Oreo Dirt Cake Cookies

These are thick chocolate Oreo cookies with chopped Oreos and semisweet chocolate chips baked into the dough, then topped with chocolate buttercream, crushed Oreo “dirt,” and a gummy worm. Messy on purpose, exactly as they should be.

Quick Recipe Facts

• Oven: 350°F
• Chill: None
• Yield: about 10 large 4 oz cookies OR 26–28 mini 1.5 oz cookies

Why You’ll Love Them

• Thick chocolate cookies.
• Chopped Oreos baked into the dough.
• Semisweet chocolate chips throughout.
• Chocolate buttercream.
• Crushed Oreo dirt.
• A gummy worm finish.

Ingredients

Chocolate Oreo Cookie Dough

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup (200 g) packed brown sugar
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2¼ cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (43 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp (8 g) cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 10 Halloween Oreos, roughly chopped, including the filling
• ¾ cup (128 g) semisweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Buttercream

• ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar
• ¼ cup (21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 2–3 tbsp heavy cream or milk

Oreo Dirt Topping

• 8 regular Oreos, including the filling, finely crushed
• Gummy worms

Do not remove the Oreo cream before crushing.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy and well combined.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla, and mix until combined.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
5. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until a thick chocolate cookie dough forms.
6. Fold in the chopped Halloween Oreos and semisweet chocolate chips.
7. Do not overmix once the flour is incorporated.

Big Bake Energy — 4 oz Cookies

1. Portion the dough into 4 oz cookies.
2. Shape them into tall dough mounds and flatten the tops slightly.
3. Bake at 350°F for about 16 minutes.
4. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Tiny Chaos — 1.5 oz Cookies

1. Portion the dough into 1.5 oz cookies.
2. Bake at 350°F for about 14 minutes.
3. Let them rest on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Chocolate Buttercream

1. Beat the softened butter for 2–3 minutes until creamy.
2. Gradually add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
3. Add the vanilla, salt, and 2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk.
4. Beat until smooth and fluffy.
5. If necessary, add additional cream or milk a little at a time until the buttercream is pipeable.

Decorate

1. Allow the cookies to cool completely.
2. Pipe or spread chocolate buttercream over the top of each cookie.
3. Cover the frosting with the finely crushed regular Oreos to create the “dirt.”
4. Finish with a gummy worm.

Make It Your Way

• Stand mixer: Use the paddle attachment.
• Hand mixer: Beat the butter and sugars with the hand mixer, then switch to a sturdy spatula if the dough becomes too thick.
• By hand: Softened butter can be mixed with the sugars using a sturdy spoon or spatula, then continue the recipe by hand.

Don’t Mess This Up

• Do not overmix after adding the flour.
• Use whole Oreos, including the filling.
• Keep the 4 oz cookies tall rather than flattening them into thin discs.
• Large cookies bake about 16 minutes; minis bake about 14 minutes.
• Let the cookies finish setting on the hot baking sheet before moving them.
• Cool completely before adding buttercream.
• Crush the topping Oreos finely so they look like dirt.

What It Should Look Like

Before Baking

The cookie dough should be thick and packed with visible Oreo pieces and chocolate chips.

After Baking

The cookies should look thick and set around the edges while remaining softer through the center.

After Decorating

Chocolate buttercream should cover the top, the Oreo crumbs should resemble dirt, and the gummy worm should sit visibly on top.

The Batch

Sweet Spot

The cookies are ready when the edges look set and the centers are still soft. They continue setting during the 10-minute baking-sheet rest.