If you’re a fan of classic oatmeal cream pies and can’t get enough of pumpkin spice, these pumpkin oatmeal cream pies are your next must-try bake! Start by baking a batch of soft pumpkin oatmeal cookies—no dough chilling needed. Then, sandwich them together with a tangy, spiced cream cheese filling to create irresistible oatmeal cream pies bursting with cozy fall flavors.
One reader, Jennifer, commented: “What a wonderful fall treat! If you want something other than pumpkin bread or pumpkin pie, then these pumpkin oatmeal cookies are what you’re looking for. The cream filling really adds a nice, smooth component to the cookie. I followed the recipe exactly and they are so delicious! ★★★★★“
While there is so much to love about fall—cooler temps, colorful leaves, Halloween fun—obviously the best part about this time of year is the BAKING.
Today’s pumpkin sandwich cookie recipe is a new one to add to your list of must-try fall recipes. I know that list is probably quite long… but trust me, this one is worthy of a place on it!
Why You’ll Love These Fall Sandwich Cookies
- Soft-baked, but with a chewier texture than these cake-like pumpkin cookies
- Tangy, not-too-sweet cream cheese filling pairs perfectly with pumpkin—my frosting choice for pumpkin cupcakes and pumpkin cake
- Both cookies and filling are perfectly pumpkin spiced (you can use homemade pumpkin pie spice here)
- A no-chill cookies recipe—from mixer to oven quickly
- If you’re a fan of my super-popular brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies, expect a similar texture
- A fall/pumpkin version of classic oatmeal creme pies
A Few Notes About the Ingredients:
- Pumpkin Puree: You want the pure stuff, not the can labeled “pumpkin pie filling.” You won’t use the entire can in this recipe, so here is a list of recipes to make with leftover pumpkin puree.
- Oats: Finer-cut quick oats may dry out the dough, so I recommend whole oats here.
- Spices: Pumpkin on its own doesn’t have a lot of flavor. You need cinnamon + pumpkin pie spice to give it a boost.
- Sugar: You need a mix of both white granulated and brown sugar—brown sugar to keep the cookies moist and chewy, white granulated to help with spreading.
- Egg Yolk: Eggs + pumpkin can create a cake-like cookie, but here I want a soft and chewy cookie. So, skip the egg white and use just the yolk.
5 Success Tips for Making the Best Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
We tested a few versions of the recipe below, and learned some key success tips along the way. Happy to share:
1. Blot the pumpkin. Pumpkin puree is a considerably wet ingredient (it’s 90% water), which is a good thing for adding moisture to cakes, pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin bread. But it poses a problem when we’re trying to make dense, chewy oatmeal cookies. More moisture = cakier cookies.
To prevent overly cakey cookies, blot some moisture out of the pumpkin using paper towels. You’ll start with 1 cup of pumpkin puree (about 225–240g); after blotting, you should end up with about 3/4 cup (170g).
2. Use only an egg yolk. Pumpkin acts kind of like an egg in cookie dough, which I learned when testing pumpkin chocolate chip cookies back in 2013 (that is an egg-free recipe). Testing pumpkin oatmeal cookies, however, proved that an egg—or at least part of an egg—is necessary. The cookies were a little dry and crumbly without it because of the oats in the dough. Use just 1 large egg yolk here, just like we do with pumpkin crumb cake cookies, because that little extra bit of fat makes a difference.
3. Use a cookie scoop. I strongly recommend using a medium cookie scoop. Why? First, because the cookies need to all be roughly equal in size (about a scant 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons) to sandwich together. And second, because this dough is very sticky and would be much too difficult to roll with your hands. A cookie scoop scrapes the dough out cleanly and drops a perfectly sized lump of dough onto the baking sheet every time.
If you do not have a cookie scoop, drop a heaping Tablespoon (about 25–30g) of dough for each cookie onto the lined baking sheet.
You should get about 36–40 cookies out of this dough, so you’ll end up with 18–20 sandwiches.
4. Flatten out the cookies slightly before baking. You can use the back of a spoon for this. These cookies don’t expand much in the oven, and pressing them down first encourages spreading. The result? Chewier, flatter cookies just right for sandwiching together to make a pumpkin oatmeal cream pie.
5. Spoon the edges. If your cookies are spreading too much or unevenly, remove them from the oven and use a spoon to lightly push any wonky edges back in towards the center, to reshape into circles. (I do this with chocolate chip cookies.) Return to the oven to continue baking. You can repeat this trick again, if needed, after baking.
Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Filling
Make the filling while you wait for the cookies to cool. You need cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar, plus a few ingredients that you used for the cookie dough, too: butter, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
The filling required a bit of testing. I kept reducing the sugar, to really help the pumpkin spice and cream cheese flavors stand out. However, the more confectioners’ sugar you reduce, the thinner the filling becomes. What you see here is an ideal consistency, with just enough sweetness.
Assembling Oatmeal Cream Pies
You can use a pastry bag + tip and pipe the filling, or simply spread it on with a knife or icing spatula. If you want to pipe it and do not have a piping tip and pastry bag, use a regular zip-top plastic bag and snip off 1 corner. Pipe or spread the frosting onto the bottoms of half the cookies, then sandwich with the remaining cookies. I used Wilton 2A tip to pipe.
Variation: Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches
These soft and chewy pumpkin oatmeal cookies would also make wonderful ice cream cookie sandwiches! Simply swap the cream cheese filling for vanilla or pumpkin ice cream, and follow the instructions for sandwiching the cookies with softened ice cream, wrapping, and freezing from my cookie ice cream sandwich recipe.
Print
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes (includes cooling)
- Yield: 18-20 sandwiches
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft and chewy pumpkin oatmeal cookies are sandwiched with tangy-sweet and spiced cream cheese filling. To ensure the best results, review my success tips above before beginning.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226g) pumpkin puree
- 2 and 1/4 cups (191g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 and 2/3 cups (209g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Filling
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice
- pinch of salt, to taste
Instructions
- Blot the pumpkin: Line a medium bowl with 2 paper towels. Place the pumpkin puree in the bowl. Using another paper towel, press down to blot excess moisture out of the pumpkin. After blotting, make sure you have about 3/4 cup (170g) of pumpkin. Discard paper towels and set blotted pumpkin aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium-high speed until creamed, about 3 minutes. 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 yolk and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined. Add the blotted pumpkin, and beat on high speed until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase to medium speed and beat until combined. Dough will be creamy, soft, and sticky.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough (about a scant 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons (25–30g) of dough each) and drop on the cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart. With the back of a spoon, press down to slightly flatten the balls, as the cookies won’t spread much unless you help out first.
- Bake for 14–16 minutes or until lightly browned and set on the edges. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. (Success Tip: If your cookies are spreading unevenly, remove them from the oven and use a spoon to lightly push any wonky edges back in towards the center, to reshape into circles. You can repeat this trick again, if needed, when you take them out of the oven after baking.)
- Make the filling: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat cream cheese and butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed until confectioners’ sugar is incorporated, then increase to high speed and beat until smooth and creamy. Pipe or spread some of the filling on the bottom side of half of the cooled cookies; top with remaining cookies, right side up. I used Wilton 2A tip to pipe.
- Cover and store leftover cookies at room temperature for up to 1 day. After that, store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week to keep the creamy filling fresh.
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 6. 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 6. 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): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Food Scale | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Sheets | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack | Small Icing Spatula (for filling) | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) and Wilton 2A (for filling)
- Why Am I Blotting Moisture Out of Pumpkin Puree? Pumpkin puree is a really wet ingredient (it’s 90% water), which is a good thing for adding moisture to cakes, pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin bread. But it poses a problem when we’re trying to make dense, chewy oatmeal cookies. Start with 1 cup of pumpkin (about 225–240g) and blot out enough moisture and liquid to yield 3/4 cup (170g) of denser, thicker puree.
- Use Whole Oats: Finer-cut quick oats may dry out the dough, so I recommend whole oats here.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, for the cookies: use 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and an extra 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Do not leave out the 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon that is also called for in this recipe. For the filling: Use a pinch each of the same spices (you may want to avoid ground cloves in the filling, or make it an extra small pinch—it’s quite strong).
- Use Only the Egg Yolk: Pumpkin acts kind of like an egg in cookie dough, so you don’t need an entire egg here. Use only the yolk, to help give the cookies structure and provide moisture and richness.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Fantastic recipe with great seasoning! I chose to use a cheesecloth to wring out the extra liquid in the pumpkin puree and it worked great! Was super efficient and saved my paper towels from being wasted. Super easy to make ahead and baked later as well!
So, Sally…I’ve been following you for years. Years. Ive made so many of your goodies I can’t count. I made these for a church bake sale and you know what? I can’t give them away because they are so wonderful, so delish, that we all ate them!! I’ll have to make double batch next time but these are just Next Level Cookie! Kudos to you! I did do a few things to tweak…I flattened with floured bottom glass before baking. And I added 1/3 cup powdered sugar to the filling to thicken. Came out perfect. Thanks Sally!!
Really delicious and easy to follow recipe. My 3-year old helped me make them.
I love the thorough explanations that you include with your recipes. It is very helpful knowing not only what to add to a recipe, but why we should or should not do the particular step. This recipe is a keeper!
can you substitute GF flour?
Hi Gen, We haven’t tested the cookies with gluten-free flour, but typically a 1:1 gluten-free flour works nicely in oatmeal cookie doughs with no other changes. Let us know what you test!
I made this recipe today with a 1:1 gf flour and it tasted exactly like regular flour!
You are the best place for finding excellent baking recipes. I don’t usually trust other sites for recipes, and I am looking for pumpkin Whoopie pies. I don’t see any on your website, but could you recommend one?
Hi Teresa! Our soft pumpkin cookies make wonderful pumpkin whoopie pies.
She has the whoopie pie version in her cookbook “Sally’s Cookie Addiction”.
How long would you recommend baking with a 1 TBL scoop?
Hi Kat! We’re unsure of the exact bake time needed for slightly smaller cookies, so keep an eye on them in the oven as they bake.
i did a half tbs scoop to make mini ones and did about 12-13 minutes!!
I make your oatmeal cookie recipe all the time and the whole family loves them!
Could I use sweet potato instead of pumpkin, since none of us are big fans of pumpkin?
Hi Cherel, we haven’t tested it here, but sweet potato puree often works well in place of pumpkin puree. Let us know if you do give it a try!
Best cookies I have ever made
Everyone loves them
My 6 year old Granddaughter asks for them specifically
Thanks another great receipe
I bake for a volunteer gig on a local college campus, focusing on allergen-friendly treats. I made these today as gluten-free and vegan and was very happy with how they turned out. I used certified GF oatmeal and King Arthur Measure for Measure GF flour blend. For the vegan substitutions, I used Earth Balance vegan butter sticks and a flax egg in place of the egg yolk. For the filling, I used a vegan buttercream I already had for another bake; it was probably sweeter than your filling but still awfully good. Thanks for the great recipe!
Made these and took them to work (in the UK where pumpkin fall goods are in low supply as are little Debbie’s) and they all loved them! The only issue I ran into was making the cream, following the recipe mine ended up extremely runny still so I ended up having to add a bunch more sugar and a bit of cornstarch to thicken it up but the taste was still great!
Hi Sally,
I had your Oatmeal Pumpkin Crème Pie recipe from 2014 and I will say this current recipe is totally different and more cakey. There was no pumpkin added to the original recipe and the cookies were more chewy with a pumpkin filling. Plus the previous recipe has to be chilled for at least an hour or up to day. I also added crushed pecans to give it a crunch. This previous recipe is fire and I love the previous recipe.
Do you still have the recipe from 2014?! I’ve been looking for it like crazy!
Hi Mush! You can email us and we can help find that other version. sally(at)sallysbakingaddiction.com
It is the second time I do this recipe and I love it! It id my favorite autumn recipe!!
The first time I use the paper towel to drained the pumpkin. This time I use a cotton cheese. Really efficient!!! It took this entire cane to produce 170g of purée and the cookie dough was less wet than the first time!
These are absolutely delicious! I made for my family and several friends and each person has raved about them!
Made these on Sunday and they are absolutely delicious!! I already know that I will make these over and over. Any tips on flattening the cookie with a spoon? My spoon really stuck to every cookie. Also, my filling was a little too thin. Any suggestions?
Hi Michelle! You can try greasing the spoon if it’s sticking to the dough quite a bit. Did you use full fat block style cream cheese? Anything else will be too watery.
These are delicious! Actually, the cookies themselves even w/o the filling are so good, I almost didn’t even make the filling. But I just tried one with it and they’re so good. Keeper, for sure.
These were the most amazing delicious treats I have had the privilege to make and enjoy. These were a huge hit. Made them twice using a lg cookie scoop and a small cookie scoop. The smaller scoop results in more and are the perfect size.
the tips are so stinking helpful, could not have asked for a better recipe,
There is only one problem, they don’t last long enough around my family! Everyone went crazy over them!
Made this for a Friendsgiving and it was a huge hit, everyone raved about them. Would absolutely make again! Chilling the cookies after filling and assembling definitely helped give them structure.
Can you make these with gluten free flour in place of the regular flour?
Hi Alice, We haven’t tested the cookies with gluten free flour, but typically a 1:1 gluten free flour works nicely in oatmeal cookie doughs with no other changes. Let us know what you test!
I made these for a party and they were a big hit! The hostess’ husband texted and said I needed to give his wife the recipe. Thanks, Sally, for another great recipe.
Super awesome recipe! Definitely a crowd pleaser and not too difficult. It’s a great dessert starter for the fall season!
Delicious! Surprisingly not overly sweet, which I really liked. Definitely will make again. Happy Halloween!
A delicious fall treat! Love that pumpkin spiced cream layer in there! YUM!!
These were so delicious! I made them for our Halloween dessert (mine are too old to trick-or-treat so I try to make a fun meal). My 18-year-old said these were the best thing I have ever made! Would definitely recommend.
These cookies are delicious! Soft oatmeal cookie and the cream cheese filling is perfect for this cookie.
These were so easy to make but sooo delicious! The smell is amazing, and they are just the right amount of sweetness. I made them for a Halloween gathering before Trick or Treating and everyone, including the group of 6 year olds loved them. My husband was sad so many were eaten!
This recipe was so easy to follow and everything came together well. The directions were accurate and the cookies came out a good size and not too large. The pumpkin flavor was a great alternative to a traditional oatmeal cream pie.
These are delicious! I made mini cookies with a cookie scoop that’s about 3/4 T. Half of the recipe made about 36 mini cookies. My only change was increasing the filling spices slightly. I used 1/8 tsp for all except cloves (about 1/16 tsp) instead of a tiny pinch of each 1/2 recipe. What a fun challenge recipe!