A super-soft, chewy, flavor-packed cookie inspired by Little Debbie oatmeal creme pies! With an easy oatmeal cinnamon dough & fluffy marshmallow filling, this recipe is a gourmet version of one of my favorite childhood treats!
More Little Debbie Recipes! Check out my TikTok viral Homemade Cosmic Brownies or Homemade Star Crunch Cookies next!
Why I Love These Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies
- Simple ingredients: I wanted this recipe to taste amazing but not require you to buy a bunch of ingredients you will only use once (i.e. a bottle of molasses). So while these don't taste exact to the store-bought, they are a super flavorful oatmeal cookie!
- Super soft, chewy texture: I didn't just want to put frosting between two regular oatmeal cookies, I wanted to get a super soft, chewy texture just like the real thing...and I think I did it!
- Easy filling: I've included a recipe for a simple fluffy frosting using jarred marshmallow fluff but if you want to keep it super simple, you can use the fluff on its own (straight from the jar!) or whip up my alternative vanilla buttercream frosting recipe without marshmallow fluff (still delicious, just not fluffy and gooey).
Ingredient Overview & Substitutions
This is just an overview of ingredients & substitutions; click here to jump down to the full recipe card for ingredient amounts and instructions.
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar: this gives it that super chewy texture. You can use dark brown sugar if that's what you have on hand.
- Powdered sugar: we're using this in both the dough (to make it super soft!) and the filling
- Large egg
- Vanilla extract
- Baking soda: not baking powder, as we need the baking soda to help them spread!)
- Salt
- Cinnamon: this is the a key ingredient to a flavor packed cookie
- Cornstarch: this helps make the cookie extra chewy but if you have a corn allergy, you can leave it out.
- Cocoa powder: we're only using 1 teaspoon to help give the cookies a darker color! You can't taste it, it's merely for looks, so feel free to omit if you'd like.
- Quick oats: I haven't tested these with "rolled oats" yet but they should work just fine!
- Raisins: the chopped raisins give the cookies an amazing flavor and texture. I typically don't like raisins but they're essential for making this cookie flavorful and chewy!
- All-Purpose Flour: For gluten free, use a 1-to-1 Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour.
- Marshallow Fluff: This gives it that iconic creamy texture but I've also include a simple buttercream recipe without it in the notes section of the recipe card!
Frequently Asked Questions
Always check that your ingredient brands are gluten-free (like the oats!) but you can easily make these gluten-free by using a flour like Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour.
I typically don't love raisins in cookies but since they're chopped, they add a lot of amazing flavor and extra chewiness (without having giant raisins in the dough). You can totally leave them out (no substitutions needed) but I do recommend adding them!
I've included a basic vanilla buttercream recipe in the "notes" section of the recipe card below for those of you who don't have access to jarred marshmallow fluff! The buttercream is a little sweeter & not as gooey but it still tastes amazing!
Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (you want the oven ready as soon as you're done scooping!)
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, add the ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick) and cover with a paper towel (will help for splattering). Melt the butter for 30-45 seconds until all is melted (no chunks left).
- Pour melted unsalted butter into a larger bowl, then add in ¾ cup light brown sugar and ½ cup powdered sugar and use a spatula to stir until combined (it won't look totally smooth). Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes until no longer hot (you don't want to cook the egg in the next step).
- Add in 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, then mix. Next, add in ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder and mix again.
- In a food processor or blender, add 1 cup quick oats and ½ cup raisins and pulse until broken up (you want them coarse, not a fine powder). I did this for 10 pulses in my Ninja food processor.
- Add oatmeal raisin mixture and 1 cup all-purpose flour to the dough, then mix until all the flour disappears into the dough. Add 2 tablespoons milk and mix until combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Regular Sized: Scoop dough into 2-tablespoon sized scoop, roll into balls, then bake at 350℉ for 9-10 minutes. You want them look slightly underbaked, as they will continue baking on the pan (my oven was perfect at 9 minutes). This is important for a soft cookie!Minis: Scoop into a heaping 1-tablespoon scoop, split in half, then roll into balls. Bake at 350℉ for 5-6 minutes.
- Remove from oven and (if cookies have a slight puff to them) gently tap pan on counter to "deflate" cookies. Allow the cookies to cool on the hot pan for 10-15 minutes before removing them. This will allow them to finish baking on the hot pan.
- Once cooled, use a knife or piping bag to pipe frosting in the center of one cookie then press another one on top to create a sandwich. If piping, don't pipe all the way to the edge to ensure the frosting doesn't squeeze out.
- Beat the ½ cup unsalted butter i.e. 1 stick[/adjustable] on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until smooth. Turn the mixer to low speed then add the powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time, 1 cup powdered sugar total. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides. Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon salt and turn the mixer to medium speed. Add in 7 oz. marshmallow fluff and beat on high for 2-3 minutes until creamy. If it looks too runny, add more powdered sugar. If it looks too stiff, add a tiny bit of milk until you get to the desired consistency. Spread onto cooled cookies.
Notes from Melissa
Video
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The texture of these is SPOT ON! I was nervous when I put them in the baking sheet because they are definitely wetter than traditional oatmeal cookies, but I followed the baking instructions exactly and they were soft and chewy just like the Little Debbie’s. The batch was gone in 2 days so I think my husband agrees they were delicious
Yay, so glad you loved the recipe, Paige! Thank you so much for leaving a review - I really appreciate it!
My family loved these cookies! They're already asking for more. Super soft with a nostalgic taste.
On a side note, if you forget the flour it makes a great crumble. Not that I would ever forget flour.
So glad you and the fam loved the recipe! Thank you so much for leaving a review, Mary-Anne!
Omg so good!!! They are so easy to make!! Made these for my sister and she loved them!
I haven’t done a baking challenge in a few months but was so excited for September’s!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Camille! And for participating in the September baking challenge! I really appreciate it!
I made these for the September baking challenge. They turned out so delicious! Very easy to make, too.
Thank you so much for leaving a review and for participating in the September baking challenge, Christine! :)
I made these as part of the baking challenge and this is one tasty cookie! I love that the oats and raisins are pulsed together. It adds a great flavor and just the right texture. These are so much better than anything that comes in a box! Yum!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Adrienne! and thank you for participating in the baking challenge!!
Hiya! I’m part of the baking challenge. I had these miniature in my sharehouse toaster oven and they worked out great. Thanks for the rainy day project.
I haven't made these yet but I bet they're delicious.
I'm going to make them for Christmas and was wondering how to dress them up for Christmas cookies. Any ideas?
Hi Elizabeth! These would be so fun for holidays. My first thought is that you could roll the sides (where the filling sticks out) in sprinkles. Or you could drizzle a little almond bark on top and attach some sprinkles that way. Another idea, although I’m not sure if it would actually work, would be to get a small gingerbread man cookie cutter and gently indent the tops of the cookies right after they come out of the oven. Kind of like an embossed look. Not sure if it would look good but now I’m curious and will have to try it, ha!
I don’t really like oatmeal cream pies, but these are super yummy!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Allison!
I'm in the September Challenge to make these and they came out so good!!! I will definitely be making these again. They were so easy.
I made these for our family vacation this year and they were really tasty! A little too sweet in our opinion, but not a one was left at the end of the week!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Rebekah!
One of my childhood favorites, so I had to give this month’s baking challenge a try. Great recipe, hurry and give it a try, you will not be sorry!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Gregory!
These are delicious and easy to make! The marshmallow fluff filling is amazing!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Carla!
I have made these a few times already, and they're so much better than the little Debbie snacks! They're relatively easy and come together very quick. I wrap them single in plastic and put them in the fridge. Definitely worth paying more!
This makes me so happy to read, Angela, thank you so much!
I appreciate you taking the time to leave a review.
I don’t think I was patient enough to get the taste just right, BUT I wanted to leave a tip for anyone who subbed in GF flour. The suggested 2tbs of dough made my first batch fall apart. I used ~1tbs for my next batch and they stayed together much better. A smaller cookie for sure, but since GF flour doesn’t glue together as well it’s worth it!
Thanks for leaving your gluten-free tips, Amy!
These were incredible!!! Made them for a friends birthday who loves oatmeal cream pies and they were delicious! Will definitely make again. So easy!
YAY! So glad you all loved them, Kayla! You are one of the first to make them and report back!
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review - I appreciate it so much!
Made these today with the Granddaughters, they loved them. Filling was sweet for me , but a very good copycat
So glad your granddaughters loved them, Lisa! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review - I appreciate it so much!