Soft-baked and delicious Oatmeal Creme Pies are easy to make at home!
I’m feeling sort of nostalgic today. I remember eating Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies when I was younger. Unwrapping and crumpling the wrapper between my fingers, trying desperately (and failing) to stuff the whole squishy soft cookie sandwich into my mouth all at once. I LOVED oatmeal creme pies! And still have a giant oatmeal creme pie size spot in my heart for them. As giant as my one giant oatmeal creme pie cookie.
I haven’t had them in a long time. Homemade cookies and cupcakes have taken precedence over my favorite mass-produced packaged snack, but that doesn’t mean I don’t remember how incredible they are. So… I set out to bake my own from scratch.
I made oatmeal pumpkin creme pies last fall and adored them. The oatmeal cookies are tiny, puffy, and very chewy. They have texture. I filled them with a pumpkin cream cheese frosting, one of the frostings I developed in my pumpkin rampage last September. This pumpkin version isn’t particularly a copycat recipe to Little Debbie, as the cookies had some texture and chew and they were very small in size. I also have a holiday variation, spiced eggnog oatmeal cream pies, which is closer in texture to this recipe but full of festive flavors.
Today’s oatmeal cookies are made with super soft, large, and delicate oatmeal cookies full of brown sugar, molasses, and butter. The cookies melt in your mouth. I sandwiched them between a bright white vanilla creme center. They are much oat-ier than Little Debbie’s version. Sometimes I wonder where the oats are in hers!
Are you ready for these?
Let me begin by telling you how much butter you’ll need for this entire recipe. 2 and 1/2 sticks just for the cookies and 1 and 1/2 sticks for the creme filling. New Years resolutions can take the back seat! These are not a healthy cookie and I do not suggest making them into a healthy cookie. They are oatmeal creme pies, not diet food.
And are worth every single bite!
The source for this copycat recipe does not call for ground cloves, but I wanted to pack some flavor into the buttery oatmeal cookie. Another thing? For the cookie’s proper texture and spreadability, it is imperative to use quick oats in these cookies. Old-fashioned whole rolled oats will not work. You want very fine, small pieces of oats in the dough. Since I prefer whole rolled oats in my granola recipes and my go-to loaded oatmeal cookies, my pantry is never stocked with the quick kind. I make my own quick oats if I need them for a recipe. For today, I measured 3 cups of whole rolled oats and pulsed them in the food processor 4-5 times. Now you have quick oats! Easy, right?
The cookie dough is quite thick; I had to stop the mixer after about 10 seconds to mix the rest by hand. Unlike most of my cookie recipes, this dough does not require chilling prior to baking. More often that not, I chill my cookie dough before baking since cold dough assures a thicker cookie. Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies are not thick cookies, so not dough chilling is necessary. You want the cookies to spread and stretch out in the oven.
P.S. Do you like Oreo cookies? Try my homemade Oreos next, for another homemade version of a familiar packaged cookie.
I used my favorite OXO large cookie scoop to scoop the cookies into uniform sized balls. Typically, I do not use a cookie scoop for my cookies. But I knew I needed one today since the cookies have to all be equal in size to sandwich together. If you do not have a cookie scoop, be sure to roll 2 Tablespoons of dough for each cookie.
Allow the cookies to cool completely before filling. The creme center is unlike many copycat creme center recipes I’ve found before. There is no shortening, marshmallow creme, corn syrup, or gelatin. I do not use shortening in my frosting recipes—just not a fan of the texture!
My creme filling isn’t a dead ringer of Little Debbie’s, but it’s just perfect for us.
I am infatuated with these oatmeal creme pies! I can honestly say that they are one of the best cookies I’ve ever made. The taste comparison to Little Debbie’s version is uncanny.
They are soft, ultra-moist, and squishy like Miss Debbie’s. I made them large, reminiscent of the originals (2 Tablespoons of dough in each cookie, so 4 in the whole cookie sandwich). When you eat one, the filling will squeeze out the sides—perfect for licking the creme around the edges. Get ready to have some sticky fingers.
ENJOY!
More Classic Treats
- Rice Krispie Treats
- Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts
- Mini Animal Cracker Cookies
- Chocolate Cake Roll
Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 14-15 cookie sandwiches
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft-baked and delicious oatmeal creme pies are easy to make at home. They’re better than the original!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups (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 1/2 cups (188g) 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)
Creme Filling
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and molasses, scraping down the sides as needed. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and oats.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients. The dough will be quite thick and you may have to mix it all by hand after a few seconds in the mixer. Drop dough with a large cookie scoop, or make sure each ball of dough is 2Â Tablespoons. Cookies will spread in the oven, so drop each ball of dough 3Â inches apart.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly golden around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the filling: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat 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 for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. Taste and add a pinch or two of salt, as needed. If filling is way too thick, add a couple more teaspoons of heavy cream. Spread 1.5 Tablespoons of cream filling on the bottom side of half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies, right side up.
- Cookies stay fresh and soft (with creme filling) at room temperature for 2 days in an airtight container. After that, store in the refrigerator to keep the creamy filling fresh.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk |Â Large Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- 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.
More oatmeal cookies:
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies
Magic 5 Cookies (butterscotch and coconut!)
Peanut Butter Cup Surprise Monster Cookies
Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
I’m an avid baker and weighed all my ingredients, but these cookies spread out a ton. The recipe doesn’t say to chill the dough, but I’m thinking that’s an imperative step. They taste great, but the texture (of mine, at least) was more like a lace cookie.
Hi Becky! Thank you for giving these oatmeal creme pies a try. Did you use proper room temperature butter? Using warmer butter can cause cookies to spread in the oven.
So good. Sometimes, I’ll make only the cookie batter and store it in the fridge to bake as I go. I prefer them fresh out of the oven.
These are truly the best!!! A few years ago, I compared several recipes and fillings, and these were the winner – I do like them best with vanilla buttercream. Then I found that one of my favorite cooking magazines had come out with a recipe for them, so I had to compare them to Sally’s – well, hers were still the CLEAR winners for my husband and I! Just the best flavor and texture!! Thank-you Sally!
Very good and easy to make.
Could you make the cookie dough and could you make the cookie dough shape into balls and freeze it and bake the cookies at a later time?
Hi Angie, absolutely! Dough should freeze well for up to three months.
Wow! This oatmeal cookie dough is the best I’ve ever tasted. These were a big hit. I will say, they are a big dessert. I’d probably make them half the size next time.
These cookies were such a big hit with everyone at work.
These are absolutely delicious! Soft with a little bit of crunchy, good flavor, and creamy filling. However, my cookies spread out way too much. I had to cut them apart with a spatula, and they were really thin. The edges got a little too browned as well. I even baked them at 350 instead of 375. Any tips for a little more cakey/thick, less crispy? The only thing I can think of is to chill the dough.
Hi Casey, we’re so glad you enjoyed these oatmeal creme pies! A quick chill of the dough will help with spreading. Also, be sure that your butter is room temperature (even just a little warmer than proper room temperature can cause spread) and that you’re spooning and leveling your flour to measure. You want to ensure just the right amount of flour to help soak up the wet ingredients. This post on how to prevent cookies from spreading may also be helpful to review. Thanks again for giving these a try!
These are a fine oatmeal cream pie cookie, but if you are wanting something reminiscent of Little Debbie’s these are not it. Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies get their distinctive taste from the raisin paste in the cookie, and that distinctive flavor is lacking in this recipe.
Dude, did you even make these? My wife just made them and my mind collapsed in on itself. Nobody’s coming here to make something that taste like little Debbie doodoo.
That’s helpful to know. I tried the Cook’s Country recipe today, which uses ground raisins to emulate the raisin paste in Little Debbies, and so maybe those are more accurate. My husband and I both preferred Sally’s version quite a bit more, though, for flavor and texture. I read in the CC article about why they added the ground raisins, so your comment was interesting! I guess as long as we each end up with a recipe we’re happy with, that’s all that matters – but perhaps this one isn’t as true to the original? I guess I kinda want a “better” version than the original.
OTOH, there are a lot of great raves online about the CC recipe, too. You might give that one a try. As to Sally’s recipe, IDK, but I LOVE it!!!!!!!
Can I make this dough ahead of time and freeze it?
Hi Christina, absolutely! Dough should freeze well for up to three months.
I make this sugar free except for the molasses so mine don’t spread as well . So I squish them down a little before baking . I also make my own powdered sugar out of Splenda. Ty for posting this recipe myself and my diabetic husband and friends love these
Made these today, actually to me better than Little Debbie. I made mine a little too large so 1 is too much, but they are the bomb!!!
Made these a little smaller than recommended (about 1 heaping tbsp of dough per cookie). At about 9 minutes in the oven (I got distracted, oops) they were just on the edge of being overdone, so I’d say 7-8 minutes would be a good time to start checking if you decide to go smaller like I did.
They were excellent, though! I wouldn’t really call them “copycats” of the Little Debbie version, but they ARE better!
Make sure to go easy on the filling- it’s VERY sweet. I overstuffed one to take a picture and it was almost too much to eat (that one’s on me, though).
Can I add raisins to the cookie?
Sure can! Add 1 cup to the cookie dough.
How long in the refrigerator will the stay fresh?
Hi Deb, They can be stored tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to a week. For longer storage you can store them in the freezer for up to a month and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
10 stars the cookie it’s self
Can I freeze these whole…like after I assemble them with the creme filling and everything?
We have froze these cookies with luck! Let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight. We wouldn’t suggest keeping them in the freezer for more than a month, though.