Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
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These pumpkin oatmeal cream pies are the perfect fall version of the classic Lil’ Debbie oatmeal cream pie cookies. They’re soft and chewy with a delicious pumpkin spice flavor and tangy cream cheese frosting.
If love oatmeal cream pies – then I urge you to try these pumpkin oatmeal cream pie cookies. They start with two pumpkin oatmeal cookies that are incredibly soft and filled with warm spices and brown sugar. The cookies are sandwiched together with tangy cream cheese frosting that complements the pumpkin spice flavor perfectly. These cookies make for a great fall treat.
Making Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
For this recipe, you’ll need to make the pumpkin oatmeal cookies first. Then let them cool before making the frosting and sandwiching the cookies together. You can always make the cookies in advance and store in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days, then make the frosting and sandwich the cookies the day you’re planning to serve them.
Bonus – there’s no need to chill the dough for this recipe!
I’ve included photos and tips below – or feel free to scroll down to get straight to the recipe.
- Start by preheating the oven to 350F (190C) and lining your cookie sheets with parchment.
- You’ll first need to squeeze out any extra moisture from the pumpkin. I do this by lining a small bowl with paper towel (or a clean dish cloth) and squeezing the pumpkin. You want to do this multiple times to remove as much moisture as possible.
- If you skip this step, the cookies will be very cakey in texture and turn out more like muffin tops.
- Then in a small bowl you’ll whisk together the dry ingredients: four, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves and salt.
- In a separate, larger bowl beat together the softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy.
- Then mix in the egg yolk, vanilla extract, molasses (or honey) and pumpkin.
- Be sure to use only the egg yolk and not the entire egg. Using the entire egg makes the cookies more cakey in texture instead of chewy.
- Then beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until incorporated.
- Lastly, mix in the oats.
- For this recipe, I use quick oats as opposed to large rolled oats. I find that quick oats produce cookies that have a more uniform shape – which is useful for sandwiching. Do not use the sachets of instant, microwave oats.
- Scoop the dough into balls with about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of dough each and drop about 2 inches apart on the lined cookie sheets. The dough will be sticky – which is why I use a cookie scoop for this. Using a cookie scoop will also help so that all the cookie dough balls are the same size (which is also good for sandwiching).
- The cookies will bake for about 7-9 minutes in the middle of the oven, or until the tops look just set.
After the cookies are baked, it’s time to get on with the cream cheese frosting. It’s tangy, delicious and pairs perfectly with the pumpkin spice flavor. You’ll beat together the butter and cream cheese until combined and smooth, then add in the flavorings (vanilla extract and salt) and beat in the powdered sugar until you’ve reached the desired sweetness. When making cream cheese frosting it’s important that:
- The butter is slightly softened, but not starting to melt.
- You use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese. Anything that comes in a tub or is labeled low-fat, spreadable, or whipped is too thin for making frosting with.
Then you’ll sandwich 2 cookies together with a dollop of cream cheese frosting. Just make sure that the cookies are no longer warm to the touch – otherwise, they can melt the frosting.
You’ll love the soft and chewy texture, delicious pumpkin spice flavor and tangy cream cheese frosting of these pumpkin oatmeal cream pies. Perfect for pumpkin season – be sure to try these other favorites too:
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
Equipment
- Cookie Sheets
Ingredients
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree, NOT canned pumpkin pie filling
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125 grams)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (112 grams), softened, but not melted
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (158 grams)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 1 tablespoon molasses (15 ml), or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk, do not use the entire egg
- 1 cup quick oats (90 grams), large rolled oats work too
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (112 grams)
- 4 ounces cream cheese (112 grams), full fat, brick style
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar (220-330 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon whipping cream , or milk, if needed
Instructions
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Using paper towels or a clean dish cloth, squeeze and blot the pumpkin puree to remove excess moisture from the pumpkin. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamed (you should no longer see lumps of brown sugar or butter – sugar granules is OK and expected).
- Add the blotted pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, molasses (or honey), and egg yolk to the butter mixture. Beat together until combined.
- Mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture, starting with the mixer on a low speed.
- Stir in the oats until evenly mixed into the dough.
- Scoop the cookie dough into balls so that each cookie is about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of dough. I use a cookie scoop for this. Place cookie dough balls about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the lined cookie sheets.
- Bake 1 sheet at a time in the middle of the preheated oven. They'll bake for about 7-10 minutes, or until the tops look set.
- Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to continue cooling.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Then mix in the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add in 2 cups powdered sugar, along with the vanilla extract and salt. Beat together, starting with the mixer on a low speed and gradually increasing to medium speed until incorporated.
- Mix in the rest of the powdered sugar about 1/3 cup at a time, until the desired sweetness is reached. If needed, beat in 1 tablespoon of whipping cream.
Assembling the Cookies
- Ensure the cookies are completely cooled. Spread about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of frosting on the bottom of one cookie, then place a second cookie on top.
Notes
- Pumpkin Puree: Be sure to try and remove as much moisture from the pumpkin puree as possible – otherwise the cookies will be too cakey in texture.
- Spices: Feel free to substitute the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves for 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice (in total – not 2 teaspoons per spice).
- Storage: Store frosted cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 8 hours before serving, or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 cookie sandwich – assuming that the recipe yields 12 uniform cookie sandwiches (2 cookies with frosting) assuming that all the frosting is used.
