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. 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 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. Or check out these copycat desserts to make at home for more ideas!
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 don’t 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 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. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on 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, 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 10–13 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Just made these yesterday they came out amazing only I would not make as big. I also admitted the clove as I don’t like it and use kosher salt instead of regular salt. They came out very delicious but sweet.
Could you do a cream cheese frosting filling?
Absolutely!
I made these for my snack cake loving husband for Father’s Day. They’re delicious! Wouldn’t change a thing about the recipe.
These are amazing as usual Sally never disappoints! Please use the quick Oatmeal! The pulsed old fashioned Oatmeal did not work!
Can I use margarine instead of butter?
Hi Annie, margarine does not have the same baking properties (or flavor!) as butter. We don’t recommend that swap.
Thank you, these sound delicious, I will be trying them very soon.
I also see there is a fall pumpkin version, I would love that one !!!
It is not clear to me whether an egg is required.
The egg is scratched out in the ingredients listing.
It is INCLUDED in the instructions!
Hi Joseph, there is an egg in the recipe. If you click on an ingredient, it will appear scratched out so that you can “check off” ingredients once you use them. I’m sure that’s what happened here!
This is delicious, thanks! Is it possible to make smaller cookies? What would the difference in baking time be? Thanks again.
Hi Grace, you can certainly make these smaller. Bake time will depend on the exact size of your cookies, so keep a close eye on them. So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
My cookies tirned out fluffy and never spread. In the picture they appear thin, mine were not. Although coomies and tbe frosting turned out delicious, just way too thik of a sandwich..
Hi Anna, when cookies do not spread, it’s usually because there is too much flour in the dough. Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour is properly measured. Thank you for giving these a try.
We’re dairy free so I plan on substituting butter for vegan butter and coconut milk for the heavy cream. Unsalted vegan butter doesn’t exist, do you think this will make a big difference?
Hi Holli! You can use salted butter and skip the salt.
Hi Holli. There are several brands out there that make unsalted butter! Country crock is one that is available in most grocery stores, its usually amongst dairy butter and is sold in sticks. Its a great plant butter alternative, Ive used it for baking many times with great results. Miyokos also has an unsalted version. Hope this helps if you ever need unsalted in another recipe. Happy baking!
Hi Sally, these are my favorite oatmeal cookies, amazing everytime! Can you make these high-protein in any way?
Hi Tara, we haven’t tried adding any protein here, but let us know if you give anything a try.
What do you find as a good substitute for cinnamon. We have an allergy to cinnamon but still would love to enjoy these wonderful recipes.
Hi Jackie, the cookies will still have wonderful flavor from the dark brown sugar, vanilla, and molasses. If you skip the cinnamon, I would add 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg.
Can the finished cookies be frozen?
Hi Mbakes, yes, the cookies can be frozen, but we recommend freezing them before adding the filling. Buttercream really tastes best when it’s made fresh.
These cookies are a fan favorite! I’ve been specifically asked to make them for bake sales, birthday parties, fundraisers, and just as a snack for my family. Just be careful…they are severely addicting! 🙂
I’m sorry, but these did not turn out very well. I even refrigerated my dough for about half an hour and they’re FLAT! I didn’t even leave my butter out for very long. I won’t be making these again.
Tgere is heavy cream in the filling. I want to make these the day before. It seems like refrigeration would harden the cookie but the cream has milk in it. Can they be stored at room temp?
Hi Amber Rose, After decorating anything with buttercream or cream cheese frosting, it’s fine for 1 day at room temperature. After that, we would refrigerate it. But, use your best judgment and whatever you are comfortable with- we’ve never had any problems leaving frosted desserts at room temperature for a day
HORRIBLE!!! I make cookies all the time and they’ve all turned out great. I made this recipe, however, and they turned out like mush seeping with butter. What people don’t understand is that 1 and a 1/4 cups of butter is 3 WHOLE STICKS. My family and I still tried it and they all said the cinnamon was overpowering. It was terrible. I don’t know if it was me (correct me if I’m wrong about the recipe) but I won’t be using it again.
Hi, if you used 3 whole sticks of butter, that is more than the recipe calls for, which would explain the issue you had. 1 and 1/4 cups butter is 2 and 1/2 sticks, or 20 Tbsp, or 282g.
I’d rather these not spread because I’d like to make them more like a fat, stuffed cookie. (stuffed with the cream filling) Is this possible do you think? 🙂
Hi Kathy, we haven’t tried it ourselves, but if you want a thicker cookie to test a stuffed version, we’d recommend these oatmeal raisin cookies instead (you can leave out the raisins). Let us know if you try it!
I think my cookies didn’t spread enough and are just a bit too puffy. My dough was room temp and I baked immediately after mixing. Any tips?
Hi Tin! Usually when oatmeal cookies don’t spread, there’s too much flour or oats in the batter. How did you measure the flour/oats? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
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!
Thank you for the amazing recipe!
Do you recommend chilling the dough for *this* recipe? I’ve made these before and I feel like they’re so thin- like someone else said- like lattice cookies. (Still delicious, but way flatter than the pictires.)
Thanks!
Hi Kelly, we skip chilling this cookie dough so that the cookies will spread enough in the oven. Is your butter a bit too warm by chance? Here’s more about room temperature butter—if it’s too warm, it could be causing excessive spread. You could certainly try chilling the dough for just a short bit, and if it prevent the cookies from spreading enough, you can take the pan out part way through bake time and gently bang it on the counter to promote spread. Hope this helps!
Thanks for your speedy response! I just measured the temp of my butter and it’s 67.2 degrees. It’s been sitting on the counter since last night. I’ll go ahead and try one batch and if they spread too much, I’ll chill the remaining dough. Thanks! I LOVE your recipes! 🙂
I’m getting ready to bake these this week. Can I bake the cookies tomorrow and make the creme the day before serving?
Hi Serenity, you can make the cookies ahead separately and store in the fridge or freezer depending on how far advance you are making them. You can then make the creme and assemble the day before serving.
OMG so freakin’ good – they are addictive!!
Can these cookies be frozen after they are baked? I’d like to make some for a crowd, ahead of time if possible!
Hi Dinah, Yes you can store them in the freezer for up to a month and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
2 and a half sticks of butter? I hope I’m reading that correctly!
Hi Megan, yes, you’ll need 2.5 sticks of butter, for a total of 20 Tbsp in the dough. It’s quite a bit, which encourages spread in these large cookies.
Is light brown sugar okay to use and maybe upping the molasses a bit?
Hi Allyson, you can use light brown sugar with no other changes.
I made these by the gram instruction 3 times. Mine were flat and crispy like lacce cookies. The flavor was incredible though! Any idea what went wrong? Will continue to make but love the way yours look.
Hi Jennifer! Did you start with proper room temperature butter? It’s cooler than you think! Here’s more tips to prevent cookies from spreading.
I wonder if it was because I used salted butter? Didn’t pay attention the that part and baked again. This time they were dense. Maybe it is the cold weather.
I always make these for bake sales and I always sell out, even when I double the recipe. I used unsulfured Blackstone molasses. Is that ok?
Sounds like they were a hit, Joyann!
I’ve made these before and they are PHENOMENAL. Truly one of the best things I’ve ever made. I’d like to make them for Thanksgiving. Do you think I could make the cookie dough in advance and freeze it — then make the filling day-of and bake/assemble day-of?
Definitely!
Do you think browned butter would work in the filling?
Absolutely – yum!
I tried making ahead my dough and put it in the fridge the day before. They are spread thin and huge and flat! Can you explain clearly how to mix this dough ahead and still have a thicker cookie?
Hi Morgan, Did you start with proper room-temperature butter? It’s cooler than you think! Here are some more tips to prevent cookies from spreading. Thanks for giving this recipe a try!
Can I sub the molasses with maple syrup? I’m unable to get out to buy molasses or any substitutes. I also have honey.
Hi Aleecia, maple syrup or molasses will work in a pinch. Enjoy!
I made these for small group and they were a hit! Everyone loved them!
Easy and so much better than the ones made by Debbie