Buying three cans of pumpkin puree in September and feeling guilty every time I opened the pantry is exactly what led to these pumpkin oatmeal cream pies at 10 PM on a Tuesday. I am not ashamed to admit that I ate two over the kitchen sink while waiting for the dog to go outside.
I have attempted a pumpkin whoopie pie recipe that produced sad, sticky cake-pancakes glued to my teeth, so I understand the frustration. Blotting the pumpkin removes enough moisture to protect the cookies from turning into mush. The technique sounds strange, but it works. Here is exactly how I do it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No dough chilling required. You can move from mixing bowl to cookie in about 20 minutes.
- Chewy, not cakey. Blotting the pumpkin helps these taste like hearty fall sandwich cookies instead of squished muffins.
- Perfectly spiced cream cheese filling. The tangy filling cuts through the sweetness and covers minor baking mistakes.
- Crowd-pleasing size. Each sandwich feels generous enough to share, although most people will eat a whole one themselves.
Tools You’ll Need
Nothing fancy, I promise.
- medium cookie scoop This dough is stickier than a toddler’s iPad, so do not try rolling this by hand unless you want a massive mess.
- Paper towels. You need these to blot excess moisture from the pumpkin puree.
- Stand or hand mixer. Creaming butter and sugar by hand requires more effort than this recipe deserves.
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 cup pumpkin puree – Make sure it is pure pumpkin, not pie filling, or you will end up with a sugar overload.
- 2 1/4 cups old-fashioned whole rolled oats – Quick oats will dry out the dough and make them taste like cardboard.
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour – Spoon and level this so you don’t end up with dense hockey pucks.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda – Check the expiration date; mine was expired for two years once and I cried over flat cookies.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt – To balance the sugar.
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon – Non-negotiable for fall baking.
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice – Store-bought or homemade, just make sure it smells fresh.
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened – If you forgot to take it out of the fridge, do not microwave it to a puddle. Just wait.
- 1 cup granulated sugar – For crispy edges.
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar – For that chewy center we all want.
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature – Save the white for an omelet you will inevitably forget to make.
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract – Measure with your heart, but one teaspoon is a good start.
For the Filling
- 8 ounces full-fat brick cream cheese, softened – Do not use the spreadable tub kind; it will turn into soup.
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened – Helps stabilize the cream cheese.
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar – Sift it if it looks clumpy, otherwise you’ll be chewing on sugar rocks.
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract – For flavor.
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice – Brings the whole theme together.
- pinch of salt – Just a tiny bit to cut the extreme sweetness.
How To Make Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
Let’s make cookies and pretend we didn’t just eat a spoonful of plain cream cheese frosting while nobody was looking.
- Blot the pumpkin: Line a medium bowl with 2 paper towels. Place the pumpkin puree in the bowl. Using another paper towel, press down to blot excess moisture out of the pumpkin. After blotting, make sure you have about 3/4 cup (170g) of pumpkin. Discard paper towels and set blotted pumpkin aside. If you skip this, your cookies will spread into a single, sad mega-pancake.
- Prep the oven: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Whisk the dry: In a medium bowl, whisk the old-fashioned whole rolled oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together. If a few clumps of spice survive, that is between you and the whisk.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium-high speed until creamed, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the wet: Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined. Add the blotted pumpkin, and beat on high speed until combined. It might look a little curdled here—don’t panic, it’s fine.
- Combine it all: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase to medium speed and beat until combined. Dough will be creamy, soft, and sticky.
- Scoop and flatten: Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough (about a scant 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons (25–30g) of dough each) and drop on the cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart. With the back of a spoon, press down to slightly flatten the balls, as the cookies won’t spread much unless you help out first.
- Bake: Bake for 14–16 minutes or until lightly browned and set on the edges. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the filling: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat cream cheese and butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed until confectioners’ sugar is incorporated, then increase to high speed and beat until smooth and creamy. Pipe or spread some of the filling on the bottom side of half of the cooled cookies; top with remaining cookies, right side up.
♥ The Misfit Tips!
- Blotting stays essential. Skipping the paper towel step once produced a soft cookie that tasted good but looked like a wet sponge.
- Use the egg yolk only. Adding the whole egg introduces too much moisture and pushes the texture toward muffins.
- Shape the edges while warm. A spoon can gently nudge uneven edges into a round shape before the cookies cool.
Make It Yours
- You add mini chocolate chips to the cookie dough for extra sweetness.
- You mix chopped pecans into the dough for a nutty fall variation.
- You replace part of the pumpkin pie spice with cinnamon for a milder filling.
Perfect Pairings
These go perfectly with a blatant disregard for your daily sugar limit.
- A giant mug of black coffee balances the sweet cream cheese filling.
- A neighborhood potluck gives these fall sandwich cookies a proper audience.
- A rainy evening and a rewatch of Gilmore Girls create the right setting for another one.
How to Store
❤
- Fridge: Keep the assembled pies in an airtight container for up to one week.
- Freezer: Freeze unfilled cookies for up to three months. Thaw them before adding fresh filling.
- Reheat: Do not reheat the assembled pies because the cream cheese filling will melt.
- Storage note: Keep the filling chilled and avoid leaving the sandwiches in a warm kitchen.
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
These pumpkin oatmeal cream pies prove that a soft, satisfying fall dessert can come together without chilling the dough or creating a complicated cake. This soft pumpkin oatmeal cream pie recipe relies on blotted pumpkin, rolled oats, and an egg yolk to create chewy cookies that hold a creamy center. Whether you serve them as easy pumpkin cream pie cookies for fall gatherings or pack them as fall sandwich cookies, this recipe deserves a permanent place in your autumn baking rotation.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Blot the pumpkin: Line a medium bowl with 2 paper towels. Place the pumpkin puree in the bowl. Using another paper towel, press down to blot excess moisture out of the pumpkin. After blotting, make sure you have about 3/4 cup (170g) of pumpkin. Discard paper towels and set blotted pumpkin aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium-high speed until creamed, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined. Add the blotted pumpkin, and beat on high speed until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase to medium speed and beat until combined. Dough will be creamy, soft, and sticky.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough (about a scant 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons (25–30g) of dough each) and drop on the cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart. With the back of a spoon, press down to slightly flatten the balls, as the cookies won’t spread much unless you help out first.
- Bake for 14–16 minutes or until lightly browned and set on the edges. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. (Success Tip: If your cookies are spreading unevenly, remove them from the oven and use a spoon to lightly push any wonky edges back in towards the center, to reshape into circles. You can repeat this trick again, if needed, when you take them out of the oven after baking.)
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat cream cheese and butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed until confectioners’ sugar is incorporated, then increase to high speed and beat until smooth and creamy. Pipe or spread some of the filling on the bottom side of half of the cooled cookies; top with remaining cookies, right side up. I used Wilton 2A tip to pipe.
- Cover and store leftover cookies at room temperature for up to 1 day. After that, store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week to keep the creamy filling fresh.