Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies

If you're a fan of classic oatmeal cream pies, then you'll love my pumpkin oatmeal cream pies with a spice-filled, fall-inspired twist. Made with chewy pumpkin oatmeal cookies brimming with spice and brown sugar, and a cream filling kissed with a hint of maple and vanilla, my pumpkin oatmeal cream pies recipe is sure to make your kitchen smell sweetly of pumpkin season!

Oatmeal Cream Pies with a Pumpkin Twist

Ah, pumpkin season...it is so eagerly awaited in our household!

To say that my husband and I are “fall people” is an understatement.

Even in July we're already talking about all the cozy fall things like sweaters, pumpkin spiced treats, crackling fires, changing leaves (as much as we can get those here in So Cal).

Finding ourselves in the fall season is such a wonderful thing, and it's our queue to really get creative and get out and enjoy the cooler temps we adore.

It's also my personal marker for getting into my little kitchen to work on fall-inspired treats, to see what sweet wonders we can nibble on to enjoy with hot coffee, hot chicory (our favorite alternative to coffee), hot cider, or tea.

This year, my friends, I must admit that I went kinda big. I got a little extra decadent with this recipe—but hey, that's what autumn is all about!

Because I love those classic oatmeal cream pies in a crinkly wrapper from childhood (which I'd occasionally find in my lunchbox), I thought I'd have some fun whipping up a homemade version to celebrate the fall with: pumpkin oatmeal cream pies!

My recipe features soft, chewy pumpkin oatmeal cookies with lots of warm, aromatic spices that have a rich cream filling in the center flavored with maple—so deliciously irresistible!

Are these a wee bit naughty? You betcha!

But, my, oh, my, do these oatmeal cream pies usher in pumpkin season so sweetly, with a spice-filled twist on the classic version.

My Recipe For Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies

These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are prepared with butter, hefty sprinkles of pumpkin spice and cinnamon, both brown and granulated sugars, vanilla, plus lots of organic, rolled oats.

Honestly, these cookies are good enough to enjoy on their own, even without the cream filling!

But to makes these into classic cream pies, I prepared a cream filling kissed with not only vanilla, but also maple flavoring for added fall sparkle and a little extra warm note—so rich and sweet!

Here's a sneak peek at my pumpkin oatmeal cream pies recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I spoon my pumpkin puree onto a paper towel-lined shallow bowl to blot it of excess liquid. I allow it to sit like this for about 15 to 20 minutes.
2. While the pumpkin drains, I prepare my cookie dough and then allow it to chill for 20 to 30 minutes to make the dough easier to work with.
3. To bake the cookies, I scoop out the dough and place it onto a couple of parchment-lined baking sheets, baking the cookies for 14 to 15 minutes.
4. I allow the cookies to cool completely before adding the cream filling.
5. While the cookies cool, I prepare my cream filling and keep it chilled in the fridge, if the kitchen is a bit warm.
6. Once the cookies are completely cooled, I flip half of them over so that their bottom (or flat side) is facing up, and add about 2 ½ tablespoons worth of the cream filling onto the flat-side of the those cookies. Then, I cover the filling with the remaining un-frosted cookies to create sandwiches, or “pies”.

Recipe

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These decadent pumpkin oatmeal cream pies with maple cream filling are a sweetly spiced, cozy dessert fit for pumpkin season!

Category: Desserts
Cuisine: American

Yield: 12 pumpkin oatmeal cream pies

Nutrition Info: 527 calories per cream pie

Prep Time: 45 minutes (does not include chill time for cookie dough)
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ¾ cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup unsalted organic butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 large egg yolk (yolk only)
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Maple Cream Filling Ingredients:

• ¾ cup unsalted, organic butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar (sifted to remove lumps, preferably)
• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
• ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon maple flavor

Preparation:

1. To begin, prepare your pumpkin puree by scooping out the 1 cup portion onto a two-ply paper towel-lined shallow bowl or plate. Spread it out a little bit, and cover the top of the puree with another piece of paper towel. Allow it to sit for 15 to 20 minutes to remove the excess liquid. Then, peel off the top piece of paper towel, and when ready to add the puree to the recipe, allow it to peel away from the bottom paper towel, or you can scoop it off and set it aside.
2. While your pumpkin puree blots, gather and prep the rest of your cookie ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and rolled oats, and set these dry ingredients aside for a moment.
4. To the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the room temp butter and the granulated and brown sugars, and mix those together until fluffy and creamy. Add in the egg yolk and the vanilla, and mix briefly to blend those in.
5. Add in the blotted pumpkin puree and mix together until the puree is well incorporated, scraping the side of the bowl as needed.
6. Then, in increments, slowly add in the dry ingredients to incorporate into the cookie dough. Mix long enough so they are well blended, but take care not to over mix.
7. Chill the cookie dough for 20 to 30 minutes. While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350°, and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
8. To bake the cookies, use a slightly generous 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out the cookie dough, spacing each cookie a couple of inches apart. Then, gently press the top of each cookie dough ball just a wee bit, to help the cookies spread rather than puff. (They don't need to be flat, just pressed a little.)
9. Bake the pumpkin oatmeal cookies for 14 to 15 minutes (I prefer 15 minutes), or until golden around the edges and baked through yet soft. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes once out of the oven.
10. After 10 minutes, place the cookies onto wire racks to cool completely.
11. While they cool, gather and prep your maple cream filling ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
12. To prepare your cream filling, place the softened butter into a large bowl, and add about ⅓ of the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk (or water). Using a hand mixer (or even your electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, once more), mix together until the mixture becomes creamy. Add another ⅓ of the powdered sugar plus another tablespoon of milk (or water), and continue to mix. Add the remaining ⅓ of powdered sugar and the remaining tablespoon (or two) of milk, plus the vanilla extract and maple flavor, and mix until the filling is super creamy and smooth.
13. If using a piping bag (I used a 12” bag with a number 806 tip), spoon the cream filling into the bag and keep chilled in fridge. Alternately, you can just spoon the filling into a bowl and keep it chilled in the fridge.
14. Once the pumpkin oatmeal cookies are completely cool, flip half of the cookies (12 of them) over so that their flat, bottom side is facing up. Then, pipe or spoon about 2 ½ tablespoons of the maple cream filling onto each cookie bottom (you can spread it with a knife a little if needed). Top the filling with the remaining cookies, creating sandwiches, or “pies”. (You should have 12 pumpkin oatmeal cream pies, total.)

Tips & Tidbits for my Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies recipe:

• Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling: Sometimes the canned pumpkin can be confusing, so make sure when purchasing you choose pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which has lots of extra ingredients added in. If you can, opt for organic pumpkin puree.
• Blot the pumpkin puree to remove excess liquid: Pumpkin puree always has some liquid to it, which we don't really want to add into the cookie dough. So make sure to spoon out the amount called for in the recipe onto a two-ply paper towel-lined shallow bowl or plate, then top the puree with another piece of paper towel to help soak up the liquid—15 to 20 minutes should do the trick. Then, peel off the top paper towel and the puree should easily come away from the bottom paper towel when ready to add to the dough.
• Allow the cookie dough to chill for easier handling: While this step is not totally necessary, I like to chill the prepared cookie dough for just 20 to 30 minutes to help it set a bit. It is a nice moist dough, and if your kitchen is warm, the butter will be quite warm in the dough so the chill time helps things to set and makes for easier scooping.
• Use a generous 2 tablespoon scoop: I like to use my cookie scoop that holds a slightly generous 2 tablespoons (it's roughly 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons). This is a number 24 scoop.
• Allow the cookies to cool completely before adding the cream filling: Unless you want to have melted cream centers in your oatmeal cream pies, you'll need to make sure that your cookies are completely cool before adding the cream filling and making your pies.
• Storing pumpkin oatmeal cream pies: I just keep these cookie pies at room temp on a large plate covered with plastic wrap. If the kitchen is warm, I keep 'em in the fridge. Or, if we're not planning on eating as many, I'll wrap each oatmeal cream pie in plastic wrap and place them into a freezer ziplock and into the freezer. Then, these can be thawed at room temp before enjoying, but frozen pumpkin oatmeal cream pies are awesome as well!

Hungry for more cozy pumpkin treats? Check out this Pumpkin Bread with Pecan Streusel, this velvety Pumpkin Cake, these Pumpkin Pancakes, this homemade Pumpkin Pie, these Pumpkin Muffins, or this Healthy Homemade Granola with Pumpkin Spice!