Sprinkle of Science

How to Make Oatmeal Cream Pies

What are Oatmeal Cream Pies?

Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies are soft and chewy oatmeal cookies filled with vanilla buttercream. I always found the original version left me desiring more buttercream in the middle. My Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies are thicker, more flavorful, and have the perfect cookie-to-frosting ratio.

How to Make Soft, Chewy Cookies for Oatmeal Cream Pies

• Measure Your Flour Correctly: I always recommend using a digital kitchen scale to measure your flour. It’s so easy to accidentally compact the flour into measuring cups, which can result in dry, hard cookies that don’t spread. If you don’t have a scale, use the spoon and level method instead.
• Don’t Reduce the Sugar: Sugar does SO much more than just sweeten baked goods. Learn all about sugar’s role in baking here.
• Eggs: This recipe uses two large eggs plus one egg yolk, lending moisture and richness to the dough. This makes these cookies softer and chewier.

What Kind of Oats For Oatmeal Cream Pies?

This recipe calls for old-fashioned rolled oats, which give the cookies that characteristic craggly look, chewiness, and flavor.

Can I Add Raisins or Chocolate Chips to my Oatmeal Cookies?

You can, though that’ll change the texture and add a little more height to your cookies.

The Sugar in Oatmeal Cream Pies

• The cookie recipe calls for both granulated sugar and dark brown sugar.
• I recommend sticking with the dark brown sugar if possible. The rich butterscotch flavor it lends complements the nutty oats beautifully.
• Dark brown sugar is made with more molasses, bringing more moisture to the cookies, and helping keep them softer for longer.
• You can use the same amount of light brown sugar if needed, but the cookies will be slightly lighter in color and may not be quite as moist or flavorful.
• Tip: Do you have granulated white sugar and molasses on hand? Learn how to make brown sugar!

How to Avoid FLAT Oatmeal Cookies

If your cookies end up flat, butter that was too warm is likely the culprit. When creaming butter and sugar, your butter should be at a COOL room temperature. 67°F is perfect – or even a couple degrees cooler if your kitchen is very warm. If your butter is too warm, your cookies will spread into flat puddles.

Just take a look at the cookie comparison below:

Does This Oatmeal Cookie Dough Need to be Chilled?

No dough chilling required! I don’t like to refrigerate dough made with oats for too long because oats are such a drying ingredient and really suck up moisture, and you don’t want the dough to dry up too quickly. If you wish to refrigerate this dough, you absolutely can – just avoid refrigerating longer than 48 hours – otherwise, you risk drying out your dough.

How to Store Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies

Store Oatmeal Cream Pies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Let come to room temperature before serving. The sugar in the frosting acts as a preservative, so these cookies can be stored at room temperature, but no longer than a couple of days.

Can I Freeze Oatmeal Cream Pies Whole?

Yes! Wrap Oatmeal Cream Pies individually in plastic wrap and store inside an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight, then let come to room temperature before serving. You can also scoop the cookie dough into balls and freeze those. Learn how to freeze cookie dough and bake from frozen here.