Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies

The following “Chew This!” column has been reprinted from “The Courier-Times”, Sunday, September 18th 2016 edition. By: Blaise Doubman 

Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies are a hit!
Blaise Doubman

Who doesn’t love an oatmeal cream pie? Everyone is familiar with those that you can buy in the store, right? You know the ones in the snack cake area that are individually wrapped and sold in a box? I have eaten my fair share of those over the years, and so has everyone else I’ve ever known, so one day I wondered if I could make my own version of this popular treat. I decided to go for it and give it a try, so I did, and much to my delight I came up with this recipe! It wasn’t an easy recipe to try and duplicate, but it was really fun trying! At first I wanted that same taste and texture of the ones I was familiar with from my childhood, but then I told myself that I could do better. I wanted to create the same experience, but with the volume turned up.

These are incredible! I had several people taste test them for me and they were blown away by the taste and the texture. A lot of people thought that the cream filling had cream cheese in it, but it does not. I think the Marshmallow Fluff mixed with the powdered sugar and pure vanilla extract, along with the unsalted butter, gives a welcome tangy taste to the filling that a lot of people don’t expect once they bite in and bite through. These are the perfect thing to make ahead because they will last 3 days in the refrigerator. The longer they have a chance to chill in the refrigerator the better and more complex the flavors have in developing their full potential. These are so much better than anything you can buy at the grocery store!

Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies

When baking the cookies, be sure to not overbake them or they will turn hard. Under baking them slightly and then having them cool on their baking sheets is an important step in the process. When making the filling the final consistency you want to end up with is a thick, but spreadable, ice cream thickness. It will appear very thick, but should even out after the Marshmallow Fluff is stirred in at the end. These can be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap, for 3 days or placed in the freezer for 2 months.

For the cookies…
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
½ cup white granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cups white all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 ¾ cups quick cooking oats

For the filling…
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon whole milk
¼ cup Marshmallow Fluff

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper on 2 large baking sheets.

In a large bowl combine the softened unsalted butter, light brown sugar and white granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the large eggs and pure vanilla extract and combine well.

Next, add in the white all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt. Once combined, fold in the quick cooking oats.

Place large tablespoon size mounds of dough onto the parchment lined baking sheets, leaving plenty of room for the cookies to spread. Place each sheet, one at a time, into preheated oven for 12 minutes. Once baked, remove from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet.

To make the filling, in a large bowl, combine the softened unsalted butter with the confectioner’s sugar. Once mixed together, add in the pure vanilla extract and whole milk. Finally, beat in the Marshmallow Fluff.

To assemble the cookies, take a cooled cookie and place top side down. Place a large amount of filling on the top, and sandwich another cookie on top of it, placing it bottom side down.

Wrap each cookie immediately with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

When ready to serve, remove and allow to come to room temperature or enjoy cold.