Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies

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.

Prep Time45

Cook Time10

Total Time55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pie Cookies, Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies

Servings: cookie sandwiches

Author: Fiona Dowling

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.

Nutrition