Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies

From the roundup: 24 Easy Fall Desserts Recipes to Bake This Season

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Pumpkin oatmeal cream pies have become my most-requested fall bake, and I’ll be honest about why: the cookies themselves take about 25 minutes of actual hands-on work. The rest is just waiting for them to cool before you can sandwich them together. That built-in pause is what trips people up, so plan for a full hour start to finish.

The cookies are soft and just barely chewy, spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. The filling is marshmallow creme beaten with butter and powdered sugar, which sounds simple because it is. The first time I made these I pulled them from the oven too early and panicked because the centers looked underdone. They were perfect. Ten to twelve minutes is right even when the middles feel soft.

This recipe makes 12 sandwich cookies, which sounds like a lot until your kids start eating them straight from the cooling rack. I always refrigerate the assembled ones for at least 30 minutes before serving. The filling firms up just enough that they hold together when you pick them up.

Why you will love this

• Real pumpkin puree in the dough keeps the cookies moist for days, not just the day you bake them.
• The marshmallow creme filling comes together in about 3 minutes with a hand mixer and no candy thermometer.
• You can bake the cookies two days ahead and fill them the day you need them, which makes holiday baking much more manageable.
• One batch makes exactly 12 sandwiches, which is a practical amount for a party plate or a school treat without a ton of leftovers.
• No chilling the dough required before baking.

Tips for success

• Spoon and level your flour rather than scooping directly from the bag. Too much flour makes the cookies cakey and dry instead of soft.
• Use a cookie scoop for every single cookie before you bake the first sheet. Mismatched sizes make lopsided sandwiches and the smaller cookies overbake while you wait for the bigger ones to set.
• The dough will look slightly curdled after you add the pumpkin and egg. That is normal and it bakes out completely. Do not add more flour to compensate.
• Cool the cookies completely before filling. Even slightly warm cookies will melt the filling and make a mess. I usually bake in the afternoon and assemble after dinner.

Common questions

• Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree? No. Pumpkin pie filling has added sugar and spices that will throw off the balance of the dough.
• My filling looks too soft to pipe. Refrigerate it for 10 to 15 minutes and it will firm up enough to spread or pipe cleanly.
• Can I use quick oats? Old-fashioned rolled oats give the cookies their texture. Quick oats will make them softer and less chewy, which works but changes the result.
• How do I know when the cookies are done? The tops should look dry and just set. The centers will still feel soft when you press them lightly. They firm up as they cool on the pan.

Substitutions

For a dairy-free version, use vegan butter in both the cookie dough and the filling. The filling texture holds up well with most stick-style vegan butters. To make these gluten-free, swap in a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and certified gluten-free rolled oats. If you cannot find marshmallow creme, melt 1 cup of mini marshmallows, let them cool to room temperature, and beat them into the filling in place of the fluff.

If you are out of individual spices, 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice works as a straight swap for the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves combined.

Make-ahead and storage

The cookies can be baked and cooled up to 2 days ahead. Store them unfilled in an airtight container at room temperature and make the filling the day you plan to assemble. Once assembled, stack the cream pies between sheets of parchment in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. They actually get a little softer in the fridge, which most people prefer.

You can freeze the baked, unfilled cookies for up to 6 weeks. Thaw them at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then make a fresh batch of filling and assemble. I would not freeze the assembled sandwiches since the filling texture changes after thawing.

Brittany Stage

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies

Soft and chewy pumpkin spice oatmeal cookies sandwiched around a fluffy marshmallow vanilla cream filling. These homemade cream pies come together easily and are a crowd-pleasing fall treat.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 12 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 390

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats not instant
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar light or dark
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened, for filling
• 1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme such as Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Fluff
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract for filling

Equipment

• stand mixer or hand mixer
• large baking sheet
• parchment paper
• medium cookie scoop
• wire rack

Method

 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the softened butter with both sugars on medium speed for about 2 minutes until the mixture looks lighter and fluffy. Add the pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla, and beat again until smooth. The mixture may look a little curdled at this point, but that is fine.
4. Add the flour and oat mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until no dry streaks remain. Do not over-mix.
5. Using a medium cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoons), drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. You should get about 24 cookies total. Try to keep them all the same size so the sandwiches match up well.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the cookies look set and the tops are just dry to the touch. They will still feel soft in the center, and that is exactly right. Do not over-bake or they will dry out. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. While the cookies cool, make the filling. Beat the softened butter in a clean bowl on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the marshmallow creme, sifted powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until the filling is fluffy and light.
8. Once the cookies are completely cool, flip half of them over so the flat bottom faces up. Spread or pipe a generous layer of cream filling onto the flat side of those cookies, then press a matching cookie on top, flat side down. Repeat with all remaining cookies. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving so the filling sets up slightly.

Notes

Assembled cream pies keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Unbaked cookie dough can be scooped and frozen on a sheet pan, then transferred to a bag and baked from frozen at 350 degrees for 13 to 14 minutes.

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