These homemade mint Oreos are soft chocolate cookies sandwiched with a silky mint cream cheese filling, and they're super easy to make! The bright green filling makes them a fun treat for Christmas cookie trays and St. Patrick's Day parties alike.
I loved Oreos as a kid, and my kids love them too. As much as I still want to grab a pack every time I walk past the cookie aisle, I'd much rather bake something at home. You know exactly what's going into them, and everything tastes so much fresher. Homemade Oreos are a little softer and more chocolatey than the boxed kind, and this mint Oreos recipe takes about 10 minutes to mix up before the dough chills.
If you're planning a holiday baking day, add these to your list along with a few favorites from my 85 Christmas Cookie Recipes. Green Oreos look so pretty next to red and white cookies on a platter!
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Unsweetened cocoa powder. This gives the cookies their deep chocolate flavor. Regular natural cocoa works great, like this organic cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa makes the cookies darker and a bit closer to the real Oreo color, so use it if you have it.
- Butter. One stick of softened butter goes into the cookie dough, and a little more goes into the filling. Salted or unsalted both work. If you use salted, you can skip the ¼ teaspoon of salt in the dough.
- Granulated sugar. This sweetens the cookies and helps them stay soft. Don't cut it back too much or the cookies get dry and crumbly.
- Cream cheese. Full-fat brick-style cream cheese makes the smoothest, thickest filling. Tub cream cheese is softer and can make the filling runny, so I don't recommend it here.
- Mint extract. This is what turns plain homemade Oreos into mint Oreos. I use McCormick pure mint extract. Peppermint extract works too, but it's stronger, so start with ½ teaspoon and taste.
- Green food coloring. Totally optional, but it's what makes these green Oreos so fun! Gel coloring like this leaf green gel food coloring gives a bright color with just a drop or two and won't thin out the filling.
Helpful Tips
Expect a crumbly dough. This dough looks a little dry and crumbly after mixing, and that's okay. It's supposed to be like that! After it chills, just squish it together into a big ball with your hands and it holds together nicely.
Don't skip the chill. Thirty minutes in the fridge makes the dough so much easier to roll and keeps the cookies from spreading too thin in the oven.
Keep the cookies the same size. Roll the dough into balls of about two teaspoons each and press them down slightly. Matching sizes make it so much easier to pair up the tops and bottoms. A small cookie scoop speeds this up if you have one.
Watch the bake time. The cookies only need 6 to 8 minutes. Pull them when the edges look set, even if the centers still look soft. They firm up as they cool, and overbaked cookies turn hard.
Fill the cookies once they're completely cool. Warm cookies melt the cream cheese filling and it slides right out. A piping bag set with tips makes the pretty ridged look in the photos, but a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off works just fine.
Variations
- Classic homemade Oreos. Skip the mint and the coloring and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the filling for a classic white cream center.
- Christmas peppermint. Use peppermint extract in the filling and roll the edges in crushed candy canes right after filling them.
- Valentine's Day. Swap the mint for almond extract and tint the filling pink or red.
- Chocolate-dipped. Dip half of each filled cookie in melted chocolate and let it set on parchment. So pretty!
- Mint chip. Fold a couple of tablespoons of mini chocolate chips into the filling before piping.
Serving Ideas
At Christmas, these are a colorful addition to a holiday cookie tray or a hot chocolate charcuterie board. They also make a sweet cookie exchange pick and look so cute packed in a tin as a homemade gift (just remember they need to stay cold).
For St. Patrick's Day, serve them with a Shamrock Shake or set them out with Lucky Charms Cookies for a green dessert table. You'll find even more ideas in my St. Patrick's Day recipes. And of course, a tall glass of cold milk is never a bad idea!
Storing & Freezing
Because the filling is made with cream cheese, filled mint Oreos need to be stored in the refrigerator. Keep them in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Don't leave them out at room temperature for more than about 2 hours.
The cookies soften a little in the fridge, which I actually love. If you like them crisper, let them sit out for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
To make them ahead, freeze the filled cookies in a single layer until firm, then move them to a freezer bag or container for up to 2 months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the plain baked cookies and make the filling fresh the day you serve them.
More Christmas Cookies
If you loved these homemade mint Oreos, here are a few more holiday cookies you might enjoy:
- Peppermint Snowball Christmas Cookies
- Chocolate Dipped Icebox Cookies
- Caramel Pretzel Cookies
- Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
- Cherry Almond Cookies
Recipe
Homemade Mint Oreos
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 stick butter (½ cup), softened to room temperature
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese full-fat brick style, softened
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon mint extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- Green food coloring gel coloring, optional
Instructions
For the cookies
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat for 1 to 2 minutes more.
- With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in three additions, mixing just until a crumbly dough forms.
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Squeeze the chilled dough together, then roll it into balls of about 2 teaspoons each. Place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and press each ball down slightly to flatten.
- Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until the edges are set. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely. Bake the remaining dough the same way.
For the filling and assembly
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter for about 2 minutes until smooth.
- Add the mint extract and powdered sugar and beat for 2 to 3 minutes more, until smooth and fluffy. Stir in green food coloring a drop at a time until you like the color.
- Spoon the filling into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pair up cookies of the same size, pipe filling onto the flat side of one cookie, and gently press a second cookie on top.
- Serve right away or refrigerate in an airtight container until serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.
Bella says
Thank u for sharing a recipe. It was easy and delicious.