Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies: Soft, Chewy, and Perfect for Fall

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies

If you grew up peeling the wrapper off a Little Debbie oatmeal cream pie, this recipe is going to feel like fall wrapped up in your own kitchen.

I bake two batches of soft and chewy pumpkin spice cookies, packed with brown sugar and warm cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, then I sandwich them with a tangy cream cheese frosting.

That little bit of tang against the sweet pumpkin spice cookies is my favorite part, and it is exactly why I keep coming back to this recipe every single autumn.

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My pumpkin oatmeal cream pies yield 12 cookie sandwiches and take 55 minutes in total, with 45 minutes of prep and 10 minutes of baking.

There is no chilling time, which makes this one of the friendliest fall baking projects I know (be sure to read through the steps once before you start, and you will move through them quickly).

Every bite tastes like pumpkin season: soft in the middle, chewy at the edges, and truly hard to resist. Grab your pumpkin puree, your mixing bowls, and let’s bake something cozy together.

Making Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies

Here is my game plan: bake the pumpkin oatmeal cookies first, let them cool completely, then whip up the cream cheese frosting and assemble the sandwiches. The cookie dough needs no chilling, so you can go straight from the mixing bowl to the baking sheet.

If you like to work ahead, bake the cookies a few days in advance and keep them in an airtight container at room temperature, then frost and assemble on serving day (that is exactly what I do when company is coming).

Here is the recipe at a glance before we dive in:

Before you begin, preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. Then take care of the single most important step in this whole recipe: removing the excess moisture from the pumpkin puree.

Skip it, and you will end up with cookies that bake up cakey, more like little muffin tops than soft and chewy sandwich cookies. I learned that the disappointing way, so you do not have to.

Be sure to squeeze and blot the pumpkin puree several times with paper towels or a clean dish cloth. Dry pumpkin is the secret to chewy cookies instead of cakey ones.

Ingredients for the Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

I like to measure everything before I start mixing (it keeps the whole process calm). Here is what the cookies need:

• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree (pure pumpkin only, 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, softened but not melted (112 grams)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (158 grams)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
• 1 tablespoon molasses or honey (15 ml)
• 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)

Ingredients for the Cream Cheese Frosting

The frosting comes together in minutes, but the details really matter (I explain why below):

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (112 grams), slightly softened but not melting
• 4 ounces cream cheese (112 grams), full fat and brick style
• 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar (220 to 330 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon whipping cream or milk, only if you need it

How to Make the Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Now for the fun part. Follow these steps and you will have two dozen soft cookies, ready for filling:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. I always do this first so the sheets are ready the moment my dough is.
2. Using paper towels or a clean dish cloth, squeeze and blot the pumpkin puree to remove the excess moisture. Repeat several times until the puree feels noticeably drier, then set it aside. This step is nonnegotiable if you want chewy cookies instead of cakey ones.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt. Set the bowl aside for a moment.
4. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until the mixture is creamed. You should no longer see lumps of butter or brown sugar (a few visible sugar granules are completely fine and expected).
5. Add the blotted pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, molasses or honey, and the egg yolk to the butter mixture. Beat until everything is combined. Stick with just the yolk here; the extra liquid from a whole egg pushes these cookies toward cakey instead of soft and chewy.
6. Mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture, starting your mixer on low speed so the flour does not fly everywhere, then increase the speed once it is mostly incorporated.
7. Stir in the quick oats until they are evenly mixed through the dough. Quick oats are my pick because they give the cookies a more uniform shape, which makes them so much easier to sandwich. Large rolled oats work too, but skip instant microwave oatmeal packets entirely.
8. The dough will be sticky, and that is normal. Scoop it into balls of about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons each. A cookie scoop keeps every cookie the same size (my favorite trick for even sandwiches). Place the dough balls about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the lined cookie sheets.
9. Bake one sheet at a time in the middle of the preheated oven for about 7 to 10 minutes, or until the tops look set. The cookies should still be soft when you pull them; do not wait for browning.
10. Cool the cookies right on the cookie sheets for at least 10 minutes before you transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. They are delicate when hot, and this little rest helps them firm up gently.

How to Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

While the cookies cool, pull together the frosting. The butter should be slightly softened but not melting, and the cream cheese must be full fat brick style. Tub, low fat, spreadable, or whipped cream cheese is too thin and will not hold up between cookies. Trust me on this one, I have tried shortcuts before and watched the filling slide.

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter until it is smooth, then mix in the cream cheese until the two come together completely smooth.
2. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar along with the vanilla extract and the salt. Start your mixer on low speed and gradually work up to medium until everything is incorporated (starting slow keeps the sugar cloud in the bowl, not on your counter).
3. Beat in the rest of the powdered sugar about 1/3 cup at a time, until the frosting reaches the sweetness you like. If it needs a little help coming together, beat in 1 tablespoon of whipping cream or milk.

How to Assemble the Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies

Be sure the cookies are completely cool to the touch before any frosting comes near them, or the filling will melt into a puddle.

Spread about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of frosting on the bottom of one cookie, then gently press a second cookie on top to make your sandwich.

I like to give each one a tiny twist so the frosting reaches the edges (feel free to be generous here; nobody has ever complained about extra frosting in my kitchen).

These are wonderful with a cold glass of milk or a warm mug of coffee while the leaves come down.

Recipe Notes, Storage, and Make Ahead Tips

A few notes from my kitchen to yours:

• Pumpkin pie spice shortcut: Feel free to replace the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves with 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice total. That is 2 teaspoons for the whole batch, not 2 teaspoons per spice.
• Working ahead: The unfrosted cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days, so bake them whenever it suits your schedule. Frost and assemble on serving day for the best texture.
• Storing finished pies: Keep the assembled sandwiches in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 8 hours, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I like to let a chilled sandwich sit out for a few minutes before serving so the frosting softens slightly.

And for those who like the numbers, here is the nutrition per cookie sandwich, as provided with the original recipe:

That is everything I know about making the coziest pumpkin oatmeal cream pies of the season. If you bake a batch, I would love to hear how they turned out in your kitchen. Happy fall baking, friends!

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Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies

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• Total Time: 55 min
• Yield: 12 cookie sandwiches 1x

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Description

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies If you grew up peeling the wrapper off a Little Debbie oatmeal cream pie, this recipe is going to feel like fall wrapped up in your own kitchen. I bake two batches of soft and chewy pumpkin spice cookies, packed with brown sugar and warm cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, then I sandwich them with a tangy cream cheese frosting.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
1/3 cup pumpkin puree, NOT canned pumpkin pie filling
1 cup all-purpose flour
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, softened, but not melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon molasses, or honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk, do not use the entire egg
1 cup quick oats, large rolled oats work too

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 ounces cream cheese, full fat, brick style
2–3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon whipping cream, or milk, if needed

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Instructions

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
1-Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and: Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2-Using paper towels or a clean dish: Using paper towels or a clean dish cloth, squeeze and blot the pumpkin puree to remove excess moisture from the pumpkin. Set aside.
3-In a medium bowl, whisk together the: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4-In a large bowl, beat together the: 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).
5-Add the blotted pumpkin puree, vanilla extract,: Add the blotted pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, molasses (or honey), and egg yolk to the butter mixture. Beat together until combined.
6-Mix the flour mixture into the butter: Mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture, starting with the mixer on a low speed.
7-Stir in the oats until evenly mixed: Stir in the oats until evenly mixed into the dough.
8-Scoop the cookie dough into balls so: Scoop the cookie dough into balls so that each cookie is about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of dough. Use a cookie scoop for this. Place cookie dough balls about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the lined cookie sheets.
9-Bake 1 sheet at a time in: 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.
10-Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets: Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to continue cooling.

Cream Cheese Frosting
11-In a large bowl, beat the butter: In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Then mix in the cream cheese until smooth.
12-Add in 2 cups powdered sugar, along: 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.
13-Mix in the rest of the powdered: 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
14-Ensure the cookies are completely cooled: 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.

• Prep Time: 45 min
• Cook Time: 10 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 413kcal
• Sugar: 43g
• Sodium: 181mg
• Fat: 20g
• Saturated Fat: 12g
• Carbohydrates: 57g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 3g
• Cholesterol: 67mg

Keywords: Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies