The Best Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies

September 9, 2024

Homemade oatmeal creme pies are a nostalgic, delicious treat that combines soft, chewy oatmeal cookies with a sweet, creamy filling. This easy recipe will guide you through creating your own classic oatmeal creme pies from scratch, perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth at any time.

A stack of oatmeal creme pie cookies.

What are Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies?

Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies are a classic pre-packaged snack cake that has been a favorite in American households for decades. Introduced in 1960, these treats consist of two soft, chewy oatmeal cookies sandwiched together with a sweet, fluffy creme filling. Known for their nostalgic appeal and affordable price, Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies have become a go-to snack for lunchboxes, after-school treats, and quick indulgences. Their signature soft texture and comforting combination of oats and creme have made them a beloved snack for generations.

Oatmeal sandwich cookies lined up a plate with a knife and frosting.

Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies

Few desserts evoke nostalgia like the soft, sweet, and creamy bite of a Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie. For many of us, this classic treat takes us back to childhood lunches or after-school snacks. But what if I told you that you could recreate those soft, chewy oatmeal cookies sandwiched with sweet creme right in your own kitchen?

Making homemade oatmeal creme pies might sound daunting, but it’s actually a fun and simple process. Plus, you get to control the quality of ingredients, ensuring a treat that’s not only tastier than the store-bought version but also free from unnecessary add-ins and preservatives.

Let’s dive into how to make these beloved creme pies at home!

Cookies split in half with frosting in them.

Oatmeal Creme Pie Recipe

When I set out to make my recipe for the Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies, I had two goals: soft texture, perfect flavor! If couldn’t get the texture and flavor right, these would just be oatmeal sandwich cookies… and I did NOT want any ol’ oatmeal sandwich cookies. I wanted to bite into one of my cookies and feel like I was biting into a Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie… but better!

To achieve the flavor, I used a combination of brown sugar and molasses. This also helps give the cookies the soft texture we’re going for too. In fact, one quick tip for these cookies, you kinda want to under-bake them just a tad.

When the cookies come out of the oven, they’ll look light in color and a little fluffy. Don’t worry. As the cookies cool to room temperature (which is super important before adding the filling) the cookies flatten a bit and darken.

Oatmeal cookies on a cooling rack.

Ingredients for Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies

For the Oatmeal Creme Pies and the filling, you’ll want to have: butter, brown sugar, an egg, molasses (I use Grandma’s brand), quick cooking oats (NOT old-fashioned), all purpose flour, cinnamon, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. For the filling, grab a little more butter, marshmallow cream, and powdered sugar too.

Ingredients for cookies measured out on a counter.

How to Make Oatmeal Creme Pies from Scratch

After the cookies have baked, allow them to cool completely before adding the frosting.

How to Make the Marshmallow Buttercream

For the marshmallow buttercream, be sure to get the store-bought marshmallow cream. We’ll be adding it to butter, powdered sugar, a little salt, and vanilla.

Cookies and milk.

Oatmeal Creme Pie Cookies

4.88 from 31 votes
Servings 10 pies

Ingredients
  

For the Cookies

  • 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar packed
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons (40 g) molasses, I used the Grandma’s original
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon (1.3 g) cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
  • 1/2 cup (40 g) quick cooking oats, do NOT use old fashion rolled oats

For the Buttercream

  • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, slightly chilled
  • 3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
  • 4 ounces store bought marshmallow cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.1 g) vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

Instructions
 

FOR THE COOKIES

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a medium-size mixing bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar, egg, molasses, and vanilla until well mixed.
  • Add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.
  • Fold in the oats.
  • Scoop 1.2 ounces of cookie dough and roll into a ball. For a half sheet pan, you can fit 8 cookies.
  • Bake for about 8 minutes. The cookies will look a little puffy and light. Allow them to cool COMPLETELY. They will flatter and darken as they do.

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

  • Beat the butter and marshmallow cream until smooth.
  • Gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the vanilla and salt.
  • Continue to beat for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, so the frosting becomes lighter in color and texture.
  • Use a piping bag to pipe buttercream on half of the cookies, then pressing the remaining cookies on top to create the cookie sandwich. The buttercream will spread just a bit. We want it to come close to the edge of the cookie but not over the edge of the cookie.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Cookies
Keyword: Oatmeal Cookies, Oatmeal Creme Pies, Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

Join the Conversation

  1. Cynthia Thornbury says:

    5 stars
    Would homemade marshmallow cream work, as we’d?

    1. This recipe is amazing! My family and friends have absolutely raved 🙂 Thank you!

      Also, would self-rising work with this recipe??

  2. 2 stars
    The frosting was amazing!!! The cookie however was very greasy once it cooled completely. The edges were crisp while the center was too soft. The recipe may need more dry ingredients. When comparing this recipe to the two I usually use, the dry to wet ingredient ratio is off and may be the culprit.

    1. The 1.5 cups flour and the half cup oats does give us enough dry ingredients to go with the half cup butter, sugar, egg, and a little molasses. Hopefully the 1 1/2 cups flour reads clearly on the recipe. I know sometimes it can be hard to see and maybe you only did 1/2 cup flour?

      1. 5 stars
        I’M THE PROBLEM!!! I baked it on a Silpat the first time and I forgot how silicone affects baked products… I had to try the recipe again yesterday because I had a feeling I was the problem. THEY WERE THE PERFECT COOKIES. I wish I could update my original review. Thanks for the recipe! My coworkers loved them.

        1. No worries! I’m so happy you gave them another shot! Good to know about the Silpat mat!

  3. Does the recipe have the correct amount of oatmeal? Dough is to wet to roll in balls as written.

    1. Yes that’s the correct amount. The dough should be a little sticky but you should be able to use a cookie scoop to make balls. If not, you could add a little flour to it.

  4. Do these need to be refrigerated because of the icing?

    1. Because the frosting doesn’t have heavy cream in it, I left them on the counter for a couple days. Anything more than that, I’d freeze them to keep them fresh.

  5. Can these be frozen?

  6. 5 stars
    Just made these and they turned out perfect! So delicious! We are all partial to Little Debbie over here, but these are a close second! Thanks for sharing this recipe these cookies will now be added to our cookie favorites list and made often!

  7. 5 stars
    Soooo good! My family loved them and I felt like a baking pro!

  8. Rebecca Mugford says:

    5 stars
    I don’t leave reviews but I had to for these. OMG these are amazing I made them for my kids but these are incredible! I will make on repeat!

  9. 5 stars
    I’ve made these twice now because my family loved them, but I did tweak the recipe and found the second batch to come out much better. I did a little less molasses on the second batch, I’d say closer to 1.5TBL, 1TBL of cinnamon, and a smidge more flour as well, the first batch was on the stickier side and found it hard to roll/scoop into balls. I also made the balls a little smaller than the 1.2, probably closer to 1oz per cookie. They turned out perfect! I also had enough frosting from the first batch to use on both batches. Thank you for another great idea/recioe!

  10. Do you have any suggestions to make the cookies not spread as much and to poof up when doing them gluten free? I used 1 to 1 gluten free flour and followed recipe exactly for everything else.

    1. You can add more flour, but these are supposed to spread and flatten to mimic the Little Debbie cookies.

  11. 5 stars
    THESE ARE DELICIOUS!!!!! Literally I have been trying to find a good homemade recipe for Little Debbies Oatmeal Creme Pie Cookies instead of buying the processed ones in the stores and let me tell you these seriously are a 10/10!! I will for sure be making these again!

  12. 5 stars
    My did not flatten and were rather thick, not sure what I did but they were still delicious!

  13. 5 stars
    These were delicious and looked perfect. Made them for a friend who is a die‐hard Little Debbie fan.
    Will definitely be making these again.

    1. So happy to hear that! You’re such a nice friend!

  14. 5 stars
    Seriously the best cookie I’ve ever had. Will be making these again!!! Thank you Courtney 🤍🤍

    1. So happy you loved them!

  15. 4 stars
    These are tasty but I noticed halfway through I needed to convert my own measurements. I was making a double batch and noticed the grams don’t change for any ingredient listed.

  16. 5 stars
    I just made these and I am speechless at how good they are! My husband, kids and neighbors absolutely love them! This recipe is definitely a keeper!

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