The Best Oatmeal Cream Pie Recipe
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This Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pie recipe brings the nostalgic taste of classic Little Debbies into your very own kitchen. Made with simple ingredients you know — and especially no blending of oats or raisins — these soft sandwich cookies will have you saying “Debbie who?” with the first bite.
Pin this homemade oatmeal cream pie recipe to your fridge—you’ll be making it on repeat! Fun, easy, and perfectly nostalgic, these soft, rich cookies beat Little Debbie’s any day.
The best part about making this oatmeal cream pie recipe from scratch is that you control every ingredient. No mystery additives—just a simple oatmeal cookie, and a creamy marshmallow vanilla filling (my Maine whoopie pie filling to be exact). The cookies bake up soft, chewy, and perfectly spiced, just like the classic lunchbox treat, only better. They’re the kind of dessert that makes people stop mid-bite and say, “Wait…you made these?”
Before you start baking, take a peek at the recipe card for my tips on keeping those cookies soft and chewy—because that texture is what makes an oatmeal cream pie irresistible!
Why You’ll Love This Oatmeal Cream Pies Recipe
- Fun to make – This homemade version is a delicious throwback to a childhood favorite. You’ll feel like a kid with the first bite.
- Simple Ingredients – You control what goes into these, and there’s nothing in the ingredient list that you can’t pronounce, but they are soft, warm, and buttery.
- Delicious – They have such a better flavor than the Little Debbie version and are such crowd pleasers. When you serve these, you’re sure to get a “Wow! You made these?” comment.
Oatmeal Cream Pie Recipe Ingredients
I’ve split this list of ingredients in oatmeal cream pies into separate sections for the cookies and the filling to make things a little easier to understand.
For the Oatmeal Cookies
- Unsalted butter – melted. This keeps the cookies soft, chewy and “fudgy”.
- Brown sugar – dark or light will work, but dark gives you a chewier cookie.
- White sugar
- Molasses– Little Debbie uses raisin paste for that classic flavor and chew, but I draw the line at blending raisins for cookies. A little molasses gives you the same sweetness, color, and soft texture—no extra work needed.
- Large Eggs – you’ll need one whole egg + one yolk. I use eggs right from the fridge.
- Vanilla extract
- All purpose flour
- Quick oats – I prefer quick-cooking oats to old fashioned oats for a chewier cookie, and a finer texture. Again, we’re not food processing or blending any ingredients here, so the partially processed oats will save us a step!
- Baking soda – You’ll want baking soda—not baking powder—for these cookies. The baking soda reacts with the molasses and brown sugar to tenderize the dough and helps the cookies spread just enough to match the classic, thin Little Debbie-style texture.
- Cinnamon– just for a little warmth, but not make the cookies very cinnamon-y
- Coarse Kosher salt– the salt will offset all the sweetness. I like Kosher salt since it’s milder.
For the Oatmeal Cream Pie Filling
- Unsalted butter – softened
- Powdered sugar – also called confectioners’ sugar
- Milk – whole milk or heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
- Coarse Kosher salt
- Marshmallow Fluff – One 7.5 oz container (2 ½ cups).
How to Make Oatmeal Cream Pies
This is an abbreviated step-by-step version of the complete directions at the bottom of the post.
Make the Cookies
Step 1
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Place the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and molasses in a separate bowl and whisk until smooth.
Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture, whisk until completely incorporated.
Step 2
Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes.
While the cookie dough rests, preheat the oven and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 3
Scoop out the cookie dough (about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough each) and roll into balls. Place the dough balls on the cookie sheet as you go.
Gently flatten each ball into a 2-inch circle, about ½ inch thick.
Step 4
Bake one sheet at a time for 9-12 minutes, you want the cookies slightly underbaked, but not wet in the middle. The cookies will continue cooking and firm up as they cool.
Let the cookies cool completely before filling.
Tip: Use a large round cookie cutter, a small bowl, or the rim of a glass to mold the edges of the cookie into circles while they’re still hot. This will keep them all uniform and perfectly round.
Make the Cream Filling
Step 1
In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth.
Step 2
Add the powdered sugar, milk (or cream), vanilla, and salt, and mix on low speed until just combined. Increase the speed to high and whip for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Step 3
Spoon in the marshmallow fluff and beat until everything is smooth. About 1 minute.
Assemble the Oatmeal Cream Pie Cookies
Step 1
Flip over half of the cooled cookies so they are top side down, and divide the filling evenly among them. (I use 5 teaspoons of filling for each.)
Step 2
Top with the remaining cookies to make the sandwiches and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks for the Best Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
- I like quick oats for this recipe because they make a nice soft and chewy texture.
- The cookies spread quite a bit as they bake, so space them at least 2 inches apart – you’ll only fit about 8 cookies per large baking sheet.
- Bake until the edges are lightly golden and the centers look soft but no longer shiny. Slightly underbaking is the key to that perfect soft, chewy texture.
- For uniformly round cookies, use an 4″ or larger circle cookie cutter, bowl, or glass rim to mold the edges of the cookie into circles while they are still hot. This will also make the centers very soft and chewy after cooling.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before filling, otherwise the filling will melt right out the sides.
Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pie Recipe Substitutions & Variations
- This recipe uses my standard Chocolate Whoopie Pie filling, but if you want a cream cheese filling instead, use the filling from my Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. If you do use cream cheese, make sure to store the cookies in the fridge.
- You can change the size of the cookies easily: for smaller cookies, cut back the baking time to 7-8 minutes, for larger cookies, add 1-2 minutes more.
- Add a dash of Pumpkin Spice or Apple Pie Spice mix to the cookie batter for seasonal flavor.
How to Store
Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you used a cream cheese filling variation, store them in the fridge.
You can also freeze complete oatmeal cream pie sandwiches. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then store in a freezer safe bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let the sandwich cookies thaw at room temperature before eating.
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Oatmeal Cream Pies From Scratch
Ingredients
Oatmeal Cream Pie Cookies:
- 1 1/4 cup (2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter), melted
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 egg + 1 yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups quick cooking oats
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
Oatmeal Cream Pie Filling:
- 12 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon of coarse Kosher salt
- One 7.5 oz container (2 ½ cups) of Marshmallow Fluff
Instructions
To Make The Oatmeal Cookies
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and molasses together until smooth. Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, whisk until completely incorporated.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until everything is well combined.
- Let the dough rest for 5–10 minutes. This helps it firm up so it’s easier to shape.
- While the cookie dough is sitting, preheat the oven to 350°F and line 3 to 4 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough (a cookie scoop works great if you have one). Roll each portion into a ball and place it on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Use your fingers to flatten each ball into a 2-inch circle, about ½ inch thick. The cookies spread quite a bit as they bake, so space them at least 2 inches apart – you’ll only fit about 8 cookies per large baking sheet.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 9-12 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and the centers look soft and a little underbaked, but not shiny or wet. They’ll continue cooking and firm up as they cool on the pan. Let the oatmeal cookies cool completely before filling.
- Tip: For uniform cookies, while the cookies are still hot, use a large round cookie cutter or a small bowl to mold the edges of the cookie into circles. This will keep them all the same size and perfectly round, and it will also make the centers very soft and chewy after cooling.
Make The Filling
- In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt, and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to high and whip for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Next, add the Marshmallow Fluff and beat for 1 minute, until smooth and incorporated.
Assemble The Oatmeal Cream Pies
- Flip over half of the oatmeal cookies and spread about 5 teaspoons of filling onto them. If you have extra filling, divide it evenly among the cookies.
- Top with the remaining cookies to make sandwiches. Serve and enjoy!
