Soft and loaded with crushed Oreos in every bite, these cookies taste just like biting into a slice of Oreo cheesecake, but all wrapped up in one adorable little cookie. Trust me, you’ll have a hard time stopping at just one 😉. 

This recipe makes 10 cookies with a large cookie scoop (#20)

• Prep time: 15 minutes

• Chill time: 1 hour

• Bake time: 13-15 minutes

• Equipment needed: Electric mixer, half sheet trays, measuring spoons & cups, mixing bowls, gallon-sized food storage bag, rolling pin/meat mallet, large (#20) cookie scoop

See *Notes for more important tips/clarifications

If the dessert has cream cheese in it, there's a good chance I'll love it! Cheesecake? Love it. Black bottom cupcakes? Love em too. Two of my cream cheese favs in particular, however, are Dirt Dessert (a childhood favorite) and Oreo Balls. Biting into these cookies reminds me of why I love those so much. They have a rich and creamy cheesecake-like flavor in every bite, and of course, a whole lotta Oreos. I opted for salted butter to get just the right balance of creaminess + saltiness + buttery flavor and trust me, it makes all the difference. Dare I say -this might be my favorite dessert recipe so far? You tell me!

If you’re like me, you can down these in two or three bites, so, ya know, I don’t blame you if you eat a few at a time. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup + 2 tbsp flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

• 6 tbsp of salted butter, softened at room temperature

• 2 oz of cream cheese, softened at room temperature

• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar

• 1 egg, at room temperature

• 1 tsp of vanilla extract

• 10 Oreo cookies, crushed for inside the dough, plus 2-4 additional cookies crushed for on the outside

*Notes

• You can just use one half sheet tray to bake these cookies. Just scoop the first 6 cookies onto one tray, flatten the dough ball with a spoon to 1/2 an inch, sprinkle the crushed Oreos on (and lightly press down), and then put the rest of the dough back in the fridge while the first set of cookies bakes. When they’re done baking, let them cool for 2-3 minutes on the tray, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Then scoop the last 4 cookies onto the tray. For the last 4 cookies, since the tray will be a little warm I’d suggest baking for less time - closer to 13 minutes.

• When I made these the first time, I first sprinkled the crushed Oreos on top of the dough balls, then used a spoon to flatten the cookies to 1/2 an inch, but it’s much easier to first flatten, then sprinkle, to get even more Oreos on the surface of your cookie!

Process:

1. Place 10 Oreos in a gallon-sized food storage bag and use a rolling pin or meat mallet (or another Oreo-smashing tool of your choice) to crush the cookies into a mixture of small crumbs and larger pieces (to have a variety of textures throughout). Set aside in a small bowl.

2. In another small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and sea salt.

3. In a medium bowl, use a stand or hand mixer to cream the cream cheese, butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until combined. Add the dry ingredients in two batches, beating on low speed until incorporated. Finish mixing by hand if necessary.

4. Last, use a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix in the 10 crushed Oreos and chill the dough covered, in the fridge for 1 hour.

5. When the dough is almost done chilling, preheat the oven to 325 °F and prepare 2 half sheet trays with parchment paper. After the dough has finished chilling, crush up the additional 2-4 Oreos (depending on how many you want to sprinkle on top of the cookies) into large chunks and use a large-sized cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Place 6 cookies on one tray, and 4 on the other, evenly spaced out. Use a spoon to flatten the cookies to 1/2 an inch and then sprinkle some Oreos on top, lightly pressing the cookies in with your fingers.

6. Bake cookies one tray at a time on the middle rack in your oven for 13-15 minutes until edges are just turning golden and the cookies look set and no longer doughy in the center. This is a softer cookie so the centers will look soft and puffy - be careful not to overbake! Store them in airtight containers for 3-4 days. Enjoy!