These Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies are so much better than Little Debbies! These soft oatmeal cookies get sandwiched together with a delicious marshmallow fluff frosting in the center. These nostalgic treats kick the flavor up a notch. It's the perfect baking project!
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Look, Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies will always have a special place in my heart. As a kid, I adored these packaged treats. Honestly, they're still really delicious to me, but the homemade version just takes them to a whole new level!
Like the Little Debbie version - these chewy cookies are rich and flavorful with whole grain oats, molasses, dark brown sugar, and a few other secret ingredients. One of the most unique ingredients is actually homemade raisin paste that makes them taste super reminiscent of the original version!
Did you even know there were raisins in the original?! We didn't - but while developing this recipe and dissecting the ingredients, we discovered raisins in there, and it turned out that (among a couple of other secret ingredients) are what give these cookies such an irresistible flavor.
We know raisins can be a hot topic - but don't freak out! They add a distinct Little Debbie flavor and moisture but otherwise aren't very detectable in the cookie. In our humble opinion, this is what makes our copycat recipe the best one out there - and unique to others on the internet! 😉
The creamy filling is a vanilla marshmallow creme just like the original as well. Little Debbie's fans can get ready to satisfy their nostalgic cravings with this cookie recipe!
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Nostalgic flavors. It had been a long time since we enjoyed the classic storebought treats, and as it turns out, they're still a favorite! Our version is full of warm flavors, with an irresistible texture that is hard to beat when you're in the mood for something familiar, but even better than you remember!
- Crowd-pleaser. Because of the nostalgic quality of these cookies, they're great for gatherings! Who doesn't love tender oatmeal cookies held together by a fluffy cream filling? They have a pretty showstopping quality to them!
- Made with familiar ingredients. Everything you need for this recipe can be found at nearly any grocery store if you don't already have what you need at home in your pantry.
🧈Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
Cookies
- Shortening. We used butter-flavored shortening, and this is a common ingredient in some old-fashioned desserts. It helps the cookies become nice and soft, as well as hold their shape really well!
- Unsalted butter. We also used butter to add richness and flavor. You could use all shortening or all butter if you'd like, but we think the combo created an amazing result. Make sure it's left out at room temperature for a while to become soft.
- Quick cooking oats. Old-fashioned quick oats are perfect for this recipe. They help absorb some of the moisture in the cookie dough, and the texture is just right. Old-fashioned rolled oats or steel-cut oats will produce a different texture and will impact the baking time, so don't swap them here.
- Dark brown sugar. This adds so much flavor and moisture to the cookie. You can use light brown sugar as well, but we don't recommend swapping this for regular white sugar. Brown sugar helps make the cookies super soft.
- Raisins. We make a quick raisin paste by soaking the raisins in boiling water for about 10 minutes before chopping it up into a paste. Trust us on this one! The cookie doesn't taste "raisin-y" but just has an incredible depth of flavor, and a lot of moisture that makes the cookies so soft. This is one of those "secret ingredients" in the original Little Debbie recipe that makes it so yummy.
- Molasses. Don't use blackstrap molasses for this recipe - it will be too bitter! The molasses again contributes to the overall texture and Little Debbie flavor of this recipe. It makes the cookies nice and chewy and soft.
- Cocoa powder. Any cocoa powder will do, and you just need a little bit. We like to use Dutch-processed cocoa because it has a deep, rich chocolate flavor and isn't bitter. This is another surprising "secret" ingredient in the Little Debbie version of the cookies, and it just contributes to this overall unmistakable flavor.
- Cornstarch. Again, this contributes to the overall soft texture of the cookies. Don't skip it!
Marshmallow Cream Filling
- Shortening. We used butter-flavored shortening. Shortening in this recipe helps the filling maintain its shape and it doesn't need to be refrigerated.
- Marshmallow fluff. Yes, the stuff that comes in a tub! It creates a delicious, signature flavor!
- Confectioners' sugar. Also known as powdered sugar, don't substitute this for anything else or the texture will be completely off.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
There are a few ingredients in this recipe that we don't recommend substituting because they contribute to the overall structure and texture of these cookies and they can't be omitted.
- No quick oats? Make your own! Use a food processor to quickly process old-fashioned rolled oats to make your own quick oats! The quick oat is really necessary here because it's the correct texture for these cookies.
- No shortening. While shortening really does help with the texture, you can swap it for unsalted butter if you'd like.
- Swap raisins for dates. We've tried this recipe with dates before, and it worked very well! The signature flavor wasn't quite the same, however, but the texture was great.
- Omit raisins. If you'd really like to skip making the raisin paste, you can, but you will probably need to scale back on the flour by a tablespoon or two so that the cookies don't become too dry.
- Swap vanilla extract. Vanilla bean paste can be used 1:1 in this recipe.
- Omit cocoa powder or cinnamon. If you don't have any cocoa powder and/or cinnamon, you can omit them, as they won't impact the texture or bake of the cookie. They do create a really delicious flavor though, so don't skip it if you can help it!
✨Variations
- Gluten-free. Simply swap the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour. We like using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour. You will also want to use Bob's Red Mill certified gluten-free quick cooking rolled oats! We haven't tried it yet ourselves, but it should work completely fine.
- Dairy-free. To make this recipe dairy-free, all you have to do is use all shortening and omit the butter.
- Spiced. For a nice spiced flavor, feel free to add more cinnamon, and/or added spices like cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves!
*Please note - this recipe has not been made with any other substitutions or variations, so we can't recommend anything at this time. If you make changes, let us know how it goes in the comments!
🔪Prep work
- Allow the butter and eggs to sit out at room temperature for about an hour before making the cookies so they can become room temperature.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Begin boiling water to make the raisin paste.
- Break apart any hardened clumps of sugar in the dark brown sugar with your fingers.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Measure out the rest of the ingredients using a food scale. It's especially important to weigh out flour and oats with a food scale to ensure you have enough! Too much of either of these ingredients can make the cookies dry.
📋Instructions
Cookies
Start by making the raisin paste.
Cover the raisins with boiling water in a small bowl. (Image 1) Let them sit for about 10 minutes to absorb.
After the water has cooled down and the raisins have hydrated, use a cheesecloth or paper towel to squeeze out all of the excess moisture from the raisins. (Image 2)
Using a cutting board and a sharp knife or a food processor, make a fine paste by cutting the raisins into very small pieces. (Image 3) Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the dark brown sugar, shortening, and butter until smooth, creamy, light, and fluffy. (Image 4)
Add in the egg, the egg yolk, the molasses, and the vanilla extract. (Image 5)
Cream together until smooth and completely mixed, then mix in the raisin paste. (Image 6)
⭑Pro Tip: Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is well incorporated!
Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, kosher salt, cocoa powder, and cinnamon.
Gently fold in the ingredients to combine, scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed in. Stop mixing when there are a few streaks of flour left in the mixture. (Image 7)
When the cookie dough is almost all the way mixed, add in the quick oats and mix to combine. (Image 8)
⭑Pro tip: Don't overmix at this step, or your cookies will end up dense and tough instead of chewy and fluffy. Overmixing flour can lead to the development of too much gluten.
Use a medium-sized cookie scoop (#40 or 1.5 tablespoon size) to make 24 equal-sized balls of cookie dough. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about 5-6 a time, and leave room in between. (Image 9)
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set and the cookies are slightly puffed up in the center. Use a large cookie cutter to scoot them into a round shape when they come out of the oven. (Image 10)
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely. (Image 11)
⭑Pro Tip: These cookies can be baked right away without chilling time, but you can also chill them up to 2 days in advance to help develop and intensify the flavor.
Marshmallow Cream Frosting
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the shortening and marshmallow cream until completely combined. (Image 12)
Add the kosher salt, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar to the bowl. (Image 13)
Continue mixing until smooth and fluffy. (Image 14)
Place the marshmallow fluff frosting in a piping bag and add a dollop of frosting to the center of every other cookie (for a total of 12 cookies). (Image 15)
Gently press together a cookie with no frosting with one that has frosting to make the oatmeal cream pie cookie sandwich! (Image 16)
⭑Pro Tip: Be careful not to add too much frosting to the center, or it will ooze out when the cookies get pressed together!
Now all that's left to do is enjoy!
✨Tips & tricks
- Measure accurately. Use a kitchen scale if you have one, as the sizes of cups vary. Too much flour in cookies can lead to dry or dense cookies instead of soft and fluffy ones!
- Use room-temperature ingredients. Make sure the eggs and butter are at room temperature for easier mixing and a smoother cookie dough.
- Squeeze out all of the excess water from the raisins. That way you don't end up with cookies with too much moisture.
- Don’t skip creaming the butter, shortening, and dark brown sugar. This helps the cookies have a great shape and ensures they won’t spread too much in the oven.
- Don’t overmix the dry ingredients. Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix just until combined to avoid tough, dense cookies. Start adding in the quick oats when there are still a few streaks of flour left in the dough. We also recommend switching to a rubber spatula to help prevent overworking the dough.
- Use a cookie scoop. This ensures that the cookies are all the proper, equal size which is important for putting them together as cookie sandwiches later.
- Use an oven thermometer. Make sure your oven is fully preheated before baking. Ovens are incredibly unreliable! This can help you determine if the oven is actually as hot as it says it is.
- Parchment paper. Always line your baking pan with parchment paper for easier cookie removal and cleanup. It helps prevent the cookies from sticking to the pan.
- Bake fewer cookies at a time on the middle rack. This will ensure that your cookies are soft and evenly baked. You want to use the middle rack and only do one tray of cookies at a time. You’ll also want to make sure to bake only 5-6 cookies at a time.
- Don't overbake the cookies. Make sure not to overbake the cookies because they will continue to cook as they cool. The cookies should be super soft and chewy.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before frosting. If the cookies aren't completely cool, the frosting will just melt and run.
- Use a piping bag to frost the cookies. This gives you much more control over the amount of frosting added to the cookies.
- Don't add too much frosting to the cookies. Just add a dollop of frosting to the center of the cookies and don't go too close to the edge or else the frosting will ooze out the sides when it gets pressed down.
- If freezing the cookie dough, you may need to bake them for an extra minute or two after pulling them out of the freezer.
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💭Frequently Asked Questions
Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
It's best to freeze the cookie dough before baking. You can freeze cookie dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe container and store them for up to 4 months.
If freezing the cookies alone after they have been baked, place them all in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze them for up to 3 months.
If freezing an assembled oatmeal cookie creme pie, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, before transferring them to a freezer-safe bag or container and freezing them for up to 2 months.
More Cookie Recipes To Consider
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📖 Recipe
Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies
Equipment
- hand mixer (or stand mixer with the paddle and whisk attachments)
- medium cookie scoop #40 or 1.5 tablespoons size
- piping bag and tips
- cooling rack
Ingredients
For Cookie
- 2 ounces raisins
- ¾ cup boiling water
- ½ cup shortening we use butter flavored
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (1 stick)
- 1.25 cups dark brown sugar 250g
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour 195g
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1.5 cups quick cooking rolled oats 135g
For Filling
- ½ cup butter flavored shortening
- 1 jar marshmallow fluff 210g/7.5oz
- 1-2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar 76-113g as needed and to taste
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cover 2 raisins with boiling water, let it sit for 10 minutes. Drain by squeezing out all of the excess water using a paper towel or cheesecloth. Mash together the raisins with a knife or food processor to form a paste.2 ounces raisins, ¾ cup boiling water
- Cream together unsalted softened butter, shortening, and dark brown sugar until light and fluffy.½ cup shortening, ½ cup unsalted butter, 1.25 cups dark brown sugar
- Add in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and molasses and mix until combined, then add in the raisin paste and continue mixing until totally combined, being sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to incorporate everything.1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon molasses
- Sift in the all purpose flour, cornstarch, kosher salt, baking soda, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the ingredients until almost all the way combined. When there are just a few streaks of flour left in the dough, add in the oats and use a rubber spatula to combine.1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cocoa powder, 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1.5 cups quick cooking rolled oats
- Use a medium cookie scoop (#40) to make 24 equal size cookie dough balls. Place 5-6 pieces of cookie dough on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Frosting
- Beat together shortening and marshmallow fluff in a large bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment.½ cup butter flavored shortening, 1 jar marshmallow fluff
- Add in vanilla, kosher salt, and powdered sugar to taste. Mix until combined.1-2 teaspoons vanilla, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 cup powdered sugar
- Once cookies are completely cooled, pipe or spoon frosting onto the underside of one cookie. Press another cookie on top and enjoy!
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Notes
- Measure accurately. Use a kitchen scale if you have one, as the sizes of cups vary. Too much flour in cookies can lead to dry or dense cookies instead of soft and fluffy ones!
- Use room-temperature ingredients. Make sure the eggs and butter are at room temperature for easier mixing and a smoother cookie dough.
- Squeeze out all of the excess water from the raisins. That way you don't end up with cookies with too much moisture.
- Don’t skip creaming the butter, shortening, and dark brown sugar. This helps the cookies have a great shape and ensures they won’t spread too much in the oven.
- Don’t overmix the dry ingredients. Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix just until combined to avoid tough, dense cookies. Start adding in the quick oats when there are still a few streaks of flour left in the dough. We also recommend switching to a rubber spatula to help prevent overworking the dough.
- Use a cookie scoop. This ensures that the cookies are all the proper, equal size which is important for putting them together as cookie sandwiches later.
- Use an oven thermometer. Make sure your oven is fully preheated before baking. Ovens are incredibly unreliable! This can help you determine if the oven is actually as hot as it says it is.
- Parchment paper. Always line your baking pan with parchment paper for easier cookie removal and cleanup. It helps prevent the cookies from sticking to the pan.
- Bake fewer cookies at a time on the middle rack. This will ensure that your cookies are soft and evenly baked. You want to use the middle rack and only do one tray of cookies at a time. You’ll also want to make sure to bake only 5-6 cookies at a time.
- Don't overbake the cookies. Make sure not to overbake the cookies because they will continue to cook as they cool. The cookies should be super soft and chewy.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before frosting. If the cookies aren't completely cool, the frosting will just melt and run.
- Use a piping bag to frost the cookies. This gives you much more control over the amount of frosting added to the cookies.
- Don't add too much frosting to the cookies. Just add a dollop of frosting to the center of the cookies and don't go too close to the edge or else the frosting will ooze out the sides when it gets pressed down.
- If freezing the cookie dough, you may need to bake them for an extra minute or two after pulling them out of the freezer.
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