Oatmeal Creme Pies

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