Ultimate Chewy Oreo Cookies & Cream Cookie recipe (no chill)

​This recipe is based off My Best Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. A few additional ingredients are added to make sure these chewy cookies are chock full of flavor and well-balanced, aka not too sweet.

• Cream cheese: For best results, use full-fat brick-style cream cheese such as Philadelphia Cream Cheese and be sure to bring it to room temperature before using. If the cream cheese is too cold, it will be chunky and will not incorporate evenly into your cookie dough. The cream cheese helps to add flavor and texture to these cookies. The 'cream' part of these cookies and cream cookies come from the Oreos and from the cream cheese.
• Butter: Use unsalted butter straight from the fridge.I like to unwrap the butter and cut it into small cubes then stick it back in the fridge while I prepare the rest of the ingredients. Using cold butter is essential for getting thick, chewy cookies that do not require chilling. The cold butter creates steam while baking, allowing the cookies to puff up. If the butter is too soft, the cookies will likely spread too much.  If using salted butter, cut in half the added salt in the recipe or omit altogether. Because salted butters vary in terms of their salt content, I recommend using unsalted butter and adding your own salt so you can control the level of salt in the recipe.
• Granulated sugar: regular white sugar should be used for this recipe. I would not recommend substituting with a sugar alternative.
• Brown sugar: Either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar will work in this recipe. Dark brown sugar has more molasses in it than does light brown sugar, giving more flavor and depth. Be sure to pack the brown sugar into the measuring cup when measuring your ingredients.
• Egg: Use a large egg for this recipe. Be sure to remove the egg from the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to baking to ensure it has come to room temperature. Cold eggs will try to stay together when mixing into other ingredients, whereas room temperature eggs will incorporate much more evenly into the other ingredients when mixing. The goal is to have a mixture where all ingredients are evenly combined so the cookies bake up correctly.
• Egg yolk: The addition of an extra egg yolk keeps these cookies rich and flavorful. Same as with the whole egg, be sure to bring the egg yolk up to room temperature before using.
• Vanilla extract: I prefer to use real vanilla extract versus imitation vanilla. I think it makes a difference in the flavor of the baked cake. Use the highest quality vanilla you can afford.
• All-purpose flour: Use the scoop and level technique to measure your flour. Scoop the flour into the measuring cup then level the top with the back of the spoon or knife. This will assure you get the correct amount and the best texture. Alternatively, it's always a good idea to measure your flour with a kitchen scale. I provide my recipes by default in US customary measurements (cups), however, you can toggle the Metric button in the recipe card below to see the weight measurements (grams, milliliters) for all the ingredients.
• Cake flour: Cake flour is finer than all-purpose and contains less protein, helping to produce a more delicate texture. If you do not have cake flour in your pantry, you can easily whip some up by mixing together all-purpose flour and a little bit of corn starch for similar results. Measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons of the flour and add in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift the two ingredients together to ensure they are thoroughly combined.
• Baking soda: Be sure to check the expiration date on your baking soda and baking powder before using these ingredients in your baking recipes. Expired leavening agents such as baking soda and baking powder may not allow your baked recipes to rise the way they should. 
• Baking powder:  Be sure to check the expiration date on your baking powder and baking soda before using these ingredients in your baking recipes. Expired leavening agents such as baking powder and baking soda may not allow your baked recipes to rise the way they should.
• Salt: Feel free to adjust the amount of salt based on your preference. Note, although it seems counterintuitive, salt is a necessary ingredient in baking recipes. It helps to balance the sweetness without making your recipe taste salty 
• White chocolate baking bar: The white chocolate helps bring another layer of creamy flavor to these cookies and cream cookies. I highly recommend using a white chocolate baking bar such as Lindt, Ghiardelli, or Bakers brand in stead of white chocolate chips. The white chocolate baking bars melt much better, creating pockets of melty white chocolate whereas the white chips contain stabilizers meant to retain the shape of the chips while baking, so they will not melt as well. Chop the baking bar into large chunks.
• Semisweet chocolate baking bar: Similar to the white chocolate baking bar, I recommend using a semisweet baking bar versus semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe. After initially making these cookies without this ingredient, when added it helps balance the sweetness of the white chocolate and Oreos so well. Taste-test approved!
• Crushed Oreos: Any kind of Oreo would work well here. I like to use Double-stuffed Oreos to get more of that cream and cream flavor, but regular Oreos would work well, too. To prevent your cookie dough from turning an unsightly grey when the Oreos are added to the cookie dough, break apart the cookies by hand rather than crushing them in a food processor or in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. The fine crumbs (oreo crumbs) created when the oreos are crushed this way are what causes the dough to turn grey when mixed. We avoid that by breaking them into large chunks of oreo cookies. Additional chopped Oreos can be pressed into the top of the cookies just before baking optionally.