The softest Cinnamon Rolls with an OREO upgrade!
These OREO cinnamon rolls have OREOs in the dough and are filled with dark cocoa and more crushed OREO cookies. The glaze is made of a creamy vanilla cream cheese frosting!
Cinnamon Rolls = Comfort Food!
Soft golden brown OREO cinnamon rolls are the best comfort food! The dough is made quickly with instant yeast. Even without a kitchen machine it comes together in under 10 minutes. The enriched dough rolls up easily and with a short resting time it bakes up to the most indulgent cinnamon rolls! Not only their flavor is comfort but also the smell that lifts from the oven while baking these treats.
With this recipe you will have soft cinnamon rolls in no time!
The cinnamon roll dough is made with crushed OREO cookies, which gives it a darker color. If you prefer to have cookie pieces in your cinnamon roll you can either add them into the dough or in the filling!
These are the cake pans that I always use in my recipe videos and the bake even strips for flat cake tops!
A 8 inch cake pan is the traditional choice to make most cake recipes. It creates tall cake layers without making a huge cake! Having issues with cake domes? Bake even strips help to get flat cake tops by cooling the sides of the cake while baking so that the center bakes evenly with the outside.
OREO Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients makes about 9 to 10 rolls
3 1/2 cups (450 g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp or 1 package (7 g) dry instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
1/4 cup butter melted, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 cup (250 ml) whole milk, warm
1/2 cup (50 g) crushed OREOs
For the OREO filling:
1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
2 tbsp (14 g) dark or black cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
For the glaze:
4 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/4 cup (57 g) butter, soft
1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup (70 ml) milk
1/2 cup (50 g) crushed OREOs
1/4 cup (45 g) butter, softened
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1:
If you are using active dry yeast you need to activate the yeast first before making the dough. In a small bowl combine warm milk, sugar and yeast. Let it sit for 10 minutes until bubbles form. Then continue with step 2. If you are using instant yeast start at step 2.
Step 2:
If you are using instant yeast start here. In a big mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer combine all the ingredients for the dough and mix on low until combined. Mix for about 8 minutes until the dough does not stick to the bowl anymore. Put the dough ball back into the bowl and cover it with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and place the bowl in a warm place like the oven with the light turned on. Let it rest for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Step 3:
While the dough is resting prepare the filling. In a medium sized bowl combine sugar, cocoa powder and cinnamon. If you like a strong cinnamon flavor feel free to add more! Mix it all together and set aside.
Step 4:
When the dough is rested roll it on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle. Roll it fairly thin. Apply a layer of soft butter on top of the dough. You can brush it or use a spatula to spread it. Make sure to leave 1 inch space on the long side of the dough closer to you where no butter will be applied. Sprinkle the sugar filling evenly on top and do the same with the crushed Oreos. Use a spatula to evenly distribute the fillings. Then roll the dough starting at the long end.
Step 4:
It is time to cut the cinnamon rolls. I find it the easiest way to use dental floss. It gives the cleanest cut without pushing the rolls. If using a knife, make sure it is serrated. Cut about 10 cinnamon rolls with an even height. Place them in a greased baking sheet and cover with a towel or aluminum foil. Place the baking sheet in a warm place like a warm oven and let the cinnamon rolls rest for about 20 minutes. I recommend to preheat the oven to 190 °F, then turning it off when placing the cinnamon rolls into the oven. The higher temperature ensures a faster rising of the dough!
Step 5:
After the cinnamon rolls rested, remove the cover and place them in the oven. Turn on the oven and let it heat up to 350 °F. When the baking temperature has reached let the rolls bake for about 24 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool for a few minutes before applying the glaze. Placing the rolls in the oven while heating up makes them really fluffy!
Step 6:
While the OREO cinnamon rolls are baking it is time to prepare the glaze. In a medium sized mixing bowl mix butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar until there are no more lumps. Add milk and mix it in. If the frosting does not have the desired consistency add some more milk, but be careful to not make it too runny!
Glaze the warm OREO cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
**Pro Tips**
I like to change the bowl after the meringue was cooking on the water bath to a cold bowl. That makes mixing the meringue easier as it reaches room temperature faster.
The buttercream can stay at room temperature for about 2 days. Then it should be moved in the fridge. Just whip it up for 10 minutes before using.
To make the espresso I used 3 tsp espresso powder for 1/4 cup hot water.
For the chocolate splitter I melted 1/2 cup chocolate with a tsp shortening. Spread it in a thin layer on a baking pan. Freeze it for 2 minutes then use a non serrated knife to make chocolate shavings or just cut it to get chocolate splitter.
