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Oatmeal Cream Pies

These homemade oatmeal cream pies are made with soft, chewy oatmeal cookies sandwiched around a rich vanilla cream. If you grew up eating Little Debbie snack cakes, this simple recipe is going to bring back memories!

Stack of oatmeal cream pies on two stacked plates

Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies

My grandmother’s kitchen always had a box of oatmeal cream pies. They were those store-bought kind by Little Debbie with the thin, soft oatmeal cookies sandwiched around a sweet filling. Eating these was such a childhood treat!

I somehow never really thought about trying to make them myself, then one day I had a nostalgic craving for these and decided to go for it. The result? Soft and chewy oatmeal cookies with a hint of cinnamon and a creamy vanilla filling. And as it turns out, these oatmeal cream pies were super simple to make!

Fair warning: you may never go back to store-bought once you learn how to makes these yourself. Sorry Little Debbie!

Overhead view of oatmeal cream pie ingredients

What You’ll Need

Here’s a brief overview of what you’ll need to make these oatmeal cream pies. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for specific amounts.

For the cookies:

  • All-purpose flour – Here’s how to measure flour.
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Quick-cooking oats – These aren’t the same as rolled or old-fashioned oats, so be sure to get the quick variety! Learn more: Rolled Oats vs Quick Oats
  • Unsalted butter – Let the butter soften for about half an hour before baking.
  • Light brown sugar
  • Granulated sugar
  • Egg – Your egg should be room temperature before starting the recipe.
  • Vanilla extract

For the filling:

  • Unsalted butter – Let the butter soften so it can be whipped into a smooth, velvety filling.
  • Confectioners’ sugar
  • Heavy cream – Heavy whipping cream is fine here.
  • Vanilla extract

Are There Raisins in Oatmeal Cream Pies?

Raisin haters can rejoice: there are no raisins in this recipe for oatmeal cream pies! And raisin lovers, there’s no need to despair because you can add a handful to the dough and fold them in before forming the cookies. Everyone wins!

Stack of 3 oatmeal cream pies on cooling rack

How to Make Oatmeal Cream Pies from Scratch

I know I mentioned that these are easy, but it bears repeating: they’re really easy! Unlike many other sandwich cookie recipes, this one doesn’t call for rolling out and cutting dough.

To make the cookies:

Prepare. Preheat your oven to 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl and stir in the oats.

Mix the wet ingredients. Use an electric mixer to cream the butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, stirring well until the ingredients are well-blended.

Overhead view of cookie dough on silicone-lined baking sheet

Form the cookies. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. 

Overhead view of oatmeal cookies on wire rack

Bake. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes. Let them cool on the pan for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

To make the filling and assemble:

Make the filling. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a medium bowl. Use an electric mixer on low speed to beat them until they’re combined. Then, increase the mixer speed to high, and continue to beat until the filling is light and fluffy.

Finish. Spread about a tablespoon of filling over the bottom sides of half of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies so that the bottoms of both cookies are sandwiching the filling.

Tips for Success

Here are some hints and tips for the best oatmeal cream pies:

  • Knowing when the cookies are done. When the edges of the cookies are lightly browned, you can pull them out of the oven even if the centers don’t seem completely set. They’ll continue baking from the residual heat on the baking sheets.
  • Pair like-size cookies together. The downside of these cookies being freeform vs. cut-out is that the shapes might vary slightly. Do a little planning before you start assembling and pair similar shapes and sizes.
  • Don’t spread the filling all the way to the edges. Just put a dollop in the center (or pipe it for a more professional look), then press the two sides of the sandwich together until the filling reaches the edges of the cookies.
Oatmeal cream pies set on wire rack

How to Store

Store Oatmeal Cream Pies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. I recommend letting them come to room temperature before serving so the filling softens up a bit.

Can I Freeze Oatmeal Cream Pies?

Yes, you can freeze oatmeal cream pies in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the refrigerator before serving.

Oatmeal cream pie leaning against stack of pies on cooling rack

Oatmeal Cream Pies

Yield about 18 sandwich cookies (36 cookies)
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 37 minutes

Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies beat store-bought, hands down!

Stack of 3 oatmeal cream pies on cooling rack

Ingredients

For the cookies:

  • 1 & 1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 cups (240g) uncooked quick-cooking oats
  • 1 & 1/4 cups (282g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the filling:

  • 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups (220g) confectioners sugar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

To make the cookies:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
  2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in oats. Set aside.
  3. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, and mix well. Gradually add flour mixture, stirring until well blended.
  4. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on pan for 2-3 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

To make the filling:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat until combined. Then, increase mixer speed to high, and beat until light and fluffy.
  2. Spread about 1 tablespoon of filling over the bottom side of half of the cookies. Top with remaining cookies so that the bottoms of the cookies are facing the filling.

Notes

Recipe adapted from My Recipes.

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    25 Comments on “Oatmeal Cream Pies”

  1. Oh my, these look ridiculous! And I’ll take your word that they’re good since everything else I’ve made from your blog have been my absolute favorites! I pinned this recipe, can’t wait to try these!

  2. That just looks amazingly good, will have to try!!

  3. Those look wonderful. I tried my hand at making a slightly different version last year. http://madebymike.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/oh-my-oatmeal-cream-pies/ And you’re right, I’ll never go back to store bought.

  4. These look SO good. Oatmeal cookies are my favorite, and I’m sure they are only made better by that sweet cream filling! Can’t wait to try them!

  5. These look amazing! I will be making these this weekend.

  6. Made these today – WOW – so easy and so yummy! The cookie alone is really good, but the cream filling puts them over the top! thanks for the recipe. Next time, I need to double the recipe…the batch I made disappeared too fast with my family.

    • I would love to ship these to a friend in the same state. Any suggestions on how I might be most successful?

      • Hi, Debbie. The cookies will likely be fine, but I’d be concerned about the frosting, especially in warm weather. It might be doable if they were frozen and shipped overnight with cold packs.

  7. Oh me, oh my these are awesome & very dangerous! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I look forward to many more on your site!

  8. These are absolutely amazing!! I love these cookies 🙂

  9. Wonderful recipe…reminds me of the fact that I still eat those store-bought oatmeal pies and they are good, but am sure these are much better. I need to make these!

  10. These were always my favorite Little Debbie snacks growing up. I am so excited to try this recipe. I hope that regular milk will suffice in the cream center, I don’t think I want to buy heavy cream for just a few tablespoons. Plus, maybe it will save a few calories 🙂

  11. I’m a huge fan of both oatmeal cookies and whoopie pies and these seem to combine the best of both worlds. I’ve bookmarked these in hopes of making an acceptable tasting version that’s a little lighter and healthier for me and my fellow Weight Watchers members.

  12. I was just recently shopping and had to forcibly walk away from the cream pie boxes on the shelf. So glad to have a homemade recipe!

  13. These look outrageously delicious! I love the store-bought ones but am always convinced they have enough preservatives to last to the end of time. Will be trying these soon!

  14. A friend of the family made these for us in March. They were so delicious that I joined Pinterest just to get the recipe! Thanks for sharing.

  15. I don’t want to fail

  16. these are fantastic. i made them a few months ago and people are still raving. i am being told i must make them again, and soon!!

  17. Do you have any idea what could be used to sub out for some of the confectioner’s sugar? I have learned from cookie recipes past that fillings like this one are too sweet for me, but you obviously need to make the filling thick with something. Cornstarch in any quantity has a pretty strong flavor, IMO. Any suggestions? Because these guys look delicious, and perfect with a hot cup of tea!

    • Hi, Lisa. You can reduce the sugar in the filling. It may alter the texture a bit, but not too much unless you take out a lot. Another thought is just not to use as much when you assemble the cookies. Just make the filling layer thinner.

  18. These did not turn out good at all! They were so dry it was hard to even make a dough to form the cookies. Wouldn’t make these again! 🙁 Waste of time.

  19. Added these to the cookie list for Christmas this year and they are amazing!! The cookie is soft and chewy and the filling is exactly like a whoopie pie filling, which is perfect. Everyone who tried one raved and some even questioned if they were homemade by me or ordered from a bakery???!!! For the ones I’m gifting, I rolled the edges where the cream shows in red and green sugar. Beautiful! This recipe is a keeper. Thanks and Merry Christmas!

  20. I was skeptical at first but these oatmeal crème pies turned out to be so delicious. I definitely will be making again. 

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