When my brother and I were kids, we spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ house. I think they were the only babysitters we ever had. We could always count on my grandmother to have lots of snacks in the house when we visited. In particular, she seemed to have a thing for Little Debbie Swiss Rolls; I don’t recall a time I opened her refrigerator and didn’t see them. My mom and my brother loved them, and were more than happy to help her finish off a box, but they really weren’t my favorite. Nope, my heart belonged to the Oatmeal Creme Pies. They were perfection in my book – soft and chewy cookies with a sweet filling. The only downside was that one was never, ever enough 🙂
Since I sort of have a thing for whoopie pies, you’d think I would have made this childhood favorite at home already, but I hadn’t gotten around to it until just recently. Different versions have been popping up all over the blog world, but I hadn’t committed to actually making the time to try one. Then, my friend Jeannette pointed me in the direction of this recipe and suggested we make it together (well virtually, anyway). It was just the kick in the pants I needed!
As is pretty much always the case, the homemade version of this treat is way better than anything you can buy at the store. Though I did love the Little Debbie version with its thin cookies, I definitely prefer a thicker cookie these days and that’s exactly what this recipe produces. The cookies are super chewy too, as they should be 🙂 The filling is sweet and fluffy, and the consistency is great for sandwiching between two cookies. My only note is that this recipe makes a TON of filling. I’ve included the full recipe below, but unless you’re going to put significantly more filling in your sandwiches than I did, I’d recommend halving it (or making the double the amount of cookies!).
Oatmeal Creme Pies
cookies and filling (slightly adapted) from Baked Bree
Cookies
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 7-oz container marshmallow creme
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer in 3 additions, beat just until combined.
Use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough into approximately 1 tablespoon balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 1/2-2 inches between them. Bake for 9-10 minute, or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and set (the middles may still seem a little underdone – they’ll set up as they cool). Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for a few minutes then remove them to the rack to cool completely.
To make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and marshmallow creme on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar in 2 additions then add the vanilla and continue beating until the filling is smooth and thick.
Match the cookies in pairs by size. Transfer the filling to a piping bag and pipe about 1 tablespoon onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair. Sandwich the cookies together, and press the filling to the edges.
Makes about 12-14 sandwich cookies
beautiful looking pies
Yum! Gorgeous pics!
I LOVE OCPies. Seriously…I could take down a dozen of them after basketball practice in high school. I mean, I LOVE them!
These look awesome. Super chewy is a MUST for me and just the filling alone…I’d be happy 🙂
These look way too cute to eat. Puffy and perfect 🙂
These are too fun. Love the flavors, the photos and how fluffy the cookies are. Perfect!
These look so cute. This has to be one of my favourite desserts. I’m such a fan of oatmeal cookies and whoopie pies. and who could turn down creme filling? The best of all things sweet 🙂
I was never really a snack-cake-eating kid. At least I don’t remember it. I usually opted for the honey buns or the cookies. Those things were always amazing. And I’m with you, fuller, puffier cookies all the way as opposed to the thinner cookie.
I would have been the one going for the swiss cake rolls, but if the oatmeal cream pies would have looked like these, I would have been much more likely to go for them. I like the idea of the thicker cookie. These sound fantastic!
What a treat! These sound fabulous. I love the look of that filling..
These are some of the best looking oatmeal cream pies I have seen! I love that the cookies are nice and thick, that makes them even better!
My favorite was always the oatmeal cream pies too. And the star crunch! Now I want both!
I made some awhile ago but the recipe I used didn’t produce big fat cookies, which means I obviously need to try this one! 😉
I haven’t had a Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie for years (probably a lot of years). I always loved them, but I bet they wouldn’t be so tasty to me now. The homemade version looks fabulous though!
These look perfect! I have another friend who likes the Little Debbie Oatmeal Cookies as well…swears by them and eats them all the time! He actually likes the entire Little Debbie line. I had never even heard of Little Debbie until I met him in college. I wish I had one of these right now…I don’t usually eat bedtime snacks, but I would make an exception for one of these. Yes, yes, I would.
Great snack ideas…Love that they are good fr the health too.
I made these for a party this weekend and they turned out great! Thanks so much!
Apfelkuchen Rezept
Apfelkuchen Rezepte
I love those oatmeal creme pies, too. I think I’d like the thicker cookie with them, too.
Hey Tracey!
I just made these last night. I posted the results on my blog so check it out. This is one of my favorite recipes now. So simple but so darn delicious. I thank you for posting it. I love them!
Heidi
You always take such gorgeous pictures!! And these look delicious!
These look delicious, but this comment is about the photography. Fantastic placement of the Creme Pies, especially with the milk container and straw and the remaining pies and dish in the background!
Love the little splash of color from the napkin and straw, and the depth of field is fantastic! Great job!
These look so yummy!! Definitely better than mine. I want to swipe one from the screen and shove it in my mouth!
My step-dad used to have an obsession with these little snack cakes: swiss rolls and zebra cakes were his fave. Mine were the oatmeal cream pies, pecan swirls and the star… somethings LOL. Oh, nostalgia.
I didn’t grow up with Little Debbie because they weren’t on the west coast and even though they are here now, I’ve never had one. I think I would prefer your homemade version anyway. They look great!
omg these look AMAZING!!!!! Must give these a try!! YUM!
I’ve never tried the Little Debbie’s version, but now I don’t want to – I just want to try yours! The filling in particular sounds (and looks!) terrific.
Totally awesome! I’ve been wanting to make oatmeal cream pies. Love the soft cookies!
Oh, I LOVED these growing up…and I MUST make yours!!! Fabulous, Tracey…and I thank you in advance 🙂
These were delicious! I made them for Thanksgiving this year, and EVERYONE loved them. Definitely going to save this recipe.
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