Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies

I've mentioned a while back that my mom, who dropped out of high school, homeschooled my brother and me for a year.  And how I spent my entire sixth grade year not learning to dance or discovering life science, but instead watching I Dream of Jeannie, jumping on the trampoline, and eating oatmeal creme pies.  


Oatmeal creme pies still hold a special place in my heart*, so it seemed only fitting that I should try my hand at making them when I found myself with a big bowl full of sugary creamy goodness (a failed attempt at making marshmallow creme cheese frosting).


I'd never actually made an oatmeal cookie, probably because I'm not that big a fan of raisins and it seems that oatmeal and raisins are always hanging out with each other.  But just recently, Cassie was telling me about how she's never made anything from Smitten Kitchen that disappointed, so I went there first.  And hell if Cassie wasn't right.  Oh, Deb.  You and your perfect cookies.


Full disclosure: I also chose this recipe because I already had all of the ingredients on hand.  You probably do, too.


So I set out to make the cookies, and about four minutes later they were in the oven, making the whole house smell amazing.  

And about 12 minutes after that, I had a bunch of little bites of wonderful.

Throw in some creme, and voila!

These were super fast and easy, and the only thing that I don't like about them is that I can't stop eating them.  Will someone please come to my house and eat all of these cookies before I polish them off.  Matt's not a fan of oatmeal cookies**, and Mitch and I are dieting.***


Oh, and these are so quick and simple that you could totes whip up a batch to take to a Memorial Day picnic or something.  Or whip up for yourself to eat whilst lying on the couch on your extra day off this weekend.

*And some real prime real estate on my ass and thighs, too.

**Who the hell doesn't like oatmeal cookies??  When Matt pulls this kind of crap, like when he talks about how he doesn't like pizza or about how he absolutely must get on the elliptical, I wonder to myself, "Can this marriage last?"  

***Pffffffffft.  

Oatmeal Creme Pies


For the cookie.  (Only slightly adapted from Deb's recipe.)



1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) butter, softened
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).


In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins and walnuts, if using them.


At this point you can either chill the dough for a bit in the fridge and then scoop it, or scoop the cookies onto a sheet and then chill the whole tray before baking them. You could also bake them right away, if you’re impatient, but I do find that they end up slighly less thick.


The cookies should be two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in), taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.


For the creme.


You could really use whatever creme filling you'd like here.  I am partial to cream cheese frosting, so for that you need:


3 oz. cream cheese
1 tbsp. butter
1/3 teaspoon vanilla
powdered sugar to desired taste and thickness (1/2 cup to 1 cup)


Cream the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl.  Add the vanilla.  Slowly add the sugar.  If you sift the sugar first, it'll be more smooth.




Note: I didn't chill my cookie dough because I wanted the cookies to be a little more on the flat side.  If you want yours thicker, chill the dough for thirty minutes or so.