From-Scratch Oreo Cake Pop Recipe
This recipe starts with a batch of homemade oreos and only gets better from there.
Oreo cake pop recipe table of contents
- About our oreo cake pop recipe
- How to make oreo cake pops
- What sets these oreo cake pops apart?
- Pro tips for making the best oreo cake pops
- Recipe for oreo cake pops
- Cake pop consistency
About our Oreo cake pop recipe
Oreo cake pops have always been a top three HippoPops flavor. The other top flavors are our funfetti sprinkle cake pop (the most-loved by far) and our chocolate cake pop.
No surprise there, I suppose.
But I wasn’t quite expecting the love for Oreo that I knew would come with the other two. Anyway, it turns out there are a lot of cookies & cream dessert fans in the world. And after eating this cake pop, so am I!
And if you aren’t a self-proclaimed cookies & cream dessert fan, you probably know someone who is. Customers have always been quick to tell us ‘my dad loves Oreo ANYTHING!!‘ or ‘my brother needs everything Cookies & Cream.’ So, it became a weekly flavor for us when we sold them at markets.
I think one of the reasons I personally love our Oreo cake pop (apart from the taste…) is the appearance!
For our Oreo cake pops we use a white chocolate dip and dark chocolate crumbled cookie topping.
With just a quick glance you can tell it’s an Oreo cake pop. I mean, just look at the ones in this photo. You can guess on each flavor, but the Oreo one just really stands out!
The recipe for this Oreo cake pop focuses on getting a true Oreo flavor through the use of homemade Oreos. We also tried to tone down a vanilla flavor that was coming through with the cake so that the Oreo flavor would stand out. We didn’t want a vanilla cake pop with hint of Oreo. We wanted a true Oreo taste!
Before we get to the recipe, let’s first talk about the various steps involved in making a cake pop. If you want more details, check out our guide on how to make cake pops!
How to make Oreo cake pops
Our Oreo cake pop recipe can be broken down into five stages:
- Make a batch of homemade Oreos (Ok, yes, that’s a ridiculous first step)
- Bake a cake
- Make icing
- Mix all
- Decorate
The Oreo cake pop recipe is a bit involved compared to our other cake pop recipes because it calls for homemade Oreos. So, you have to make a batch of cookies in addition to the cake and the icing and… did I lose you?
Wait! It’s worth it, trust me.
The extra steps of making the Oreos are what truly make this recipe shine. We tried it with regular Oreos. We tried removing the cream from regular Oreos. We tried store-bought crushed Oreos. Absolutely nothing came close to the flavor that results from homemade Oreos, though. I think it’s because you can control the amount of sugar in your Oreos, so they taste like chocolate instead of just sweet.
So, yeah… first you’ll need to make a batch of homemade Oreos. And you don’t need the cream for this recipe, so it’s just the wafer cookies.
Not only is it worth it from a flavor standpoint, but this recipe yields a lot more because of it. The addition of Oreos to your crumbled cake and icing essentially doubles your total cake pop count.
What sets these oreo cake pops apart?
Homemade oreos!
Yes, really. Before you can even make these cake pops you first need to make a batch of homemade oreos.
Now, of course, you could sub in regular oreos for this cake pop recipe instead of homemade ones. But you can’t really control the sweetness of your cake pop like that.
I like that our homemade oreo recipe results in a less sweet oreo, and in turn a less sweet cake pop. We really cut down on the sugar in the Oreo recipe to make sure the cake pops weren’t too sweet.
The goal was for the cake pops to taste like an Oreo and not just sugar. So, yes, homemade oreos if you have the time!
Oh, yes, let’s talk about time.
Needless to say, this recipe isn’t for when you need a quick dessert for the bake sale in one hour. No for that particular need I will point you in the direction of our secret-ingredient Rice Krispy Treat recipe.
Instead, this recipe is for when you have time. Extra time.
Another reason you may want to make these (apart from having excess time and being an Oreo-lover): someone in your life begged for Oreo cake pops for their birthday and you said CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.
I am making it sound more complicated than it actually is, but it is time consuming so I want you to be prepared for that! No mid-baking regrets, ok? But also, even if you stop after the first step of making Oreo cookies… you’ll still have homemade Oreos… so….?
Pro tips for making the best Oreo cake pops
Here are a few tips that we have made notes of when making our Oreo cake pops!
- For an even more oreo-like look, try a double chocolate dip! First, dip your cake pop in dark chocolate and let it dry. Once it dries, dip the top in white chocolate and then sprinkle with crumbled oreos.
- Make sure your oreo wafers are crispy! Though they are delicious to eat when still soft, you’ll want to make sure you bake your oreo wafer cookies until they crisp up once they cool. I do a quick test where I use my finger to quickly touch the Oreo cookies in the oven. I don’t recommend it because it’s hot, but in case you do it… if the cookie feels really soft, give it a few more minutes. Keep in mind that the Oreos do firm up when cooling.
- Plan to eat some immediately because they are absolutely best when fresh. They stay great for a few days (and for a while in the freezer), but they really shine the first few hours. This is because the Oreo crumbles in the cake pop haven’t quite soaked up the moisture from the icing. Once that happens, the cake pop is a bit softer in inside… like a cake pop. But initially, it has a bit of crunch from the oreos and it’s the best!
Oreo Cake Pop Recipe (from scratch!)
Prep Time: 2 hours • Cook Time: 20 minutes • Total Time: 3 hours + time for cake to cool • Recipe Yield: 40 cake pops
Recipe Description
Our base vanilla cake and icing are combined with homemade oreos to make the most irresistible oreo cake pops.
Base Cake Ingredients
210g
all-purpose flour (1 ½ cup)
½ t
baking powder
1⁄4 t
baking soda
1⁄4 t
salt
1 stick
unsalted butter, softened (8 T)
150g
granulated sugar (¾ cup)
1
large egg (room temperature)
1 t
240g
buttermilk (1 cup)
Base Icing Ingredients
113g
butter, softened (1 stick)
400g
powdered sugar (2¾ cups)
2 T
milk (cream also works)
1 t
Note: real or imitation almond and vanilla extracts can be used
Other Ingredients Needed
White chocolate melting wafers (plan to use 2-3 bags)
1 batch homemade oreos
Tools Needed
Kitchen scale (not required but nice to have!)
Depending on your desired cake pop format you will either need a cake pop stand or parchment paper.
> A cake pop stand is needed if you want your cake pops to be in the traditional lollipop format. You can buy a cake pop stand or make your own using a foam block.
> Otherwise, you can place the cake pops directly on parchment paper. The tops will dry flat, but this will make it so they can stand with the sticks pointing up on a platter.
Base Cake Directions
*This recipe can also be doubled and baked in a 9×13 pan. Increase bake time to 40+ minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350. Coat an 8×8 pan with cooking spray.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar with a handheld or stand mixer until light and creamy (3-5 minutes on high).
- Add egg and mix thouroughly, scraping the side of the bowl as needed.
- Add vanilla extract. Mix to combine.
- Alternate adding the sifted flour mix and buttermilk until just combined.
- Pour batter into the greased pan.
- Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, rotating once halfway through. To confirm the cake is fully baked, prick it with a toothpick or knife once the timer has gone off. It will come out clean if the cake is done. Otherwise, check again after another 5 minutes.
- Let cool completely.
Base Icing Directions
- Beat the butter on high until creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined.
- Add the milk and extracts.
- Mix until smooth and creamy.
Oreo Cake Pop Dough Directions
- Crumble the cake into a mixing bowl using either a food processor or mixer. Wait until it has cooled before doing this.
- Add ¼ cup icing to the cake crumbles. Mix until fully combined.
- Crush your Oreos. We use a food processor to crush/crumble ours, but you can use whichever method you prefer.
- Set ½ cup of crushed Oreos aside. This is your cake pop topping. Don’t forget this step!
- Mix remaining crushed up oreos with your cake crumbles.
- Continue adding icing a teaspoon at a time until the dough comes together. You are looking for an easy-to-roll dough, similar to playdough. Add more icing if your cake pop balls crumble a bit when rolling. You can read more about cake pop consistency here.
- Divide the dough into golf ball sized pieces, roll into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. We use a size 40 Vollrath cookie scoop to ensure consistency.
- Chill the cake pop balls for a few hours before assembling.
Cake Pop Assembly
- Pull cake pop balls from the refrigerator and gather your melting wafers, cake pop sticks and peppermint bits.
- Melt your white chocolate. Follow the melting directions on your white chocolate wafers. We use a Pyrex measuring cup when making small batches of cake pops because it’s deep and allows for us to fully dip the cake pops.
- Put a stick in each cake pop. We like to dip the sticks in the melting chocolate before inserting into the cake pop balls. To do this, dip the very end of a cake pop stick in the white chocolate and then gently place in the middle of a cake pop ball about halfway through. Repeat for all cake pop balls.
- Time to dip and decorate! Grab the stick of a cake pop ball and plunge the ball into the white chocolate. Dip it straight in and pull it straight out (don’t stir it around or double dip it.) Hold it over the cup while excess chocolate falls off of it. We give ours a gentle shake and after it looks like the flow has stopped, flip your cake pop over and give it a gentle shake to smooth it out.
- You can either set the cake pops down on parchment paper with the sticks pointing up or place them in a cake pop stand or foam block to keep them in the traditional cake pop format.
- If setting straight on parchment paper, do that first and then sprinkle the cake pops while the chocolate is still wet. If using a cake pop stand, you can sprinkle the tops and sides with colorful sprinkles and then place in the stand to fully dry.
How do you know if a cake pop is the right consistency?
We spent a lot of time perfecting this over the years and I think we have an easy way to explain it. To put it quite simply, go slow!
You’ll notice when your crumbled cake and icing are combining into a dough. Sample a piece and see how it is rolling. You are looking for a playdough-like consistency.
If your cake pop dough is too crumbly, then you’ll need to add more icing (slowly!) Continue to add icing until you can easily roll the dough into balls. When you are getting close, add the icing a teaspoon at a time because you don’t want to miss the window of perfect cake pop consistency.
