Oatmeal Creme Pies

I have a love of Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies that goes back to my childhood and I was so excited when I found this recipe. While these cookies aren’t an exact replica, they definitely satisfy my Oatmeal Creme Pie loving sweet tooth.

These Oatmeal Creme Pies are soft, chewy and have just a hint of molasses. Two tender oatmeal cookies are filled with a delicious and buttery creme filling, turning them into Oatmeal Creme Pies. Instead of a marshmallow filling, we use a simple creme filling consisting of butter, cream and sugar. This is good news for you mashmallow haters out there. Yes, sis, I’m looking at you.

Let’s talk about oatmeal for a minute. I don’t remember the original Little Debbie’s having lots of oatmeal texture in them, but they definitely had the oatmeal flavor. To get the oatmeal flavor without the texture you need instant oatmeal. But if you are like me and only keep old fashioned oats on hand, you can pulse them a few times in the food processor to break them up a little.

Because these cookies spread so much when they are baking, make sure you leave enough space between them on the cookie sheet so they don’t turn into one giant cookie while they are baking. Also, make sure your butter isn’t too warm. The cookie dough should be firm, but not overly stiff.

These cookies are addictive. I find it best to get them out of the house as soon as possible because we can’t resist eating them all!

Oatmeal Creme Pies

You can sub old fashioned oats for the instant oats. Measure your oats and then pulse them a few times in the food processor to break them up a little. 

Makes 14-16 cookie pies.

Ingredients:

Cookies:
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon dark molasses
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups uncooked instant oats (NOT old fashioned oats, see note above)

Crème Filling:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream (using a less fat option will give you a less creamy consistency)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of salt, as needed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. With a stand or handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugars together at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and molasses, scraping down the sides as needed until combined. Set aside.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine. Add the oats to the flour mixture and combine.
4. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. The dough will be quite thick and you may have to mix it by hand. Drop dough onto prepared pans with a large cookie scoop, or make sure each ball of dough is 1 1/2 Tablespoons. Cookies will spread in the oven, so place dough 2 inches apart.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cookies are lightly golden around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from this recipe.