Home » Cookies » Oatmeal Creme Pies
posted by Liz Berg
on April 4, 2021 (updated 11/21/22)
These scrumptious Oatmeal Creme Pies are a homemade version that trumps my favorite childhood Little Debbie treat. Chewy oatmeal cookies sandwich a delectable marshmallow creme-based filling.
Store-bought treats were rare in my childhood home, but on occasion, my mom would bring home Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies. They disappeared in a red hot minute. And believe it or not, this homemade version of Copycat Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies is even better than my memories of these sweet sandwich treats!
Table of Contents hide
1 Why You Must Make
2 Ingredient Notes:
3 How to Make
4 Frequently Asked Questions
5 You May Also Like:
6 Oatmeal Creme Pies Recipe
Why You Must Make
- These were the first packaged snacks made by Little Debbie starting in 1960. If you’re like me, you have fond childhood memories of these cream-filled oatmeal cookies. I promise this homemade version tastes even better!
- You can pronounce all the ingredients. I was trying to decipher what was in the frosting from the label on the box, but there were so many chemicals and not a lot of wholesome ingredients on the packaging.
- These sandwich cookies taste fresh, chewy, and delicious!!!
Growing up, there were certain grocery store items my sisters and I were hoping would be in our mother’s shopping cart. I was always pining for Archway Pecan Sandies, boxed gingersnaps, and Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies. But my mom was very frugal and those types of splurges didn’t happen very often.
But fast forward to college. Thank goodness the shelves were usually stocked with Little Debbies on our 2 AM post-bar sprees to Quik Trip or whatever 24-hour convenience store was closest. I hadn’t thought of these sandwich cookies in years, but once I spotted a copycat recipe on my friend, Jen’s blog, I knew I’d have to bake up a batch.
Ingredient Notes:
I was thrilled with these cookies. The result was soft and chewy cookies with a spectacular marshmallow creme filling! My friends proclaimed them betterthan Little Debbies! I thought so, too! I hope you’ll try this classic!!!
- Kitchen Staples – Sugar, Brown Sugar, Salt, Baking Soda, Flour
- Butter and Eggs – Set them out on the counter 1-2 hours before you plan to mix the dough, so they come to room temperature. This will make them easier to incorporate. If you forget, the eggs can be placed in a bowl of hot, not boiling water to take the chill off. If your microwave has a soften setting, you can try that for the butter (I usually overdo it!).
- Molasses – this addition turns the brown sugar into dark brown sugar and adds a deeper, more complex flavor with caramel undertones.
- Vanilla – always use pure vanilla extract. Imitation will not give you the same delicious flavor.
- Powdered sugar – make sure to sift so your frosting is without lumps
- Marshmallow Creme – not the most wholesome ingredient, but it makes for a delicious frosting-like filling. I use Kraft Marshmallow Creme.
How to Make
- I tweaked Jen’s recipe a wee bit, adding ginger to the cookie recipe and butter to the filling instead of shortening. Butter trumps shortening 99% of the time, though the latter is great for making a flaky pie crust.
- PRO-Tip: Use quick oats, not old-fashioned rolled oats. If you’re in a pinch and do not have quick oats on hand, pulse old-fashioned oats in the food processor 4-5 times to mimic quick oats.
- PRO-Tip: Spray the tablespoon measuring spoon with Pam cooking spray so the molasses rolls right off the surface.
- Feel free to make 12 larger Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies instead of 20. Those will be BIG like the original Little Debbie version. Make any size you like, but watch the baking time with your first batch so you know what works for the size you make and your specific oven.
- Using a spatula (affiliate links) to tap the oatmeal cookies into perfect rounds as soon as they come out of the oven, makes for better-looking sandwich cookies.
- Also, using a cookie disher to make consistent sized cookies is extremely helpful.
- I like an offset spatula to spread frosting on these cookies. You can also pipe the frosting on with a piping bag and a star tip.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is In the Middle of an Oatmeal Creme Pie?
The creamy filling in the middle of an oatmeal creme pie is a bit of a mystery. The ingredients for the sweet, white, vanilla filling are included with in the list of cookie ingredients on the label. But, I can tell you what is in MY oatmeal cream pie recipe’s filling: butter, powdered sugar, marshmallow creme, and vanilla extract. All ingredients you can pronounce.
How Do You Store Copycat Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies?
I recommend storing these sandwich cookies in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Bring them up to room temperature to serve for the best texture and flavor. They’ll keep well up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
How Many Calories in Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies?
In the packaged version, there are 310 calories in one large oatmeal cream (or creme) pie. This homemade recipe makes slightly bigger, thicker cookies that have 444 calories each.
You May Also Like:
Who doesn’t love a homemade sandwich cookie? Double the cookie PLUS frosting! My family is addicted to Oreos, but a sandwich cookie from scratch is even better.
- Snickerdoodle Sandwich Cookies from A Spicy Perspective
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- Chocolate Heart Sandwich Cookies
- Linzer Cookies
- All my Best Cookie Recipes
Stay in touch through social media@Instagram,Facebook, andPinterest. Don’t forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes! And if you love the results, please give it a 5-star rating in the recipe card.
The Recipe:
Oatmeal Creme Pies Recipe
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time14 minutes
Total Time44 minutes
Yield12 large cookies
Chewy oatmeal cookies filled with a marshmallow cream frosting recreate a childhood favorite!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- 1 ½ cups quick oats
- 1 ½ cups flour
Filling::
- 1 cup butter.at room temperature
- 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Cream butter and sugars. Add molasses, eggs, and vanilla, and mix well.
- Add salt, soda, cinnamon, and ginger, and mix well.
- Add oatmeal, and mix until combined. Add flour and mix until just incorporated.
- Using a cookie disher if available, drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10-14 minutes.
- For filling, mix all ingredients in a bowl until smooth and fluffy.
- Frost the flat side of half of the cooled cookies, and sandwich them together with an unfrosted cookie.
Notes
Adapted from Jen's Favorite Cookies.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 cookie
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 444Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 367mgCarbohydrates: 70gFiber: 1gSugar: 49gProtein: 4g
HOW MUCH DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?
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posted by Liz Berg on April 4, 2021
47 Comments // Leave a Comment »
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Claudia Lamascolo — Reply
These are one of my son’s favorite cookies and he said these are spot on and better than anything you can buy, especially since they are so much healthier. I recommend all the moms out there to stop buying prepackaged with preservatives and make these. The kids will love them!
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Cakelaw — Reply
These look delicious – I can almost smell their oatiness from here.
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Ben | Havocinthekitchen — Reply
I’ve never tried Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies, but I have no doubt your version is way much better (Because homemade is always better). Yes to the real butter instead of shortening and a little ginger kick.
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Sommer — Reply
These are so much better than the store bought kind!
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Erin — Reply
These are 1 million times better than the packaged kind (and I say that as someone who grew up LOVING the ones in the package!!)
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Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes — Reply
These were my favorite growing up! Love this homemade version!
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Beth — Reply
This is one of hubby’s favorite recipes. He just loves them! Thanks for keeping him fat and happy! LOL
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Lyn — Reply
I tried these and they spread over the entire baking sheet! What did I do wrong?
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Liz Berg — Reply
Is it warm in your kitchen, Lyn? I made these in the fall, so if your butter was too soft as it can do quickly in the summer, that would cause your cookies to spread. You want the butter to be soft enough to stir into the sugar easily, but not so soft it starts to look oily. Refrigerating the dough would have helped firm up the dough if that ever happens again. Hope that helps!
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Megan @ MegUnprocessed — Reply
What a great treat!!
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Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons — Reply
These are just so fun!
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Kayle (The Cooking Actress) — Reply
these oatmeal creme pies look a million times better than storebought (AKA yummy x a million!!)
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Sandra — Reply
The ginger really makes them perfect for this time of year.
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Stacy — Reply
I must admit that I was not a big oatmeal cookie fan as a child but I have come around. Your oatmeal creme pies are stunningly perfect, Liz. How do you get them so perfectly round?
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marcela — Reply
wow! they are just perfect!
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Kelly — Reply
Oh Liz, these look amazing! I would totally take a batch of your homemade ones over Debbie’s Oatmeal Cream pies any day 🙂
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Ashley @ ashleymarieskitchen — Reply
Yum! These look so delicious. I can’t wait to give these a try 🙂
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Brooks — Reply
Dang, Liz. You nailed them! A cleaner version, of course, but I appreciate your detailed attention to getting a perfect round sandwich cookie with just the right amount of filling. My hat’s off to you, my friend.
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Evelyne@cheapethniceatz — Reply
Never bought these but want to make asap. marshmallow filling, oh yes!
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Winnie — Reply
YUMMY
These look wonderful and I just loooooove marshmallow filing 🙂 -
The Squishy Monster — Reply
I’ve eaten more of those little Debbie snack cakes than I care to remember. I just know that these are SO much better!!!
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Kitchen Belleicious — Reply
no lie- i just got home from target with some GF rolled oats. I am so making this recipe
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miss b — Reply
I haven’t tasted these before but they look so appetising and I can never resist a good cookie with my cup of tea. Thanks for the recipe.
http://missbbobochic.blogspot.co.uk/
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Lady Lilith — Reply
A taste of childhood.
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Angie@Angie's Recipes — Reply
I love those sandwiched oatmeal cookies!
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kristy — Reply
Boy, this looks soooo good. Wish I can grab some from the screen right away.
Hope you’re having a lovely week ahead dear.
Blessings, Kristy -
Katerina — Reply
By looking at them I can feel the taste and the texture of these delicious little treats.
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ela@GrayApron — Reply
Perfection by Liz!
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Maureen | org*smic Chef — Reply
How do you get them so perfectly round? I do remember Little Debbie. Probably full of everything we’re trying to avoid but a book and a oatmeal creme pie made for a good afternoon in the dark ages.
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michael — Reply
oh I love oatmeal cream pies, they look delicious Liz and so perfectly made! 🙂
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Hotly Spiced — Reply
I’ve never heard of Little Debbie’s. I remember shopping with my mother and hoping she’d put in something with sugar. But alas – just more wheatgerm! Your cookies are gorgeous and I love how your friend Jen, rekindled the memory and gave you the inspiration xx
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cheri — Reply
Hi Liz, this could be my most favorite of your recipes yet, love them!
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The Ninja Baker — Reply
Wonderful to have this copycat recipe. Liz. My husband’s favorite NJ cookie as a child were also Little Debbie.
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gloria — Reply
These look yummmm Lizzy!:))
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Laura (Tutti Dolci) — Reply
These creme pies look incredible, I think you made them the perfect size!
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dina — Reply
i love love love these. i’ve been wanting to make some. yum!
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My Inner Chick — Reply
pure perfection.
I want one of those RIGHT NOW!! x -
Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere — Reply
My husband is going to go crazy when I make these! Thanks!
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Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen — Reply
As soon as I told my daughter about this post she said, “And you will be making these when?” LOL she loves you Liz!!!
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Sophia @ NY Foodgasm — Reply
Hellllo comfort food! Looooooove this!
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Eva — Reply
Today I made the oats pies, they are very nice but I love yours with the cream Inside!
How was the blogger’s meeting? It looks fun 😉 -
Becca from It's Yummi! — Reply
All the love of Little Debbies without the processed ingredients? Yes, please!
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elisabeth@foodandthrift — Reply
These yummy cream pies do look like Little Debbie ones…only so much better, and healthier without preservatives to make them last longer. I’m sure you didn’t have a problem making it last long, Lizzy!
Yummy! xoxo -
Laura Dembowski — Reply
I don’t think I’ve ever had an oatmeal cream pie. I really want to make some to see what all the fuss is about.
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Cate @ Chez CateyLou — Reply
These look JUST like the Little Debbie Ones! What a fun treat! I always loved pecan sandies growing up, and of course these oatmeal cream pies!
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Medeja — Reply
Can I have 1? or ? or all of them? 😀
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Lynn@Happier Than A Pig In Mud — Reply
I know I’d love these and bigger is always better when it comes to cookies:@)
