cookie bars or a 9×9 inch square pan for thicker bars. A skillet around those sizes will work too. We’re unsure of the best bake times.

      Reply
      1. Libby says:
        June 1, 2023

        Ok perfect! I will try it out! Thank you so much for always replying! ❤️

    2. Jen G. says:
      June 20, 2023

      This is one of my favorite cookie recipes. For anyone who is wondering about making bars, I tried in a 9×13 pan. They were still very good, but much more cakey than the individual cookies.

      Reply
  9. Christina says:
    May 11, 2023

    Can I double this recipe? Or should I make two separate batches of dough?

    Reply
    1. Lexi @ Sally's Baking says:
      May 11, 2023

      Hi Christina, it’s fine to double these cookies, so long as your mixer can handle the added volume. Enjoy!

      Reply
  10. Eli says:
    April 20, 2023

    I loved trying to make this recipe it was really cool and delicious cookies!

    Reply
  11. Tripp says:
    March 22, 2023

    Great recipe but I found that refrigerating the dough for a few days will cause the Oreos to get soft and when you roll them in balls they don’t want to stick where alot of Oreo dust accumulates and when baked they hollow at at that spot dough was in glass bowl ceram wrapped

    Reply
  12. Kelly says:
    March 5, 2023

    The cookies were delicious, but I found that they needed a good bit longer in the oven to avoid tasting too raw (and I like a good underbaked cookie, typically). I ended up baking my second batch for 18 minutes and they came out great.

    Reply
  13. Lindsay says:
    March 5, 2023

    Hi. Great recipe! How would I make adjustments for baking these at altitude?

    Reply
    1. Lexi @ Sally's Baking says:
      March 6, 2023

      Hi Lindsay, we wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html

      Reply
  14. Monica Prudencio says:
    March 5, 2023

    These are pretty good, and definitely chewy. I broke up my oreos by whacking them with a rolling pin; I think next time I would take the time to use a knife so I have a little more control over the size of the pieces. Not as much cream cheese flavor as I might have expected, but I do think the sweetness of the cookie kind of reflects the sweetness of Oreo cream. They fit the bill as I was looking for an Oreo-based dessert that wasn’t pie/cake.

    Reply
  15. Bahaa Khan says:
    February 24, 2023

    This recipe worked so great! I made these for a bake sale at school and I think they will be well liked! The only thing wrong was that for some reason my cookies did not spread at all, even though I followed the recipe exactly

    Reply
  16. Meg Anderson says:
    February 19, 2023

    I did a classic forgot to read the directions the night before. Did not see the chilling. So I decided to make cookie bars with the same directions and ingredients but no chilling. It worked! I cooked for 20-25 minutes and they were delicious

    Reply
  17. Dana Phelps says:
    January 30, 2023

    I love this recipe! I made these yesterday but due to time constraints, didn’t bake them until today. They turned out yummy! The cookies were a big hit with my friends that showed up when they learned I was trying a new cookie recipe. I did put my own spin on it though. Didn’t have any Oreo cookies, but had some brownie brittle, which tastes like the crunchy part of the brownie. I also replaced the white chocolate chips with cream cheese chips and milk chocolate chips. Can you say yummy for the tummy? OMG, they were scooped up as soon as I pulled them off the pan. I love the way you Wally’s thru every step and have a video to go along with the recipes because some days I need the visual learning tool and others I can simply read thru the steps and follow the recipe. My apron is off to you Sally! Thank you so much for making me the epitome of everybodys’ gramma passing out cookies. Although when I get a gleam in my eye and pull out my pool cue, that version of me is gone and nobody wants to play any more. Guess they don’t like losing to a little ole gramma. LOL

    Reply
  18. Anneliese says:
    January 20, 2023

    I started a baking challenge last year, with 52 new bakes. “Cookies and Cream Cookies” were an idea my 16 year old requested, and they have been a hit, over and over again. He has asked me to make them for school events, and now I am baking multiple batches for his birthday, as he requested these instead of a cake!! These are a hit with anyone who tries them! Thank you so much!!

    Reply
  19. Alison says:
    December 18, 2022

    I just made these for a Christmas party at my kid’s school and they turned out great! I used red & green M&M’s in place of the white chocolate chips, and added 1/4 cup of red and green sprinkles. I also used low-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel) because that’s all I had. Still turned out perfectly!

    Reply
  20. Jessica Roberts says:
    November 22, 2022

    My boyfriend and he coworkers LOVE these cookies. I make them
    Once a week because they request them. Used nutter butters today for a change up. Stay tuned!

    Reply
  21. Cami says:
    June 27, 2022

    There seems to be a cornstarch shortage. Will it be ok without?

    Reply
    1. Trina @ Sally's Baking says:
      June 27, 2022

      Hi Cami, if you don’t have cornstarch, you can simply leave it out. No need to replace with anything– the cookies are still pretty thick and soft!

      Reply
  22. Liz says:
    June 22, 2022

    Can I roll the cookies, then chill them rolled?

    Reply
    1. Trina @ Sally's Baking says:
      June 22, 2022

      Hi Liz! We find the dough is a bit too sticky to roll before chilling. But if you use a cookie scoop or prefer to scoop before chilling you can certainly do that instead!

      Reply
  23. Grace Dora says:
    June 12, 2022

    I just wanted to know if this recipe can be baked as a cookie bar in a slice tin?

    Reply
    1. Michelle @ Sally's Baking says:
      June 12, 2022

      Hi Grace, Absolutely. For cookie bars we recommend a 9×13 inch pan for thin cookie bars or a 9×9 inch square pan for thicker bars. A skillet around those sizes will work too. We’re unsure of the best bake time

      Reply
  24. Tammy says:
    June 4, 2022

    This recipe was so fun and easy to make! My family and friends loved it!

    Reply
  25. Nabi says:
    April 19, 2022

    I just found this recipe and it seems like a fun try! But unfortunately cream cheese is very scarce where a live. Is cream cheese an absolute MUST in this recipe or is there any alternative I can use?

    Reply
  26. Navneeta says:
    April 17, 2022

    Hi in uk we don’t get cream cheese block how can we adjust recipe to ensure it come out nicely using tub version of cream cheese

    Reply
    1. Trina @ Sally's Baking says:
      April 17, 2022

      Hi Navneeta, In the U.S. block cream cheese is very different than the tubs and is the only cream cheese that will work for baking. We have been told by readers outside the U.S. that cream cheese in a tub is different from ours and can work, but we have not tested it. Please let us know if you try!

      Reply
  27. Jackson says:
    March 22, 2022

    These were great. I got a stand mixer recently and this was the first recipe I tried with it. Very easy to follow, the results were great. Mine were a little thinner and larger than the picture but I think that’s because I left the dough out for too long after refrigerating.

    Reply
  28. Michelle says:
    February 24, 2022

    I can’t wait to try out this recipe! I have one question, do I leave the filling in the cookie or scrape it off?

    Reply
    1. Trina @ Sally's Baking says:
      February 25, 2022

      Leave it in! 🙂

      Reply
  29. Elizabeth H says:
    February 23, 2022

    I love this recipe so much! The cookies turn out perfect every time. Thank you for the tips in your recipes as well they are extremely helpful!

    Reply
  30. Katrice says:
    February 15, 2022

    Hi would browned butter work good instead of unsalted?

    Reply
    1. Stephanie @ Sally's Baking says:
      February 15, 2022

      Hi Katrice, That change would require some testing. You can try to brown the butter then let it solidify, then cream it as we do with these brown butter chocolate chip cookies but we can’t guarantee the results.

      Reply