Starbucks Cookies & Cream Cake Pops

Oreos are easily one of the most popular cookies because the chocolate and vanilla cream flavor combo is just that good. In fact, these cookies & cream cake pops are probably my favorite flavor that Starbucks offers.

Of course, making this bite-sized treat at home is more cost-efficient (and I argue that they even taste better than the Starbucks version). While I totally understand the convenience of picking one up at the coffee shop, DIY cake pops are the best option if you want to make a shareable bunch.

🥘 Ingredients

• Chocolate Cake Mix - Using boxed mix is an easy and quick way to make cake pops. My preferred brand is Betty Crocker Delight's cake mixes, which have pudding in them. Of course, you could also bake my easy chocolate cake from scratch.
• Eggs - Let your eggs come to room temperature for quick, even baking. Pop cold eggs into a bowl of lukewarm water for 5 minutes to take the chill off quickly.
• Water - Some water to moisten all of the dry ingredients.
• Oil (optional) - I prefer coconut oil or melted butter, but any neutral-flavored oil would work. You can also omit the oil your boxed cake mix calls for (see tips).
• Vanilla Frosting - You can use store-bought or my easy homemade vanilla buttercream frosting.
• Almond Bark - Vanilla almond bark melts wonderfully and is great for dipping. You could also use chopped white chocolate or white candy melts, but they might need to be thinned out with some oil.
• Oreo Cookies - Separate the filling from the cookies. You can use thins, regular, or double-stuffed Oreos, depending on how much of the cream flavor you want.
• Treat Sticks - Don't forget some lollipop sticks or treat sticks, which can be found on the cake decorating aisle.

🔪 How To Make Starbucks Cookies & Cream Cake Pops

Using store-bought ingredients makes these pops extra simple, but don't shy away from trying out a completely from scratch version (minus the Oreo cookies). You will need a 9x13 baking dish, a mixing bowl, measuring utensils, a stand mixer, a hand mixer, and a cake pop stand.

This recipe will make 28 cake pops. It's an incredibly easy recipe to 2x or 3x for feeding a crowd or taking to parties.

Step 1: Preheat. Preheat the oven to 325°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) and spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Prepare the Cake

Step 2: Add your ingredients. Into a large mixing bowl, add 1 box of chocolate cake mix, 3 large eggs, 1 cup (237 milliliters) of water, and ⅓ cup (79 milliliters) of coconut oil (photo 1).

Step 3: Mix. Use a hand mixer to mix the ingredients until fully combined (photo 2).

Step 4: Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and then bake it in the oven for 23-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (photo 3).

Step 5: Cool. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely (photo 4).

Step 6: Crush the cookies. While waiting for the cake to cool, place the cookie part of your 12 Oreo cookies into a storage bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Set them aside (photo 5).

Make the Cake Pop Dough

Step 7: Break up the cake. Break your cake into chunks so that you can fit it into the bowl of your stand mixer (photo 6).

Step 8: Crumble it. Using the paddle attachment, mix the cake at low speed until it is fully crumbled.

Step 9: Add frosting and filling. Add 3 tablespoons of vanilla frosting and the filling from your 12 Oreo cookies and continue mixing on low speed, gradually increasing to medium-low, until you have a dough with the consistency of play-doh (photos 7 and 8).

Step 10: Portion. Use a kitchen scale, cookie scoop, meatballer, or cake pop maker to portion your cake dough into equal-sized pieces (a standard cake pop is 1 ounce - photo 9).

Step 11: Roll into balls. Roll the dough between your hands until a smooth ball is formed (photo 10).

Dip & Decorate

Step 12: Melt the almond bark. Place 1 pound (454 grams) of vanilla almond bark into a microwave-safe container and melt it by heating it in 30-second increments and stirring well between each heating (photo 11).

Step 13: Add the sticks. Dip the end of each of your 28 treat sticks into the chocolate and then poke it into your cake balls. Let them set for a few minutes (photo 12).

Step 14: Dip. Pick up each cake pop and dip it into the melted chocolate, making sure it gets fully covered. Remove it from the chocolate and tap the stick on the side of the container so that all of the excess chocolate runs off. Twirl it around and tap a few more times to smooth everything out (photo 13).

Step 15: Add the topping. Immediately, while the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle some of the crushed Oreo cookies on top of the cake pops (photo 14).

Step 16: Harden. Place the decorated pops into a cake pop stand or piece of styrofoam and let them harden for about 5 minutes before serving or storing for later.

💭 Tips & Notes

• Omit the oil. If using a boxed cake mix, I recommend leaving the oil out completely and preparing the cake as directed. I've found that the added oil can make it hard for the cake pops to stay on the treat sticks, or hold their shape.
• Cool your cake quickly. To speed up the cooling time of your cake, flip it out of the baking dish onto a wire cooling rack. 
• Bake in advance. I prefer to bake my cake pop cakes the night before so that it's fully cooled and ready to mix.
• Use your favorite chocolate. Almond bark melts wonderfully without the need for any mixins. However, if using candy melts, you might need to mix in Crisco, coconut oil, or paramount crystals to thin it out enough for dipping. 
• Try using a food processor. If you want your Oreos to be crushed to a finer consistency, you can pulse them a few times in your food processor. 
• Make your own stand. If you don't have a cake pop stand, you can use a styrofoam block or an upside-down box with holes poked into it. 

🥡 Storing

The cake pop dough can be kept in the fridge in a sealed container for 4-5 days or the freezer for up to 6 months.

Once you have dipped your cake pops, they can be kept at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. 

Freezing

You can freeze fully assembled cake pops for up to 6 weeks, but make sure to separate them with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together.

📖 Recipe Card