These soft-baked oatmeal cream pies are a homemade take on the classic Little Debbie brand lunchbox treat we all loved growing up. Two chewy, soft-baked molasses- and cinnamon-kissed oatmeal cookies sandwich a fluffy, sweet cream filling. One bite and you’ll wonder why you ever settled for store-bought. And the best part: You don’t even need to chill the cookie dough.
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos and additional success tips.
If you’ve ever found joy unwrapping and chowing down on store-bought oatmeal creme pies, you’re in luck. Little Debbie’s cookie sandwiches were a favorite growing up, and I’ve carried that packaged sweet treat nostalgia over to my kitchen. (I even have a giant oatmeal creme pie cookie recipe!) These are my homemade version, and I’m delighted to say they’re even better than the original.
One reader, Adrienne, commented: “I have made these cookies twice now. They are without a doubt the BEST cookies my husband and I have ever had… not just best I have made, but best we have ever eaten… Absolutely wonderful! ★★★★★”
And another reader, Kate, commented: “What a fantastic recipe!!! The oatmeal cookies on their own are easily the tastiest and best oatmeal cookies I have EVER MADE! I made my creme pies slightly smaller than the recipe called for so I had about 30 pies total. Highly recommend! ★★★★★”
How Do These Compare to Store-Bought Oatmeal Cream Pies?
These cookies are incredibly soft and on the thinner side, made with butter, dark brown sugar, and just the right touch of molasses, cinnamon, and cloves for a cozy, melt-in-your-mouth bite. The filling is sweet, smooth, and creamy without any shortening or artificial ingredients.
They’re not an exact copycat, though. My homemade version is softer and oat-ier than the original. And I know that packaged oatmeal creme pies use raisin paste (among other additional ingredients) in the cookie dough; these do not.
What Makes These So Special?
- Real oats for that classic chewy texture
- No shortcuts in the filling—just real butter and vanilla
- BIG, satisfying cookies—2 tablespoons of dough per cookie (and you’re eating 2!)
- No chilling required… aka immediate gratification 🙂
If you’re feeling adventurous, I also have a pumpkin version for the fall season. These pumpkin oatmeal cream pies were a Sally’s Baking Challenge and readers RAVED about the flavor. I also have these spiced eggnog oatmeal cream pies that are perfect for the holiday season.
Ingredients You Need & Why
- Butter: These cookies use plenty of it both in the cookie dough and in the filling. You need a lot of butter in the cookie dough to ensure spread. The cookies should be soft and flat, and using proper room-temperature butter will help achieve that. If the butter is too soft, they’ll over-spread and become hard and crispy. Read more: room-temperature butter in baking.
- Dark Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: I recommend reaching for dark brown sugar, which has a slightly higher molasses content than light brown sugar. This means more flavor. You’ll use some granulated sugar, too, to ensure the cookies spread.
- Egg: An egg helps bind the ingredients and provides structure.
- Vanilla, Cinnamon, & Cloves: Deliciously cozy flavor.
- Molasses: Just a Tablespoon, for even more flavor.
- Flour: Flour gives the cookies structure and helps soak up the moisture in the cookie dough. Note that I slightly increased the flour from the original recipe. I now use 1 and 2/3 cups (209g) instead of 1 and 1/2 cups.
- Baking Soda: Helps the cookies puff up, then fall a bit as they cool.
- Salt: Flavor enhancer, and to balance the sweet.
- Quick Oats: For the ideal texture, use quick oats. They incorporate smoothly into the dough, unlike whole oats, which can make the cookies overly coarse.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: To sweeten and thicken the filling.
- Heavy Cream: Smooths out the filling.
Let’s address the butter in the room one more time: yes, these cookies use plenty. You need 1 and 1/4 cups (20 Tablespoons) in the cookie dough. This is 2 and 1/2 sticks. You also need 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp) in the filling, which is 1 and 1/2 sticks. These aren’t lightened-up or healthified in any way—and that’s the whole point. They’re a true treat, one worth savoring… every single soft and sticky bite.
Oats Success Tip
Again, use quick oats for the best texture.
If you only have old-fashioned whole oats, which is what I usually use in most oatmeal cookie recipes, give them a few pulses in your food processor to break them down. That’s the secret to helping these cookies spread just right and still hold their soft, chewy center.
How to Make Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
The cookie dough is pretty straightforward. Cream butter and sugars, add egg, plus the molasses and vanilla. These are your wet ingredients. Whisk all of the dry ingredients together and then combine them with the wet ingredients.
An electric mixer is really helpful, because this is a thick and sticky cookie dough:
Portioning the dough to bake is also very easy. I recommend 2 generous Tablespoons of dough per cookie, which is around 45g each. Roll the portions into balls and place on a lined baking sheet.
These cookies spread a decent amount, so I only put 6 cookie dough balls on the sheet at a time:
Bake the cookies for only about 10 minutes at 375°F (191°C). Most cookies bake at 350°F, but for today’s recipe, we want the exterior to set shape quicker, which helps keep the centers soft. These cookies should be extra soft-looking in the centers when they are done. Do not over-bake.
Homemade Cream Filling
As the cookies finish cooling, you can make the cream filling. This is just like making an American-style buttercream frosting. Beat butter until smooth, and then add confectioners’ sugar, cream, vanilla, and then add salt to taste. It’s smooth, fluffy, and thick—perfect consistency to stuff inside two cookies!
Use around 1.5 Tablespoons of filling per sandwich. Spread it on the underside of one cookie and then sandwich with another cookie. I usually use a small offset spatula to spread the filling.
Whether they bring back memories or become a new favorite cookie, these oatmeal cream pies are pure, sweet comfort in every bite. 😉
P.S. If you’re in the mood for even more from-scratch versions of store-bought treats, don’t miss my homemade Oreos, iced oatmeal cookies, and cream-filled chocolate cupcakes.
Description
These soft-baked oatmeal cream pies are a homemade take on the classic lunchbox treat we all loved growing up. Made with buttery, cinnamon-kissed oatmeal cookies and a fluffy, sweet cream filling, they’re even better than the original. And the best part: You don’t even need to chill the cookie dough.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg, vanilla, and molasses and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and oats.
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients. The dough will be quite thick and very sticky, and you may have to mix it all by hand after a few seconds in the mixer.
- Scoop the dough, about 2 heaping Tablespoons of dough per cookie (if using a scale, make them 45g each), and arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets (about 6 cookies per baking sheet). Cookies will spread a bit in the oven.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies are very lightly golden around the edges. The centers will look very, very soft.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the filling: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat on medium speed for 1–2 minutes. Pour in heavy cream and vanilla extract. Beat on high speed for 2–3 minutes. Taste and add a pinch or two of salt, if needed. If filling is way too thick, beat in another Tablespoon of room-temperature heavy cream.
- Spread about 1.5 Tablespoons of cream filling on the bottom side of half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies, right side up.
- Cover and store leftover sandwich cookies at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and store it, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before continuing with step 5. (Note that the cookies won’t spread as much since the oats have likely absorbed a lot of moisture.) Baked cookies, cooled but not filled/sandwiched, freeze well for up to 3 months. (For best taste and texture, filling should be fresh.) Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before continuing with step 8. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding a minute or two to the baking time. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Large Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack | Small Offset Spatula
- Brown Sugar: I use dark brown sugar for extra flavor. If you only have light brown sugar, you can use that with no other changes to the dough.
- Oats: Do not use old-fashioned whole oats in this recipe; for the correct texture and to ensure enough moisture is soaked up in the cookie dough, use quick oats. If you only have whole oats, pulse them about 10 times in a food processor before using.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
- Cookies are adapted from myrecipes.com.
