Oreo Cinnamon Rolls

Oreo Cinnamon Rolls are the soft, fluffy cookies and cream treat of your dreams. Filled with black cocoa powder and crushed Oreo cookies then slathered with cream cheese frosting, these rolls are the bomb for breakfast or brunch.

No offense to Father Time, but what on Earth is he actually doing? I mean, the man just let 2023 march in without a drum major, CNN missed the New Year’s Eve countdown and somehow January 1st already feels like January 52nd. For someone literally in charge of time, Father T doesn’t seem able to manage it very well. Then again, Don Lemons isn’t doing much better. Just when you thought you’d seen it all, the network anchor missed the stoke of midnight because he was busy dancing to a song called “Back that Azz Up”.

Unlike Don, who’s probably hiding under his sheets after embarrassing himself on live TV, I could not wait to jump out of bed today. Instead of spending last night busting a move, I spent my time busting out a batch of make ahead cinnamon rolls for breakfast. And to ring in the new year right, I did an over-the-top delicious twist on my go-to recipe. The result is the bombdiggity of all cinnamon rolls: cookies and cream rolls filled to their swirly rims with crushed Oreo cookies.

Forget all the “new year, new you” talk, what you really need this new year is a new recipe. I’m talking soft, fluffy chocolate cinnamon rolls loaded on the inside with black cocoa powder and Oreos then slathered on the outside with cream cheese icing. If you want to start the year off right, then start by scarfing down a warm cinnamon roll on a cold January day. Then keep on noshing throughout spring, summer and fall. There’s a wrong time to dance to booty themed music on TV, but there’s no wrong time to eat Oreo Cinnamon Rolls.

Before sharing the Oreo Cinnamon Rolls recipe, here are a few baking tips to help you out:

Ingredient Tips

Oreo Cookies get their flavor from black cocoa powder which is why this recipe uses black cocoa powder in the cinnamon roll filling. If there isn’t black cocoa powder in your pantry, feel free to substitute Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder (or any other Dutch process cocoa powder brand).

The secret to soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls is bread flour. All-purpose flour can be used as a substitute but will not yield the same results as bread flour.

Quick rise yeast is recommended for this recipe since it does not require proofing or dissolving in liquid before use. Active dry yeast can be substituted but will require proofing and longer rise times.

The egg and egg yolk need to be at room temperature before making the dough. If you’ve forgotten to take your eggs out of the refrigerator ahead of time, speed up the process by placing them in a bowl of warm water. Don’t use hot water; we want to warm the eggs, not hatch them.

Take care not to overheat the milk. Liquid hotter than 115 degrees will kill the yeast and your cinnamon rolls will not rise.

Make Ahead Cinnamon Rolls

Oreo cinnamon roll dough can be made the night before and refrigerated prior to the second rise. Arrange the cut cinnamon rolls in a greased 10-inch pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap then refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove wrap and allow dough to come to room temperature for 1 hour before baking.

Oreo cinnamon roll dough can be made ahead and frozen before the second rise. Simply arrange the cut cinnamon rolls in a greased 10-inch pan and cover first with plastic wrap then with aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then uncover and allow dough to come to room temperature for 1 hour before baking.

Storage and Freezing Tips for Oreo Cinnamon Rolls

Cover cinnamon roll leftovers with plastic wrap then store up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

To freeze cinnamon rolls, place leftovers in an airtight container and store up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then warm in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes before serving.

I hope you enjoy these Oreo Cinnamon Rolls! Please leave a rating and review below once you try them out. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my weekly Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe.

Finally, if you like cookies and cream cinnamon rolls then you’ll love this recipe for S’mores Chocolate Rolls. Stuffed with melty chocolate and graham cracker crumbs then topped with toasted marshmallow meringue, s’mores rolls are the best breakfast you can have without a bonfire.