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 youโll wonder why you ever settled for store-bought. And the best part: You donโt 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 Debbieโs 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 hadโฆ not just best I have made, but best we have ever eaten… Absolutely wonderful! โ โ โ โ โ ”
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! โ โ โ โ โ ”
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 fillingโjust real butter and vanilla
- BIG, satisfying cookiesโ2 tablespoons of dough per cookie (and you’re eating 2!)
- No chilling required… aka immediate gratification ๐
If youโre 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.
Letโs 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 arenโt lightened-up or healthified in any wayโand thatโs 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. Thatโs 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. Start by creaming the butter and sugars. If you need a refresher, I have a helpful video tutorial on how to cream butter and sugar. Then add the 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 375ยฐF (191ยฐC). Most cookies bake at 350ยฐF, 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 thickโperfect 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. ๐
P.S. If youโre in the mood for even more from-scratch versions of store-bought treats, donโt miss my homemade Oreos, iced oatmeal cookies, and cream-filled chocolate cupcakes.
Print
Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 15 cookie sandwiches
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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 donโt even need to chill the cookie dough.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups (20 Tbsp; 282g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) unsulphured or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap; I prefer Grandma’s brand)
- 1 and 2/3 cups (209g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 cups (255g) quick oats (not whole oats)
Cream Filling
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ยฐF (191ยฐC). 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.ย Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. (Hereโs a helpful tutorial if you need guidance onย how to cream butter and sugar.) 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, whiskย 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 10โ13 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 1โ2 minutes. Pour in heavy cream and vanilla extract. Beat on high speed for 2โ3 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 |ย 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Oatmeal Creme pies are my familyโs favorite cookie and I couldnโt believe how easy these are to make. So much better than anything by Debbie ๐
So good! Everyone loved them!
Also these were really fun to make, and extra fun to eat. Have a nice cup of coffee and that makes it even more delicious :3
These are SO GOOD, I didn’t even have to bake them to know that because I kept snacking on the dough
I made these for a coworkerโs baby shower and they were a huge hit!! Everyone loved them and were so impressed by how good they tasted, way better than Little Debbieโs and even better than some local bakeriesโ versions! I doubled the recipe and it worked out so well. I was nervous they would be too hard and squish all the frosting out, but I made these cookies one night, iced them the next night, and served them the following day- they were perfect! My kids were huge fans as well and even asked for these as their next birthday party treat. Thanks for a great recipe!
This recipe is to die for. The cookies are soft and delicious. The cookies are quite large, so when I make this recipe again (which I defined will!!) I will make them a bit smaller.
These were super delicious!
Everyone loved them!
I will definitely use this recipe again
These are so delicious! My 3-year-old son “helped” make them. He ate 1 cookie plain and then one folded in half with the filling. He said he loves them! I baked half of the dough immediately after making it today and they came out a little flat, but still tasty and a slight chewy texture I loved. The rest of the dough is chilling and I plan to make those cookies a bit smaller in size when I bake them tomorrow. I’m hoping the chilling will make them less flat. They are amazing with or without the filling!!
*I used all dairy-free ingredients to make them*
This is an amazing recipe, my family loves oatmeal cream pies, and to make them homemade is amazing!! The recipe was great and easy to follow. The cookies turned out soft, chewy, and delicious, and the icing was perfect!! I would 100% say anyone who is looking for a recipe, IT’S THIS ONE!! Way to go Sally, you did it again, amazing job!!!
These were AMAZING! The texture of the cookie was soft but crispy, the cream was sweet and fluffy. Everyone loved it!!! Thank you, Sally!
The cookies are great without the icing, crispy on the edges, and soft in the center. But to make them unforgettable, add the buttercream layer.
I live in Hawaii, and we have a hard time finding cookies that aren’t Oreos. These cookies really fill a niche in the snack cupboard.
Great flavor, soft and chewy, easy to put together!
Made these as the alternate challenge, and I took them to a Super Bowl party. They were a huge hit. I did add a little more cream to the frosting to help with the consistency.
I chose to make them half size (22g per cookie) and that was a great smaller size. Baked them 8-9min and that made 24 sandwich cookies. I also only used 2 cups powdered sugar and about 2 extra tablespoons heavy cream in the frosting. They turned out great, soft and not too sweet! Went fast at the party I brought them to!
I want to half this recipe, do I beat the egg and pour only half of it? and with rest make a tiny omlette lol
Hi Emma, exactly! The best and most accurate way to halve an egg is to crack it, beat it together, measure the amount, the use half.
Made these as the alternative recipe for February’s Challenge. So much better then store bought, and easy to make. These are a huge hit with my kids and grandkids.
My 9 year old helped me make these and we’ve never made a sandwich style cookie. I pulsed whole rolled oats as suggested. The cookies baked up beautifully with minimal spreading. Very delicious and easy to follow recipe!
I made these for a group of men at my church and they were a HUGE hit! the cookies are the right mix of soft and chewy, the filling is not overly sweet. I will definitely be making these again!
Iโve never really been an oatmeal cream pie fan, but made these anyway and they were AMAZING!! I have a family member that loves oatmeal cream pies and will definitely be recommending this recipe to her!
Made these as this month’s alternate challenge recipe. The cookies turned out perfectly and flattened out beautifully to put the cream in – the sandwiches looked great. The cookies are good as the sandwich or as a stand alone. These were easy and fun to make!
These are a staple bake in my house now!! Ahhhmazing! Flavor is awesome & texture is so chewy!! (Alternative baking challenge!!!)
I had no idea how easy it would be to make these! Not to mention the flavor of these cookies is delicious with the addition of the clove. Thanks again, Sally, for a delicious recipe.
These oatmeal cream pies turned out SO cute and perfect! Already a huge hit with my husband. Fun to make and not much of a hassle!
These were so good. Added raisins to some of them for my husband. Recipe was easy to follow, will definitely make again.
I made these as instructed but made the balls a little smaller, about 35g. Did not refrigerate the dough and baked for about 11 mins. They baked perfectly! They were golden around the edges and puffed up in the middle when I took them out. They flattened out while cooling. I used a little less confectioners sugar than the recipe called for and milk instead of cream as thatโs what I had on hand. My kids loved these as much as I did!! I might bump up the cinnamon next time but they are awesome as is. Theyโd be delicious without the cream filling as well.