These Oreo cinnamon rolls are fluffy, pillowy soft, filled with Oreo cookie crumbs in the dough and the filling, and is topped with a silky glaze. These rolls stay gooey and soft for days! Plus, an excuse to eat Oreos for breakfast? Sign me up.
Why you will love these Oreo cinnamon rolls
- The dough. This dough is so soft and fluffy, and is marbled with Oreo cookie crumbs. This recipe is fool proof and has easy, straight-forward instructions, so even the yeast novice will have soft and gooey Oreo rolls!
- The filling. The filling is *mwah* chef's kiss! It has Oreo crumbs, brown sugar, dark cocoa powder, and butter. The dark cocoa flavor paired with the crushed Oreos makes for a delectable filling. You will not be able to stop at one!
- The glaze. The glaze is silky smooth and is the perfect topping to these Oreo rolls.
Key ingredients
- All purpose flour: all purpose flour is the key to a soft and pillowy Oreo cinnamon roll. It gives the rolls the perfect texture.
- Instant yeast: instant yeast is necessary for these rolls. Instant yeast can be mixed right in with the dry ingredients. You don't need to activate it first with warm milk like you would with active yeast.
- Sugar: granulated sugar is used to sweeten the bread just slightly, while brown sugar is used for the filling and powdered sugar is used for the glaze.
- Whole milk: whole milk is my favorite type of milk to use in the dough because it leads to a soft, enriched, and delicious roll.
- Eggs: eggs are needed for an enriched dough. We also use one egg for an egg wash to make the dough nice and shiny!
- Butter: unsalted butter is the butter of choice so we can control exactly how much salt goes into this recipe.
- Dark cocoa powder: the dark (dutch processed) cocoa powder in the filling adds a rich chocolate flavor. This flavor paired with the Oreo cookies makes the filling taste like one giant Oreo cookie.
- Oreos: the star ingredient! For the dough, we scrape off the filling in the cookies and crush them into crumbs. This then gets kneaded into the dough to create a marbled look. For the filling, we use the entire Oreo cookie.
Steps
- Make the dough. Whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and nutmeg. Add the milk, egg, and melted butter and mix until combined.
- Knead. Knead the dough for 8-9 minutes in a mixer or by hand until the dough bounces back and passes the window pane test. Knead in the Oreo cookie crumbs.
- Rise. Let the dough rise in a well-oiled bowl for 1 ½ hours until it doubles in size.
- Make the filling. Combine the brown sugar and dark cocoa powder.
- Roll out the dough. Roll out the dough into a 12x16 inch rectangle, spread on the butter and the brown sugar/cocoa filling. Rub the Oreo cookie crumbs into the butter.
- Prepare the rolls. Cut the rolls into 9 equal pieces from long side to long side using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, then roll them up. Place in a pan to rise for another 35-40 minutes.
- Bake. Apply an egg wash to the rolls and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350F until lightly golden.
- Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, salt, and milk. Spread the frosting on the rolls and enjoy!
How to know when to stop kneading your dough
There are a few tips and tricks to ensure you knead your dough for the right amount of time. My two favorite are the following:
- Press your finger into the dough. If the dough bounces back, it is ready to go! If your finger leaves an indent in the dough, it needs more kneading.
- The window pane test. This one is by far my favorite! Rip off a small piece of dough and place it in between your fingers. Carefully, spread your fingers apart to stretch out the dough. If the dough stretches easily without ripping AND you can see light passing through it, you are golden and it is good to go to rise!
Yeast tips
Make sure your yeast is fresh.
This is a simple one, but yeast can be dead. I once tried making cinnamon rolls over and over and over again but the dough was just NOT rising. I thought I wasn't activating it correctly, but turns out the yeast was just dead.
Allow the dough to rise for the entire instructed time.
Don't rush the rise process! Interrupting the rise can cause your rolls to be dense and not pillowy soft.
Sometimes the gluten needs to relax.
If you are rolling out the dough and it just keeps shrinking as you roll it, stop what you're doing, cover it lightly, and let it sit for 10 minutes to relax the gluten.
Let the dough rise in a warm environment.
Yeast thrives in a warm environment - the microwave and oven (both off) are good options. If it's a warm day, the countertop is probably fine. But if your kitchen runs cold, the dough will not rise.
Baking in grams
While I provide volume measurements for the recipes on my blog, I highly suggest baking these recipes using weight. It is the most standardized and accurate way to bake. I carefully recipe test all of my recipes using a kitchen scale, not by using cups, and therefore I cannot guarantee the success of my recipes when using volume measurements.
Other recipes you may like
This post may contain affiliate links.
Oreo Cinnamon Rolls
These Oreo cinnamon rolls are fluffy, pillowy soft, filled with Oreo cookie crumbs in the dough and the filling, and is topped with a silky glaze. These rolls stay gooey and soft for days! Plus, an excuse to eat Oreos for breakfast? Sign me up.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour plus more for kneading
- 1 package instant yeast must be instant! 1 standard package of yeast is 2 ¼ teaspoons.
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup whole milk room temperature
- 1 egg room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 5 original Oreo cookie sandwiches filling removed & crushed into crumbs
Oreo Filling
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened and spreadable
- ⅔ cup brown sugar light or dark works!
- 1 tablespoon dark (dutch processed) cocoa powder
- 9 original Oreo cookie sandwiches whole, crushed into crumbs
Egg Wash
- 1 egg lightly beaten
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch of salt
- 3-4 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
Dough
- Remove the cream from the Oreos and place the cookies in a food processor/blender. Pulse until they are in crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, place the Oreos in a ziplock bag and gently hit them with the back of a wooden spoon or rolling pin. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl if kneading by hand), whisk together the flour, instant yeast, granulated sugar, salt and nutmeg.
- Add the milk, egg and melted and cooled butter.
Kneading
- If you are using a stand mixer, using the hook attachment, mix on low-medium speed until the dough comes together, scraping the flour off the sides of the bowl if necessary. Once the dough forms, turn the mixer up to medium speed and knead for an additional 8-9 minutes. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add more flour tablespoon by tablespoon. You may need to add an extra 4-5 tablespoons of flour. Part of the dough will stick to the bottom of the bowl - this is fine. The dough should come together and be slightly sticky but smooth.
- If you are making the dough by hand, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until a dough forms. Lightly flour your work space (and your hands) and begin to knead the dough. If the dough is super sticky, add more flour tablespoon by tablespoon. You may need to add an additional 4-5 tablespoons of flour so it is not super sticky. Knead the dough by hand for 8-9 minutes. The dough should come together and be slightly sticky but smooth.
- The dough is done kneading when it passes the window pane test. Rip off a small piece of dough and place it in between your fingers. Carefully, spread your fingers apart to stretch out the dough. If the dough stretches easily without ripping AND you can see light passing through it, it does not need anymore kneading. Additionally, if you press your finger into the dough and it bounces back, it is ready to go!
- Once the dough is done kneading, we will add the Oreo cookie crumbs in four additions. Flatten the dough slightly and add some of the crumbs to the center. Fold the dough in on itself and knead so the crumbs become incorporated into the dough. Repeat this process another three times until the crumbs are gone. The dough will look marbled.
- Once the dough is ready, transfer it to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm environment (in the microwave/in the oven - both OFF - are good options) for 1 ½ hours. It should double in size.
Filling
- Take the butter out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for a while so it becomes super soft and spreadable. You can microwave the butter for 5 seconds if necessary to soften it up.
- Put the full Oreo cookies in a food processor/blender and pulse until they are in crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, place the Oreos in a ziplock bag and gently hit them with the back of a wooden spoon or rolling pin. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and dark cocoa powder. Set aside.
- Once the dough has finished its first rise, grease an 8 or 9 inch square pan, or pie dish and set aside.
- Remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 12x16 inch rectangle. Spread the butter into an even and smooth layer across the rolled out dough.
- Sprinkle on the brown sugar/cocoa powder mixture so it is covering the butter. Using an offset spatula, back of a spoon, etc., or your hands (I find it easiest with my hands) rub the brown sugar/cocoa powder mixture completely into the butter. Sprinkle on the Oreo crumbs and rub them into the mixture using your hands.
Preparing the rolls and baking
- There are a few ways you can roll the dough.
- One: Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the rolled out dough into 9 equal pieces from long side to long side (so you have 12 inch strips), then roll them up individually. If needed, use an egg wash to seal the rolls.
- Two: Gently roll the dough into a log, beginning from the long side. Once the dough is completely rolled, with the seam side down, gently press on the top of the log just to secure it. Cut the dough into 9 equal pieces by using a very sharp knife or a piece of floss. If using a piece of floss, place the floss underneath the dough with the ends coming up on the sides. Criss cross the floss over the dough and pull until a roll comes off.
- Place your rolls into the prepared pan, cover, and leave the rolls to rise for another 35-40 minutes. They should fluff up.
- When the dough has 5-10 minutes left to rise, preheat your oven to 350F. Lightly whisk an egg to make an egg wash. Brush the egg wash on the edges of the rolls using a pastry brush or your finger.
- Place the rolls in the oven and bake them for 25-30 minutes until no longer doughy and golden on top.
Glaze
- While the rolls are cooling, make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, salt, and milk until smooth and combined. You may need to add more powdered sugar (to thicken) or milk (to thin) depending on desired consistency.
- Pour the glaze on top of the rolls and enjoy! Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Tried this recipe? Make sure to rate and review and tag @sturbridgebakery on Instagram!
Leave a Reply