Inspired by Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies, these Oatmeal Cream Pies with Rum-Raisin Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting give those classic cookie sandwiches a grown-up twist!
Was anyone else a fan of the Little Debbie cream-filled oatmeal cookie sandwiches (aka Oatmeal Creme Pies) as a kid?
They were a very rare treat for my sister and I! Mom never bought them, which made them all the more fun to eat at our friends’ houses when mom wasn’t around. (Shhh, lol.)
Those iconic treats inspired these cookies! While I would love to tell you that these cookies were given a healthy makeover, the fact of the matter is that just about the only healthy thing about these cookies is that they contain oatmeal (and eggs, lol!).
However, at least by making them at home instead of buying them pre-made, you know the quality of ingredients that’s going into them. And of course there are no preservatives or other ingredients you can’t pronounce!
Plus, the homemade version is so much more delicious, especially this fun flavor profile! Instead of making a plain white cream filling, I made a Rum-Raisin Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting. Because why not, right?!
Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies
The interesting thing about Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies is that they're actually cookies! These pies consist of two soft and chewy molasses oatmeal cookies sandwiched together with white creme filling.
Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
Whip up these up for a delicious lunchbox dessert or mid-afternoon snack!
Oatmeal Cream Pies Ingredients
Oatmeal Cookies:
- Unsalted butter
- Dark brown sugar
- Pure vanilla extract
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Old-fashioned rolled oats
Rum-Raisin Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting:
- Unsalted butter
- Shortening (or more unsalted butter)
- 2 teaspoons blackstrap molasses
- Pure vanilla extract
- Butter flavor
- Rum flavor
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Golden raisins
(See the recipe card below for measurements.)
Brown Sugar Buttercream
I’ve experimented with several brown sugar buttercream recipes throughout the years. The method that I came up with for this recipe is the easiest, and every bit as delicious as other versions. Instead of making a Swiss or Italian meringue buttercream, I wanted to stick with an American buttercream, which is by far the fastest to make. However, the issue is that brown sugar can create a grainy texture in frosting, so it has to be treated with a bit of care.
Instead of dealing with brown sugar directly, I remembered that brown sugar is nothing more than white sugar with molasses added back in. Because of this, I decided to go a much easier route with the frosting. I use powdered sugar (which is what is normally used in American buttercream) and add molasses (which is a liquid and won’t cause graininess). It works like a charm and the frosting comes out perfect!
The flavor of the frosting is fabulous with notes of caramel and butterscotch. The molasses cuts through a bit of the super sweetness that buttercream normally has, and adds depth and complexity.
Pro Tip: Brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses added back in!
Brown Sugar Buttercream Flavor Variations
I flavored the brown sugar buttercream for these Oatmeal Cream Pies with rum flavoring and golden raisins. However, this frosting recipe can easily be adjusted to make whatever brown sugar buttercream flavor you like.
Here are a few flavor ideas:
- Basic Brown Sugar Buttercream: Omit the butter flavor, rum flavor, and raisins. Add more milk if needed.
- Cinnamon Brown Sugar Buttercream: Omit the butter flavor, rum flavor, and raisins. Add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and more milk if needed.
- Brown Sugar Maple Buttercream: Omit the butter flavor, rum flavor, and raisins. Add 1 teaspoon maple flavor and more milk if needed.
I think this frosting would be lovely on any number of cakes, like gingerbread, classic vanilla cake, or even banana bread if you want to add a bit of decadence. And it’s absolutely perfect in these classic cookies!
Can You Freeze Oatmeal Cream Pies?
Yes! My homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies freeze very well. To freeze these sandwich cookies, I do the following:
- Wrap each cookie sandwich in parchment paper.
- Place it in an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top plastic bag.
- Label the container with the date and its contents.
- Store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Let the cookie sandwiches thaw to room temperature before serving.
More Sandwich Cookies Recipes:
- Low Carb Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Keto Cheesecake Buttercream
- Double Chocolate Almond Chewy Cookie Sandwiches (Gluten-Free)
- Soft and Chewy Gingerdoodle Sandwich Cookies
- Birthday Cake Cookie Sandwiches
- Fudgy Dark Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches with Raspberry Buttercream for Two
- Soft Cannoli Cookie Sandwiches with Almond, Orange, and Dark Chocolate
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith
Oatmeal Cream Pies with Rum-Raisin Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
Oatmeal Cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
Rum-Raisin Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting:
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 5 tablespoons shortening at room temperature (or use more unsalted butter)
- 2 teaspoons blackstrap molasses
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon butter flavor
- ½ teaspoon rum flavor
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk more or less as needed
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F; line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- For the cookies, cream together the butter and brown sugar, and then cream in the vanilla and eggs in a large bowl.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into the bowl with the wet ingredients, and stir to combine. Stir in the oats.
- Drop the dough by the tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheets (I like to use a 1-tablespoon ice cream scoop), leaving about 2 to 3 inches between the cookies so they have room to spread out. You should get about 48 cookies out of this.
- Bake until the cookies are set on the bottom but look just a touch doughy in the center, about 7 to 8 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets, and then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Cool the cookies completely before sandwiching them with the frosting.
- For the frosting, use an electric beater to mix together the butter, shortening, molasses, vanilla extract, butter flavor, and rum flavor in a large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar, slowly adding enough milk so the frosting reaches your desired consistency. Once smooth, stir in the raisins. Store the frosting in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use (it will keep for up to a week in the fridge).
- Assemble the pies by sandwiching two cookies together with frosting in the middle.
Faith's Tips
- This recipe yields 24 cookie sandwiches, or 48 cookies and about 1 ½ cups frosting.
- Wrap each cookie sandwich in parchment paper.
- Place them in an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top plastic bag.
- Label the container with the date and its contents.
- Store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Let the cookie sandwiches thaw to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on October 13, 2009; it was updated with new photos on November 3, 2013 and more information on October 7, 2019.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items. Thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!
salvegging says
Hi, do you know if you can freeze the dough balls for this to bake off a few at a time? Thanks!
Faith says
Salvegging, I haven't tried it, but I think that would work fine! If you want to give it a try, I'd thaw the balls right on the cookie sheet and just bake when they're thawed. If you try it, let me know how it goes! :)
Dina says
I love oatmeal cookie sandwiches but these sound particularly delicious with that frosting!
Nutmeg Nanny says
Wow...these look awesome! The butter cream sounds delicious too:)
nora@ffr says
wow!! they are calling my name!! vat a great treat faith!!
Rosa says
Terrific! What a fantastic treat!
Cheers,
Rosa
Catherine- Living the Gourmet says
This looks so good! Yummy! You have another winner! :)
CraftyBaker says
These look amazing. Oatmeal cream pies were a favorite childhood snack of mine. One question... do these have to be refrigerated b/c of the icing, or can they sit at room temp?
admin says
Crafty Baker, I left these out for the first day, then I refrigerated them after that. Before serving, I let them sit out at room temperature for a couple hours to take the chill off. Let me know if you have any other questions! :)
Blond Duck says
Thanks for the sweet note on LFB!
AnOpinionForYouToConsider says
Not drinking alcohol doesn't mean you can't cook with it, you know...
Recipe looks delish, otherwise. I may try it with some Mount Gay Jamaican rum... Maybe try to sub McCann's steel-cut for the rolled oats...
admin says
An Opinion For You To Consider, You're absolutely right, when you cook with alcohol, most of it cooks off. Too bad the buttercream in this recipe isn't cooked! (Which is why I ended up using the imitation flavoring.)
Dawn says
I'm drooling--they look amazing!
Holly says
ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS.
Heavenly Housewife says
these are gorgeous! I want some!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
Wow, what a mouthful (and I don't mean the name!). They sound delightful and I happen to love sandwich cookies :D
Natasha - 5 Star Foodie says
OMG, the Rum-Raisin Brown Sugar Buttercream sounds so amazing, I'm totally in love with this idea!
Reeni says
What sweet treats these are! I love the flavor combination! They look absolutely divine!
Krista says
The butter cream sounds like the perfect partner for the oatmeal cookies. These would be great to make for a cookie exchange with Christmas coming and all...
TasteStopping says
The cookies sound delicious. I am always impressed when I hear of people who have the confidence to improvise in their cooking and baking, which it seems like you've done with your rum-raisin brown sugar buttercream. I think another great benefit from adding the raisins to the filling, rather than the cookies themselves, is that you give yourself some flexibility. Some cookies can have simple brown sugar buttercream, and those who like raisins can have the souped up version. And to make a batch of each doesn't seem like it would be all that hard!
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Fitness Surfer says
LOL! ...my own version of "Toasted Apple-Cheese Sandwich" it was fast and healthy and delicious. It even kept me full for a long time. I took a pict and will share soon. Thank you for inspiring my new favorite lunch.
Fitness Surfer says
Wow those look good. I actually tried my own version of the
theUngourmet says
Yum! The rum raisin filling sounds terrific! What a great treat!
BettyPie says
Wow, those look amazing and what great pictures you have.
sophia says
rum-raisin brown sugar buttercream! Wow, that's a long name, and every word of it sounds freaking delicious!
ABowlOfMush says
Yum! These looks really gorgeous, and the flavors sound yummy!
Chaya says
The texture of these cookies is amazing. They look light and fluffy and delicious. It just might be the brown sugar or the rum flavoring. Whatever, I would be proud to serve these, in my home.
Christiane says
Oh, Oatmeal raisin cookies are my absolute favorite, but I love your idea of the frosting! Well done!
Anh says
You always have the best home-made recipes around. This is no exception!
Juliana says
Oh! These little pies look so yummie, rum-raisin...have to give a try :-)
Jen says
I am so very impressed! You are so creative and these look so delicious!
Blond Duck says
Oh my. Oh my, my, my. I knew there was a reason I felt compelled to return today. To drool over these delights!