I’m feeling sort of nostalgic today. I remember eating Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies when I was younger. Unwrapping and crumpling the wrapper between my fingers, trying desperately (and failing) to stuff the whole squishy soft cookie sandwich into my mouth all at once. I LOVED oatmeal creme pies! And still have a giant oatmeal creme pie size spot in my heart for them. As giant as my one giant oatmeal creme pie cookie. I haven’t had them in a long time. Homemade cookies and cupcakes have taken precedence over my favorite mass-produced packaged snack, but that doesn’t mean I don’t remember how incredible they are. So… I set out to bake my own from scratch. Today’s oatmeal cookies are made with super soft, large, and delicate oatmeal cookies full of brown sugar, molasses, and butter. The cookies melt in your mouth. I sandwiched them between a bright white vanilla creme center. They are much oat-ier than Little Debbie’s version. Sometimes I wonder where the oats are in hers! Are you ready for these? (By the way, I also have a fall variation, pumpkin oatmeal cream pies, and a holiday variation, spiced eggnog oatmeal cream pies, which are both close in texture to this recipe but full of festive flavors.) Let me begin by telling you how much butter you’ll need for this entire recipe. 2 and 1/2 sticks just for the cookies and 1 and 1/2 sticks for the creme filling. New Years resolutions can take the back seat! These are not a healthy cookie and I do not suggest making them into a healthy cookie. They are oatmeal creme pies, not diet food. And are worth every single bite! The source for this copycat recipe does not call for ground cloves, but I wanted to pack some flavor into the buttery oatmeal cookie. Another thing? For the cookie’s proper texture and spreadability, it is imperative to use quick oats in these cookies. Old-fashioned whole rolled oats will not work. You want very fine, small pieces of oats in the dough. Since I prefer whole rolled oats in my granola recipes and my go-to loaded oatmeal cookies, my pantry is never stocked with the quick kind. I make my own quick oats if I need them for a recipe. For today, I measured 3 cups of whole rolled oats and pulsed them in the food processor 4-5 times. Now you have quick oats! Easy, right? The cookie dough is quite thick; I had to stop the mixer after about 10 seconds to mix the rest by hand. Unlike most of my cookie recipes, this dough does not require chilling prior to baking. More often that not, I chill my cookie dough before baking since cold dough assures a thicker cookie. Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies are not thick cookies, so not dough chilling is necessary. You want the cookies to spread and stretch out in the oven. P.S. Do you like Oreo cookies? Try my homemade Oreos next, for another homemade version of a familiar packaged cookie. I used my favorite OXO large cookie scoop to scoop the cookies into uniform sized balls. Typically, I do not use a cookie scoop for my cookies. But I knew I needed one today since the cookies have to all be equal in size to sandwich together. If you do not have a cookie scoop, be sure to roll 2 Tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Allow the cookies to cool completely before filling. The creme center is unlike many copycat creme center recipes I’ve found before. There is no shortening, marshmallow creme, corn syrup, or gelatin. I do not use shortening in my frosting recipes—just not a fan of the texture! My creme filling isn’t a dead ringer of Little Debbie’s, but it’s just perfect for us. I am infatuated with these oatmeal creme pies! I can honestly say that they are one of the best cookies I’ve ever made. The taste comparison to Little Debbie’s version is uncanny. They are soft, ultra-moist, and squishy like Miss Debbie’s. I made them large, reminiscent of the originals (2 Tablespoons of dough in each cookie, so 4 in the whole cookie sandwich). When you eat one, the filling will squeeze out the sides—perfect for licking the creme around the edges. Get ready to have some sticky fingers. ENJOY!
More Classic Treats
Rice Krispie Treats Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts Mini Animal Cracker Cookies Chocolate Cake Roll
More oatmeal cookies: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies Magic 5 Cookies (butterscotch and coconut!) Peanut Butter Cup Surprise Monster Cookies Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
