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These homemade oatmeal cream pies will bring you back to the days of Little Debbie snacks. With two soft and chewy oatmeal cookies sandwiched between fluffy marshmallow frosting, you won’t want to share them.
Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
Do you remember eating Little Debbie’s oatmeal cream pies as a kid? Did you know that they were the first snack Little Debbie made?
Oatmeal cream pies were my favorite lunchbox treat growing up. You know you were in luck when you unzipped your lunchbox and found a Little Debbie treat (score!). Don’t you remember tearing open the crinkly package and that smell of oats and sweet frosting? In case you’ve never hade one, oatmeal cream pies have two super soft oatmeal cookies sandwiched in between a marshmallow frosting.
Reminiscing on my favorite treats growing up, I wanted to recreate a homemade version of those nostalgic oatmeal cream pies. I wanted to keep these as close to the boxed treats as possible but also boosting the flavors and bumping up the texture with the oats. These are not exact copycats of the boxed version but these homemade oatmeal cream pies are fresher and well…more delicious.
My homemade version is super rich in flavor with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. The molasses in these cookies make them chewy and the oats given them a great texture. All that wonderful cookie is made more yummy with some homemade marshmallow buttercream frosting. This is similar to my buttercream frosting, but the added marshmallow fluff makes them super delicious and honestly, way better than the boxed version.
Get ready for an addicting cookie. Seriously, I just caught my husband in the kitchen trying to scarf one down at 10am. He said, “What? They have oats in them so they are practically breakfast.” These definitely aren’t a healthy oatmeal cookie, but I’ll go with that justification so we can keep eating them with a little less guilt.
How to Make Oatmeal Cream Pies?
- WHISK DRY INGREDIENTS: In a medium size bowl, combine your dry ingredients (flour, quick oats, cornstarch, baking soda, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg). Whisk them together and set them aside.
- MIX WET INGREDIENTS: With a stand or handheld mixer, add your room-temperature butter, dark brown sugar and white sugar. I like using dark brown sugar for this recipe because it gives it a darker color but light brown sugar will work just fine. Cream the butter and sugar together on medium (4) for 2 minutes or until combined. Scrape down the dough from the sides of the bowl. Add one egg. Beat well at medium speed (4) until fluffly, then scrape down the bowl thorougly. Repeat with the second egg. (May look curdled but it will smooth out as you beat). Then add vanilla and the molasses.
- ADD DRY TO WET: Slowly add half of the dry ingredients to the mixer on low (2) for 1-2 to minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add the rest of the dry ingredients for another 1-2 minutes or until combined. Scrape down the bowl again making sure everything is combined well.
- CHILL THE DOUGH: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for atleast 30 minutes in the fridge. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. You can chill these cookies for longer and even overnight if you want to make them the next day.
- SCOOP THE DOUGH: Scoop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. If you don’t have a cookie scooper, use 2 tablespoons of dough to form a ball and place onto the cookie sheet. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. I could fit 6 cookies on my cookie sheet, but I have a tiny European oven.
- BAKE COOKIES: Bake for 10-12 minutes. Pull cookies out when the edges are lightly golden but still a little soft in the middle. They will finish baking on the pan. When they are cooled, transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
- MAKE FROSTING: Using a stand or handheld mixer, beat the room temperature butter on medium (4) for 3-4 minutes until it is smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Slowly add your powdered sugar and beat on low (2) for 1-2 minutes and then increase the mixer speed to medium (4) for another 1-2 minutes. It will be really stiff at this point. Add your marshmallow fluff and vanilla. Beat on medium speed (4) for another 2 minutes or until it is soft and creamy. It should be smooth and spreadable. If it is too stiff, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to make it a little thinner.
- ASSEMBLE COOKIES: Using an offset spatula or butter knife, add some frosting to one of the cookies and top with another cookie.
This recipe makes about 24 cookies or 12 oatmeal cream pies. Just be sure to cool them completely before adding any frosting. To store them, put them in an air tight container on the counter. They can be stored assembled or you can add frosting when you are ready to eat them. Either way is fine.
Tips Before You Get Started
Whole Oats vs Quick Oats
Normally for my oatmeal cookies like my oatmeal monster cookies, I prefer to use whole oats. However, for the right oatmeal cream pie texture it is important to use quick oats in this recipe. Quick oats are just rolled oats that have been chopped into smaller pieces. Quick oats have the same flavor, but a slightly finer texture and gives you a more uniform and consistent cookie that holds together. If you don’t have quick oats, you can use regular rolled oats and pulse them in a food processor 3-4 times.
Not Too Thick or Too Thin
My version of the Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies are definitely thicker than the thin packaged cookies. I really like that these cookies are soft and thick. That’s why it is important you chill the dough before you bake so they don’t spread out too thin. However, to make sure they are too thick, you can use a spatula to gently press the cookie as soon as it has gotten out of the oven.
Marshmallow Fluff
The hardest part of making the filling is honestly getting the marshmallow fluff into the bowl. I used a spoon to dig out the marshmallow fluff and then scraped it on the bottom of my mixer’s paddle attachment. It’s going to get a little messy with the marshmallow fluff, but that’s part of the fun.
Uniform Size
Since these cookies will be paired together, it’s important to have uniform size cookies. You can use a 2 inch cookie scooper to scoop the dough out into balls. Make sure to scrap off the excess into the bowl instead of making a round ball. I If you don’t have a cookie scooper, be sure to roll 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball for each cookie.
Assembly Tips
The easiest way to add the frosting to these cookies, is to use an offset spatula. I have also used a large round piping tip to pipe the frosting on to the cookies but it wasn’t worth the effort. You can also just simply use a butter knife to spread the frosting on to the cookies.
These homemade oatmeal creme pies are way better than the boxed version. The dark brown sugar make the cookies extra chewy and the oats give it a strong texture. I think my favorite part is when you bite into the oatmeal cream pies and the filling oozes out the sides. It’s definitely messy, but finger licking good!
Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
Ingredients
Oatmeal Cookies
- 1 1/2 cups flour (215g)
- 2 cups quick oats (200g)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 1/2 sticks butter (169g) - Room Temperature
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar (160g)
- 1/2 cup white sugar (100g)
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 tablespoons molasses (42 g)
Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting
- 1 1/2 sticks butter (169g) - Room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (215g)
- 7 1/2 ounces marshmallow fluff
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Combine your dry ingredients (flour, quick oats, cornstarch, baking soda, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg). Whisk them together and set them aside.
- To your mixer, add your room-temperature butter, dark brown sugar and white sugar. Cream the butter on medium (4) and sugars together for 2 minutes or until combined.
- Scrape down the dough from the sides of the bowl.
- Add one egg. Beat well at medium speed (4) until fluffly, then scrape down the bowl thorougly. Repeat with the second egg. (May look curdled but it will smooth out as you beat).
- Then add vanilla and the molasses.
- Slowly add half of the dry ingredients to the mixer on low (2) for 1-2 to minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add the rest of the dry ingredients increasing the speed to medium for another 1-2 minutes or until combined. Scrape down the bowl again making sure everything is combined well.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for atleast 30 minutes in the fridge. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a 2 inch ice cream scoop, scoop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. If you don't have a scooper, use 2 tablespoons of dough to form a ball and place onto the cookie sheet. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Pull cookies out when the edges are lightly golden but still a little soft in the middle. They will finish baking on the pan. When they are cooled, transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting & Assembly
- In a large bowl or mixer, beat the room temperature butter on medium (4) for 3-4 minutes until it is smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Slowly add your powdered sugar and beat on low (2) for 1-2 minutes and then increase the mixer speed to medium (4) for another 1-2 minutes. It will be really stiff at this point.
- Add your marshmallow fluff and vanilla. Beat on medium speed (4) for another 2 minutes or until it is soft and creamy. It should be smooth and spreadable. If it is too stiff, you can add a tablespoon of milk to make it a little thinner.
- Using an offset spatula or butter knife, add some frosting to one of the cookies and top with another cookie.
Genevieve
So good! I would have never thought to add cocoa to my oatmeal cookies but oh my goodness. Perfect for oatmeal sandwiches or individually.
Krystal
I’m so glad you liked them! They really are addictive.
valerie mourot
These are the best!! OCPs are a childhood favorite of mine, but we live overseas and don’t have them available. I have tried a few recipes, but I keep coming back to this one. I don’t know if it’s the cocoa powder or the marshmallow cream, but they are unbeatable! So good! I like to make the whole recipe and the freeze the dough in balls so I have some on hand.
Krystal
Thanks! I’m so glad you enjoy them. That’s a great idea to freeze the dough so you can make some for later.