These Little Debbie’s Oatmeal Cream Pies copycat combines the cozy flavors of apple, ginger, and cinnamon with chewy rolled oats and marshmallowy vanilla creme. The only thing that’s missing is a cellophane bag! Whether you start a week or an hour in advance, make the filling first so you can assemble the cookies as soon as they’ve cooled.
HOMEMADE OATMEAL CREME PIES
I remember my first time eating Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies. I was in 6th grade, and my best friend bought one for lunch. She shared a piece with me, and I remember being completely blown away. It was nothing I ever had before. The outside cookie was soft and the inside filling was heavenly sweet and creamy. It was, in other words, sublime.
This Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pie recipe is just as addicting as the Little Debbies. I love the depth of flavor—fruity brightness balanced by dark molasses, sweet nutmeg, and a chocolaty aftertaste. The finishing touch is a “creme” filling made from fluffy homemade marshmallow creme to mimic the chewiness of an authentic Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie. Just one bite and you will never want to buy Little Debbies’ again!
WHAT ARE OATMEAL CREAM PIES?
Oatmeal Creme Pies are a snack cake consisting of two softened oatmeal cookies stuffed with fluffy creme filling. It was created during the Great Depression by Oather “O.D.” McKee. At the time, O.D. was working as a traveling cookie salesman for a bakery, Jack’s Cookie Company, in Chattanooga. O.D. and his wife, Ruth Mckee eventually bought a bakery. The bakery was a small shop with a small oven, five employees, and three products: oatmeal, raisin, and vanilla wafers.
O.D. began experimenting with the hard oatmeal cookies and created a softer cookie, sandwiched together with a fluffly creme filing. He began selling the “creme pies” for five cents each. By 1960, Mckee founded the Little Debbie brand and began commercially selling oatmeal creme pies in family-packed cartons for $.49. Over 14 million oatmeal creme pies were sold in the first 10 months of the snack cake’s release.
INGREDIENTS IN OATMEAL CREAM PIES
The ingredients list for Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie is pretty extensive, with some sketchy ingredients. This is from their package:
DEGERMINATED YELLOW CORN MEAL, WHOLE GRAIN OAT FLOUR, SUGAR, CREME COATING (SUGAR, SOYBEAN AND PALM OIL, NONFAT MILK, WHEY, SOY LECITHIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR), FRUCTOSE, MOLASSES, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, CINNAMON, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, BAKING SODA, NUTMEG, YELLOW 5, RED 40, YELLOW 6, BLUE 1, ANNATTO EXTRACT COLOR, WHEAT FLOUR, BHT FOR FRESHNESS. VITAMINS AND MINERALS: REDUCED IRON, NIACINAMIDE, VITAMIN B6 (PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE), VITAMIN B2 (RIBOFLAVIN), VITAMIN B1 (THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE), FOLIC ACID, VITAMIN D3, VITAMIN B12.
This Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pie does not contain half of that, so I convinced myself it’s a lot more healthier.
OATMEAL COOKIES
- flour
- old fashioned rolled oats: do not use quick-cooking or instant
- Dutch process cocoa powder
- dried apples: ground into tiny bits, they give the Oatmeal Creme Pies a milf fruit flavor and springy texture distinct from that of a traditional oatmeal cookie
- kosher salt
- spices: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg
- unsalted butter
- light brown sugar
- baking soda
- baking powder
- golden syrup: or unsulfured molasses or sorghum. Do not use blackstrap molasses. Golden syrup is a type of light molasses, essential in avoiding the sharpness of pure molasses, which can push the spices into gingerbread territory
- egg
- milk: any percentage will do
VANILLA MARSHMALLOW CREME
- gelatin powder
- vanilla extract
- light corn syrup
- sugar
- kosher salt
- unsalted butter
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE OATMEAL CREME PIES
FOR THE COOKIES
- 2 cups (9oz) all-purpose flour, such as Gold Medal
- 1 heaping cup (4oz) old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)
- 2 tablespoons (1/2oz) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup (2oz) plump, moist, dried apples
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (half as much if iodized)
- 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/4 sticks (5oz) unsalted butter, soft but cool–about 65°F
- 1 cup (8oz) light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup (3oz) golden syrup, sorghum, or unsulfured molasses (not blackstrap)
- 1 large egg, straight from the fridge, well-beaten
- 1/4 cup (2oz) milk (any percentage will do)
- 1 recipe Vanilla Marshmallow Creme (recipe follows)
FOR THE VANILLA MARSHMALLOW CREME
- 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder
- 2 tablespoons (1oz) cool water to bloom the gelatin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract and/or 1 vanilla bean
- 1/4 cup (2oz) water for sugar syrup
- 1/4 cup (2 3/4oz) light corn syrup
- 3/4 cup (5oz) sugar
- 1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon Diamond Kosher salt (half as much if iodized)
- 1 stick (4oz) unsalted butter, creamy and soft–about 68°F
MAKE THE MARSHMALLOW CREME
Step 1: In a small bowl, mix the gelatin with 2 tablespoons (1oz) cool water and vanilla extract, if using. Or split the vanilla bean lengthwise with a paring knife, run the flat of the blade down each half to scrape out seeds, and add to the gelatin without stirring.
Step 2: Combine remaining 1/4 cup (2oz) water, corn syrup, sugar, and salt in a 1-quart stainless steel pot over medium heat. Stir with a fork until the mixture is bubbling hard around the edges, about 3 minutes, then increase heat to medium-high. Clip on a digital thermometer and cook, without stirring, until the syrup registers 250°F, about 4 minutes.
Step 3: Transfer thermometer to a large heat-safe bowl and pour in the hot syrup all at once, scraping the pot with a heat-resistant spatula. Cool to exactly 212°F, about 4 minutes. Do not walk away to ensure the right temperature is achieved.
Step 4: Add gelatin and, with a hand mixer, whip on medium-high until thick, snowy white, and roughly tripled in volume, about 10 minutes.
Step 5: Add the softened butter in 5 or 6 additions, letting each fully incorporate before adding the next. Scrape the bowl with a flexible spatula to ensure the butter is well combined and whip a few seconds more.
Step 6: Transfer to a lightly greased container, cover, and let stand at room temperature until stiff, about 2 hours. The creme can be made up to 1 weed head; stir the creme well before using.
PREPARE THE DRY MIX
Step 1: Sift flour into the bowl of a food processor (if using a cup measure, spoon into the cup, and level with a knife before sifting). Add oats, cocoa, dried apples, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon, cover with a sheet of plastic to contain the dust, and process until the oats and apple disappear, about 3 minutes. This mix will keep for up to 3 months in an air-tight container at room temperature.
MAKE THE COOKIES
Step 1: Adjust the oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350°F. Combine butter, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and golden syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to moisten, then increase to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Step 2: With the mixer running, add the egg in two additions, mixing until each one is well incorporated. Reduce speed to low and sprinkle in the dry mix, then add the. milk, mixing to form a sticky dough. With a flexible spatula, fold the dough once or twice from the bottom up to ensure no unmixed streaks remain.
Step 3: Arrange forty-eight 1-tablespoon (3/4oz) portions on two parchment-lined and lightly greased aluminum baking sheets, leaving 2 1/2 inches between them. Bake until the cookies are puffed and soft but dry around the edges, about 12 minutes. They will look steamy and wet, a side effect of the molten syrup in the dough. If necessary, use the inner edge of a 3-inch round cookie cutter to gently nudge apart any cookies that grown together. Cool on the baking sheet until their crumb is set, about 20 minutes.
SANDWICH THE COOKIES
Step 1: Stir Marshmallow Cream with a flexible spatula, then transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4 inch plain tip. Turn half of the wafers upside down and pipe a shy tablespoon (roughly 1/4 oz) onto the center of each. Top with remaining cookies, pressing gently to join them together.
Step 2: Store in an airtight container, with a piece of wax paper between each layer, for up to 5 days at room temperature, up to a month in the fridge, or 6 months in the freezer. Serve at room temperature.
NOTES AND TIPS
- I used this scooper to place dough onto parchment
- The marshmallow creme can be made ahead of time
- The dry mix can be made ahead of time
Recipe courtesy of Bravetart.
Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies
[stars_rating_avg]Ingredients
Oatmeal Creme Pies
2 cups (9oz) all-purpose flour, such as Gold Medal
1 heaping cup (4oz) old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)
2 tablespoons (1/2oz) Dutch-process cocoa powder
2/3 cup (2oz) plump, moist, dried apples
1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (half as much if iodized)
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 sticks (5oz) unsalted butter, soft but cool–about 65°F
1 cup (8oz) light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup (3oz) golden syrup, sorghum, or unsulfured molasses (not blackstrap)
1 large egg, straight from the fridge, well-beaten
1/4 cup (2oz) milk (any percentage will do)
1 recipe Vanilla Marshmallow Creme (recipe follows)
Vanilla Marshmallow Creme
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder
2 tablespoons (1oz) cool water to bloom the gelatin
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract and/or 1 vanilla bean
1/4 cup (2oz) water for sugar syrup
1/4 cup (2 3/4oz) light corn syrup
3/4 cup (5oz) sugar
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon Diamond Kosher salt (half as much if iodized)
1 stick (4oz) unsalted butter, creamy and soft–about 68°F
Instructions
Prepare the Dry Mix
Sift flour into the bowl of a food processor (if using a cup measure, spoon into the cup, and level with a knife before sifting). Add oats, cocoa, dried apples, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon, cover with a sheet of plastic to contain the dust, and process until the oats and apple disappear, about 3 minutes. This mix will keep for up to 3 months in an air-tight container at room temperature.
Make the Cookies
Adjust the oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350°F. Combine butter, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and golden syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to moisten, then increase to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
With the mixer running, add the egg in two additions, mixing until each one is well incorporated. Reduce speed to low and sprinkle in the dry mix, then add the. milk, mixing to form a sticky dough. With a flexible spatula, fold the dough once or twice from the bottom up to ensure no unmixed streaks remain.
Arrange forty-eight 1-tablespoon (3/4oz) portions on two parchment-lined and lightly greased aluminum baking sheets, leaving 2 1/2 inches between them. Bake until the cookies are puffed and soft but dry around the edges, about 12 minutes. They will look steamy and wet, a side effect of the molten syrup in the dough. If necessary, use the inner edge of a 3-inch round cookie cutter to gently nudge apart any cookies that grown together. Cool on the baking sheet until their crumb is set, about 20 minutes.
Sandwich the Cookies
Stir Marshmallow Cream with a flexible spatula, then transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4 inch plain tip. Turn half of the wafers upside down and pipe a shy tablespoon (roughly 1/4 oz) onto the center of each. Top with remaining cookies, pressing gently to join them together.
Store in an airtight container, with a piece of wax paper between each layer, for up to 5 days at room temperature, up to a month in the fridge, or 6 months in the freezer. Serve a room temperature.
Make the Vanilla Marshmallow Creme
In a small bowl, mix the gelatin with 2 tablespoons (1oz) cool water and vanilla extract, if using. Or split the vanilla bean lengthwise with a paring knife, run the flat of the blade down each half to scrape out seeds, and add to the gelatin without stirring.
Combine remaining 1/4 cup (2oz) water, corn syrup, sugar, and salt in a 1-quart stainless steel pot over medium heat. Stir with a fork until the mixture is bubbling hard around the edges, about 3 minutes, then increase heat to medium-high. Clip on a digital thermometer and cook, without stirring, until the syrup registers 250°F, about 4 minutes.
Transfer thermometer to a large heat-safe bowl and pour in the hot syrup all at once, scraping the pot with a heat-resistant spatula. Cool to exactly 212°F, about 4 minutes. Do not walk away to ensure the right temperature is achieved.
Add gelatin and, with a hand mixer, whip on medium-high until thick, snowy white, and roughly tripled in volume, about 10 minutes.
Add the softened butter in 5 or 6 additions, letting each fully incorporate before adding the next. Scrape the bowl with a flexible spatula to ensure the butter is well combined and whip a few seconds more.
Transfer to a lightly greased container, cover, and let stand at room temperature until stiff, about 2 hours. The creme can be made up to 1 week head; stir the creme well before using.
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Nutrition Facts
Calories
229.14
Fat
9.33 g
Sat. Fat
5.67 g
Carbs
35.55 g
Fiber
1 g
Net carbs
34.55 g
Sugar
24.75 g
Protein
2.29 g
Sodium
146.37 mg
Cholesterol
30.88 mg
