Better than childhood memories of the Little Debbie variety, these homemade oatmeal cream pies are fantastic. Soft oatmeal cookies with a tasty creamy filling, they are irresistible!

These homemade oatmeal cream pies* are quite possibly the cookie you didn’t know you needed in your life…but trust me, you do.

They are so innocently delicious, each time I take them somewhere, I’m honestly surprised at how people go so crazy over them!

Two homemade oatmeal cream pies stacked on each other.

I’ve had more requests for this recipe in the last few months than I have for any other dessert I’ve taken to church and friend get togethers lately. 

*And no, I have no idea why they are called “pies” instead of “cookies” but we’ll go with it.

To be honest, they don’t taste a whole lot like the store bought version (at least from what I remember from my childhood), which is why I’m not calling them a copycat or knockoff recipe. The cookies are chewy and soft. And sandwiched with the luxuriously creamy vanilla frosting, they have an identity entirely their own. 

Stand mixer with quick oats added to the homemade oatmeal cream pies batter.

Quick oats vs old-fashioned rolled oats

This recipe relies on quick oats. I personally think they are important to the recipe because they meld into the entirety of the cookie better than old-fashioned oats which stay kind of toothsome and chunky. 

If you insist on using old-fashioned oats, I think they would benefit from a pulse in the blender or food processor so they are in smaller pieces. If they aren’t chopped up a bit, the cookies will most likely spread quite a bit more and the texture will be chewier.

Unbaked and baked oatmeal cream pie cookies.

The cookies are decidedly flat, not puffy. But watch closely, because the texture of the baked cookies shouldn’t be thin and lacy (or see through in spots). That’s a bit too flat. If your cookies are spreading that much while baking, here’s a quick how-to-fix-that guide. 

How to troubleshoot cookies that are too flat

These are my go-to tips for cookies that are flattening more than I like (no matter the recipe). You can do one of several things:

-increase the oven temp to 375 degrees OR
-use convection bake (if your oven has it) at 350 degrees OR
-add more flour (usually a couple tablespoons or up to 1/4 cup) to the dough

Oatmeal cookie with dollop of vanilla frosting on top.

Filling options

I mostly use the filling recipe written below. It’s deliciously creamy, and the marshmallow fluff adds a tasty flavor and texture that you can’t get with a regular buttercream-type frosting. Having said that, a time or two, I haven’t had marshmallow fluff around, so I’ve gone with this easy vanilla buttercream frosting, and it works great even if it isn’t quite as unique and exciting. 🙂 

Also I should point out, if it isn’t obvious enough from the pictures and description of this recipe: these homemade oatmeal cream pies are on the sweeter end of desserts. They aren’t decadent and nuanced like a rich chocolate cake; they are just innocently sweet and very delicious. 

You could definitely make the cookies smaller for a mini version, which would be a great idea if serving kids (and even adults!). My method for indulging in one of these babies is to split one in half thinking I’ll have some self-control in the sweets department only to find myself sprinting back to the plate 17 seconds later hoping someone hasn’t taken the other half yet. #storyofmylife

Two homemade oatmeal cream pies stacked on each other with half of a cookie on top.

One Year Ago: Quick and Easy Sheet Pan Panini
Two Years Ago: Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip {or Chocolate Chunk} Cookies
Three Years Ago: Hawaiian Brownies {Chocolate + Macadamia Nuts}
Four Years Ago: Cheesy Bacon and Garlic Butter Smashed Red Potatoes
Five Years Ago: Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies {Simple Halloween Mummy Variation}
Six Years Ago: Whole Grain Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Seven Years Ago: The Best Monkey Bread
Eight Years Ago: Classic Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe Source: adapted from a longtime MKC reader, Ellen’s, cookbook Oh My Goodness (no longer for sale, unfortunately!)

Two homemade oatmeal cream pies stacked on each other.

Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies

Yield: 20 Cream Pies
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
4.71 stars (72 ratings)
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Ingredients

Cookies:

  • 1 cup (227 g) salted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups (318 g) lightly packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¼ cups (178 g) all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups (300 g) quick oats (see note for using rolled oats)

Filling:

  • ¾ cup (170 g) salted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups (171 g) powdered sugar
  • 1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow fluff/creme
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld electric mixer, combine the butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon (if using) and salt and mix until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Add the flour and oats and mix until no dry streaks remain.
  • Scoop the cookie dough into balls (I use a #40 medium cookie scoop – about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie, but you can make them smaller or larger depending on how big you want the finished cream pies), roll lightly for a uniform round shape, and place several inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes until set around the edges but still soft in the center. You don’t want to overbake these cookies! Let the cookies sit for a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. *These are meant to be a relatively flat, chewy, super soft cookie; however, if your cookies are spreading too much still, increase baking temperature to 375 degrees, bake on convection (at 350 degrees) or add a couple tablespoons more flour to the dough.*
  • For the filling, with an electric mixer (stand mixer or handheld) whip together the butter, powdered sugar, marshmallow fluff and vanilla until very thick and creamy, 2-3 minutes. Add heavy cream, as needed, to thin to a fluffy, spreadable consistency.
  • Spread a couple tablespoons of filling on the bottom of half of a cookie and top with an unfrosted cookie (bottom sides together). Repeat with remaining cookies.

Notes

Oats: this recipe works best with quick oats. You can experiment using old-fashioned rolled oats (the texture will be much more oat-y and the cookies may spread a bit more); or you can pulse old-fashioned oats in a blender or food processor until coarsely chopped similar in texture to quick oats.
Filling: I’ve also used a simple, homemade vanilla frosting for the filling instead of the recipe above calling for marshmallow fluff. The marshmallow fluff recipe gives a flavor/creaminess boost that better mimics the storebought cookies (in a much, much better way), but both options are delicious.
Make Ahead: these keep well in the refrigerator for several days (keep them well covered). The unfilled cookies freeze great; I haven’t tried freezing them once they have been filled with frosting.
Author: Mel
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Method: Bake
Serving: 1 Cream Pie, Calories: 353kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 52mg, Sodium: 263mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 32g

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