The last day of the school year for my kids is always a celebrated transition in our house. As a way to both honor the kids’ school year and officially declare the start of summer, I’ll throw together pretty much every kind of food that embodies summer to my kids: watermelon, corn on the cob, barbecue, potato salad, and of course, these sweet little oatmeal cream pies. Every year when I make them, they remind me of my own childhood, and it’s safe to say that my kids love them just as much as I did.
Oatmeal Cream Pies Recipe
Makes 15 sandwich cookies
prep: 35 minutes, plus 20 minutes chilling
cook: 30 minutes
cool: 30 minutes
ingredients
cookies
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon dark molasses
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups quick-cooking oats
filling
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line three large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Slowly beat in the egg, vanilla, and molasses and mix until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and oats until combined. On low speed, add the oat mixture to the creamed butter mixture about ¹⁄3 cup at a time, beating until combined.
- Using a 1 1/2-tablespoon scoop to portion the dough, place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets (10 cookies per sheet).
- Refrigerate the baking sheets for at least 20 minutes.
- One sheet at a time, bake the cookies until lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
- On low speed, slowly beat in the powdered sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time. Then beat in the milk. When the mixture is smooth, increase the speed to medium, mixing until thoroughly combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Set the cookies up in pairs, with the bottom of one of them facing up. Using a small (1-tablespoon) scoop, place filling on the bottom of the upside-down cookie. Place the second cookie on top, right side up, and sandwich them together, pressing just enough to spread the filling to the edges. Repeat to make the rest of the sandwiches.
