My oatmeal cream pie sandwich cookies are lightly spiced, deliciously chewy, and perfectly golden brown on the outside and filled with a whipped vanilla buttercream. Each bite is pure heaven! After testing with different types of oats and varying amounts of molasses, I landed on the ideal cookie texture. The key is to slightly underbake them so they stay soft and chewy!
A reader, Charlotte, says: “These are AMAZING and DELICIOUS! Everyone raves about how good these are whenever I make them, and they never last more than a day. I’ve made them many times, and they consistently turn out delicious. They are so much better than the store-bought ones…” ★★★★★
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love My Recipe
If you loved oatmeal creme pies as a kid, you’re going to love my homemade version. Here’s why:
- Natural ingredients. Deep flavor. Using real butter, pure vanilla extract, dark brown sugar, and warming spices offers exceptional flavor and texture you just won’t find in the store-bought version.
- Quick oats for the best texture. Rolled oats were too firm and chewy without chopping them up. Quick oats make oatmeal cookies with the perfect texture, and there’s no need to use a food processor!
- No chill time needed. I developed these chewy cookies to have the perfect amount of spread and thickness right off the bat. No need to wait for the dough to chill!
Key Ingredients
These are the main ingredients you need to make chewy oatmeal sandwich cookies. You can find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below.
Quick oats — these strike the perfect balance between tender and chewy cookies. In a pinch, you can swap in old-fashioned oats, but you will need to chop them up by pulsing them in a food processor 5 or 6 times until they are about half their normal size.
Baking soda — used as a leavener to help the cookies have the right texture, baking soda encourages the cookie dough to spread in the oven and puff just a bit, so they aren’t too dense. It also raises the pH of the dough, which helps them caramelize a bit on the bottom for more flavor and so they don’t fall apart.
Ground cinnamon — a classic addition to oatmeal cream pies. You can have fun with other spices too—ground nutmeg, ginger, allspice, or cardamom would be delicious pairings with the cinnamon! (Keep the amounts smaller, ¼-½ teaspoon, since these spices are quite potent in flavor.)
Unsalted butter and salt — starting with unsalted butter and adding salt yourself is the easiest way to ensure consistency across batches.
Dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and molasses — this trio of sweeteners is what ensures the oatmeal cookies stay deliciously moist with lightly crisp edges and a deep caramelly flavor. Make sure your dark brown sugar is soft and moist. If your brown sugar has hardened, don’t worry! I wrote a detailed post on how to soften brown sugar. If the brown sugar is lumpy, break it down with your fingers before adding it to the butter. Don’t have dark brown sugar on hand? You can use light brown sugar instead, or make your own brown sugar!
Large egg — adding an egg to cookie dough helps all of the ingredients bind together and makes the cookie a bit chewier and puff slightly. Without the egg, the cookies will be harder and more crumbly instead of chewy.
Vanilla extract — real vanilla is key to the best flavor! You can use any good quality vanilla extract, including homemade vanilla, or an equal amount of vanilla paste for pretty black flecks of vanilla bean throughout the filling.
Confectioners’ sugar — this starchy, superfine sweetener ensures a perfectly smooth and stable cream filling. If you don’t have any on hand, you can make your own powdered sugar using granulated sugar and cornstarch.
Heavy cream — a bit of cream in the filling helps the sugar dissolve and turn the buttercream into the perfect consistency. The fat content in heavy cream is ideal to incorporate with the butter, but if you don’t have any, you can use milk. Just start with less since it has more water and can make the frosting softer.
Variations and Substitutions
The fun part about making these cookie sandwiches at home is that you can make them just the way you like. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Add mix-ins: You can add ½ cup of small mix-ins to the cookie dough, like chopped raisins, finely chopped nuts, mini chocolate chips, or sprinkles.
- Different fillings: Swap the vanilla buttercream for cream cheese frosting or a flavored frosting like strawberry buttercream, chocolate buttercream, or peanut butter frosting. If using cream cheese, store the cookie sandwiches in the refrigerator to keep them fresh for a few days.
Can oatmeal cream pies be made gluten-free?
To make gluten-free oatmeal cream pies, swap the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free baking blend. Make sure the flour has xanthan gum in it for the best results, as it helps mimic gluten and binds the cookie dough together.
I’d also recommend adding 2-3 tablespoons of milk to the cookie dough. Gluten-free flour is made of mostly starches, and they absorb more liquid than wheat flour. The additional liquid will help the flour hydrate well, so the dough spreads properly.
Pro Tips For The Best Oatmeal Cream Pies
Use a scale to measure your dry ingredients. This will yield the most accurate results and is the best way to measure things like flour without overpacking the measuring cup, leading to dense or dry cookies. However, if you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife.
Use room temperature ingredients. Starting with room temperature ingredients makes it easier to cream your butter so it gets nice and aerated and helps prevent overmixing. Make sure your butter is soft enough to yield to pressure, but not so soft that it’s melty. Here’s a primer on how to soften butter. If you forgot to take your egg out of the fridge in advance, you can pop it in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes to speed things along.
I use a cookie scoop for perfectly even cookies. A size #40 cookie scoop is just the right size for this recipe. If you don’t have one and your cookies bake up slightly different sizes, try to pair similar-sized cookies together before you add the filling.
Underbake the cookies slightly for the best texture. If the tops look slightly wet after 10 minutes, don’t fret. They’re supposed to be! 10 minutes is the perfect amount of time to ensure the cookies stay soft and chewy, so each bite yields without fuss.
For perfectly round large cookies, use a large (3-4 inch) round cookie cutter to shape them right when they come out of the oven. Move the cookie cutter quickly in circles around the cookie, tapping the sides while you move it, to scoot any uneven edges back into shape.
How To Make Oatmeal Cream Pies
Below, I’ve highlighted portions of the recipe in step-by-step process images along with instructions for making homemade oatmeal cream pies. You can find the full set of instructions in the recipe card below.
1. Make the cookie dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set the dry ingredients aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter just until creamy. Add the sugars, molasses, and salt. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Stop and scrape down the bowl during mixing, as needed.
4. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
5. Scoop and bake: Using a 1 ½-tablespoon scoop, scoop the dough onto the lined cookie sheets, spacing each one about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350°F, one sheet at a time, for 10 minutes or just until the cookie edges are set, and the centers puff up but still appear underdone. (You want soft cookies for these sandwiches, so don’t be afraid to underbake them!) Let cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Make the filling: In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and salt until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sugar and cream. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla. Once combined, beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.
7. Assemble the cream pies: Spread the filling on the bottom of half of the cookies.
8. Top with another cookie. Oatmeal cream pies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Oatmeal Cream Pie Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- #40 cookie scoop
- Baking Sheets
- Cooling rack
- Piping bag
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (150g)
- ⅔ cup quick oats (70g)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature (113g)
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar (165g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Cream Filling:
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113g)
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar (240g)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter just until creamy. Add the sugars, molasses, and salt. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Stop and scrape down the bowl during mixing, as needed.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Using a 1 ½-tablespoon scoop, scoop the dough onto the lined cookie sheets spacing each one about 2 inches apart.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 10 minutes or just until the cookie edges are set and the centers puff up but still appear underdone. (You want soft cookies for these sandwiches so don’t be afraid to underbake them!) Let cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Cream Filling:
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and salt until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sugar and cream. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla. Once combined, beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add the frosting to a piping bag and pipe it on the bottom of half of the cookies. Or simply spread the filling onto the bottom of the cookies. Top with another cookie, placing it bottom side down onto the frosting. Oatmeal cream pies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- For a more even filling in the oatmeal cream pies, add the filling to a piping bag to pipe it onto the bottom of half of the cookies. You don’t have to do this, but it will make the cookie filling have a smooth edge. And you will have more control over how much you are adding for a more even thickness.
- Don’t spread the filling all the way to the edge of the bottom cookies, as pressing the top cookies on might cause the filling to squish out the sides.
Nutrition
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Store the filled oatmeal creme pies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. The buttercream filling will keep them soft for a couple of days, but I recommend adding a few large marshmallows or a slice of bread to the container. The cookies will absorb moisture from them and stay chewier for longer.
Freezing unfilled oatmeal cookies: They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Once baked and cooled, layer the cookies between parchment paper in an airtight container or ziplock bag. When ready to assemble, thaw the cookies at room temperature before filling with the vanilla buttercream.
Freezing filled oatmeal creme pies: Can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
Can I chill or freeze the cookie dough?
Yes! Scoop the dough onto a lined tray, tightly cover, and chill for up to 3 days or freeze for a couple of months. When you are ready to bake, I recommend bringing the dough balls back to room temperature since the warmer dough will spread better. Or, bake them at a lower temperature of 325°F. They will not spread quite as much but will still make great oatmeal cream pies!
More Cookie Recipes To Try
Sink your teeth into the ultimate chewy, chocolatey goodness with my classic Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.
Soft, cakey Banana Oatmeal Cookies are a delightful way to use up ripe bananas and satisfy your cookie craving.
Perfectly soft and chewy Oatmeal Cookies packed with old-fashioned oats and your choice of mix-ins.
Peanut butter and oats combine in these irresistibly thick and chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies.
Indulge in the ultimate chocolate experience with my decadently soft and chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies.
If you’ve tried this Oatmeal Cream Pie recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Nelda Rios says
These oatmeal cream pies are simple and simply delicious! I tried these out on my family because we love those boxed oatmeal cream pies. I took a couple to work. I’m a high school teacher. Well, after getting very good feedback, I’ve made them 4 times in the past 2 weeks. Everyone in my department and admin have all been asking for more! I’m making cookie plates as Halloween treats this week. Thanks, John, for the cookie recipes as well. I have 4 in my very limited, new-to-baking portfolio.
Charlotte Baron says
These are AMAZING and DELICIOUS! Everyone raves about how good these are whenever I make them, and they never last more than a day. I’ve made them many times, and they consistently turn out delicious. They are so much better than the store-bought ones that I grew up eating in my packed lunches at school. Keep up the great recipes, John! Preppy Kitchen is always my go-to when trying something new, and your recipes never disappoint.