Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
With brown butter buttercream filling
Everyone has a favorite Little Debbie’s treat from their childhood. My personal favorite is probably the donut sticks. I am a sucker for a crackly, old fashioned donut. My sister’s and I were big fans of cosmic brownies, and have a family inside joke about fudge rounds. All that aside I would bet that one of the most popular favorites is oatmeal cream pies. They are a total classic, and sometimes classics are the perfect dessert to try something new with. Presenting: the pumpkin oatmeal cream pie. Everything you know and love about oatmeal cream pies but with a spiced pumpkin cookie and a brown butter filling. They are perfection.
Pumpkin oatmeal cream pie cookies:
Before starting the cookies it is helpful to brown the butter for the filling. Brown a stick of butter over medium heat. It should be fragrant and brown bits present at the bottom. Set aside until the butter solidifies back to room temperature.
Baking with pumpkin can sometimes be tricky and these cookies were no exception. Pumpkin adds a lot of moisture to baked goods. After several attempts I determined that squeezing some of that moisture out of the pumpkin before adding it to the batter made all the difference. Also I want to note we are using pure pumpkin puree here, from a can. Not pumpkin pie filling which you will also sometimes see in a can in the same section of the grocery store. Before starting anything else in the recipe, measure out your pumpkin and place it in a bowl lined with five or so paper towels. Let this sit for about ten minutes. After ten minutes have passed squeeze the pumpkin with the paper towels to ring out some of the moisture. Now you can start the cookies.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, add melted butter (not the brown butter from earlier), brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix on medium speed for two minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix again on medium speed for another minute. Add the pumpkin and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds. In a separate bowl add the flour, old fashioned oats, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk together. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on the lowest speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
Use a medium cookie scoop to measure out 12 cookie dough balls and bake 1-2 inches apart in a 350 degree Fahrenheit preheated oven for 12-14 minutes. This recipe makes 12 cookies, or six pumpkin oatmeal cream pies. The cookies will appear set in the centers and be slightly golden brown around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before assembling the oatmeal cream pies.
Brown butter filling:
When the butter you browned earlier is solidified and back to room temperature, add it to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer. Add in a cup of powdered sugar and mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add another cup of powdered sugar and mix for another 30 seconds. The mixture might look very thick, but don’t worry it will come together soon. Add in two to three tablespoons of heavy whipping cream and mix on medium to medium-high speed for about two minutes. Scrape the edges of the bowl down occasionally. It should now look similar to a fluffy buttercream that will be easy to spread.
Assembly:
To assemble the pumpkin oatmeal cream pies match each cookie up with a pair that is the most similar in shape and size. Turn one cookie from each pair upside down. Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, dollop a spoonful of brown butter buttercream in the center of the upside down cookie. Press the matching cookie onto the frosting to press it into an even layer and create the oatmeal cream pie. Enjoy!
For more pumpkin recipes check out my pumpkin banana bread here.
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
Ingredients
Brown butter buttercream filling
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Pumpkin oatmeal cookies
- 1/2 cup pure pumpkin
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Browning the butter for the filling
- In a saucepan brown 1/2 cup of butter over medium heat. It will become fragrant and brown specks appear in the bottom of the pan. Set aside to solidify back to room temperature.
Pumpkin oatmeal cookies
- Before starting the cookies remove some of the moisture from the pumpkin. Do this by measuring out your pumpkin and placing in a bowl lined with about 5 paper towels. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Then, squeeze the pumpkin with the paper towels, ringing out some of the liquid. Discard the liquid and the paper towels and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit with the oven rack in the middle position. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer add the melted butter (not the brown butter from earlier), the granulated sugar, and the brown sugar. Mix on medium speed for two minutes. Add the egg yolk and the vanilla extract and mix on medium speed for another minute. Add the pumpkin and mix until combined, about 30 seconds.
- In a separate bowl add the all purpose flour, old fashioned oats, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk together. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
- Using a cookie scoop or a spoon measure the dough into 12 equal sized balls. Bake 1-2 inches apart on a cookie sheet for 12-14 minutes. The center should be set and the edges slightly golden brown. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before assembling.
Brown butter buttercream filling and assembling oatmeal cream pies
- Add the room temperature brown butter from earlier that has solidified to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds to one minute. Add the other cup of powdered sugar and repeat, scraping the bowl down. The mixture may appear thick and clumpy. Add heavy whipping cream and mix on medium to medium high speed for one to two minutes. The mixture should appear fluffy and spreadable.
- Match each cookie up with a pair that is similar in shape and size. Place one of the cookies upside down. Using the cookie scoop or a spoon place a dollop of the brown butter buttercream in the center of the upside down cookie. Place the matching cookie from that pair on top of this cookie and press together to flatten and spread the buttercream to the edges. Enjoy!
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