Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies

Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies take the classic Little Debbie snack cake to a whole new level! Two chewy, brown sugar-oat cookies surround a cream filling that’s sweet and irresistibly fluffy.

Who doesn’t love an oatmeal cream pie? My dad sure does. It’s his absolute favorite snack cake. For his 80th birthday last year, we gave out little boxes of his favorite treats as party favors: popcorn, candy bars, and of course, Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies.

I’ve been meaning to try a scratch made version for ages. And let me tell you, I’ve been missing out! This homemade version is irresistibly chewy and soft, with a fluffy cream filling that’s just the right amount of sweet. Better late than never, right? I can’t wait to surprise my dad with these.

Did you know that were the very first snack cake sold under the Little Debbie brand? The recipe was created in 1960, and with its soft, chewy oatmeal cookies and sweet, creamy filling, it quickly became a nationwide favorite.

My version is much like the original, but with a little more oat texture and a touch of cinnamon flavor. These are so perfect for fall – and they’re lunchbox friendly! Or, save them for an after-school snack. You can’t beat a chewy oatmeal cream pie with a glass of cold milk.

Make the Oat Cookies

First, get those dry ingredients together. You’ll need all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and – get this – cocoa powder (really!). Whisk together well.

When I researched and tested recipes to make my own version, the cookies made with cocoa powder had no detectable chocolate flavor. But rather, an earthier deep flavor and golden caramel color. The cookies without cocoa powder were not as flavorful and the color was too pale. Trust me – that little touch of cocoa makes a big difference!

Wet Ingredients

Start with melted butter, light brown sugar, vanilla extract, 1 large egg and 1 egg white; combine them with an electric hand mixer in a big mixing bowl.

Mix the Batter

Once the mixture is smooth, add in the dry ingredients all at once.

Mix until a consistently smooth batter forms.

Stir in the Oats

Add in the oats and stir in by hand. You can use quick cooking oats or rolled oats. Regular rolled oats will have more texture, which I like best. But you can use whatever you have on hand.

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At this stage, let the batter rest for 5-7 minutes. You’ll notice that it will thicken quite a bit. This makes the batter more scoop-able.

Scoop the Dough

I recommend using a cookie scoop for this. Or, portion the dough by the 2.5 tablespoons (approx.). Place the dough balls – well spaced (this is important) – onto large parchment-lined cookie sheet. The cookies will spread quite a bit so give ’em room to grow.

Bake for 9-11 minutes. Mine were done at 10 minutes, but the best way to gauge doneness is to keep a sharp eye on them. The cookies should look golden at the edges, craggy on top, and just slightly under baked in their centers. They’ll be super soft just out of the oven, so let them firm up on the baking sheet as they cool, about 5-7 minutes.

Make the Cream Filling

It seems to be the overall consensus that, when attempting a duplicate Little Debbie cream pie filling, that vegetable shortening provides the most accurate end result. But I didn’t do that. Yes, shortening is more shelf-stable. But these homemade pies are not making long treks on delivery trucks. So you’ll be safe to use real butter. And it just tastes better!

In the bowl of an electric mixer, place softened butter and confectioners’ sugar. Beat until lightened in color and fluffy. Then, add in 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream. This lightens the filling even further.

Spread or pipe the filling onto the flat size of one cookie at top with another. This is where the virtues of the cookie scoop come into play – it’s easy to find matching tops and bottoms because they are all pretty much the same size.

You can adjust the filling to your taste – spread on a little or a lot. I prefer a modest serving, just like the filling-to-cookie ratio in classic Little Debbie pies.

I really just want to take a stack of these with a thermos of coffee on a fall picnic. Seems the best activity to do while watching leaves sail on the wind. Enjoy!

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Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/SprinkleBakes