It’s time to bring these insanely delicious cookies back because they’re everything I dream of. I first made them for Cookie Week back in 2019 while I was 36 weeks pregnant with Sidney (omg!) I hadn’t really craved anything sweet on a regular basis during my pregnancy, however, these gingerbread sandwich cookies changed EVERYTHING. I couldn’t stop eating them or thinking about them and neither could Tony. They just screamed all things Christmas!
The inspiration for these gingerbread oatmeal cookie sandwiches came from the dreamy cookies I used to eat when I was a kid. Remember those sweet packaged oatmeal cream pies? They were incredibly soft, chewy, and ridiculously sweet. I remember ripping a package of them open after school and the sweet oatmeal and cream scent hitting me right in the face. YUM.
I decided to create a holiday-inspired version of those Little Debbies infused with tender, sweet ginger molasses flavor, then stuffed with a vanilla cream filling that’s thick and luxurious. You’re going to LOVE them. They’re truly the ultimate Christmas cookie!
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Ingredients in gingerbread oatmeal cream pies
Imagine if a ginger molasses cookie and an oatmeal cookie had a baby — because that’s exactly what these cookies are and THEY’RE SIMPLY INCREDIBLE. These gingerbread sandwich cookies require simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry (especially if you love to bake):
- Butter: we’re using good old fashioned butter to provide delicious flavor and moisture in the gingerbread oatmeal cookies.
- Sweetener: you’ll need brown sugar (I prefer dark brown sugar) and blackstrap molasses to sweeten the cookies and give them that gingerbread flavor.
- Egg: you’ll also need 1 egg in this recipe.
- Flour: the base of the cookies is made with regular all purpose flour.
- Rolled oats: because oatmeal cookies are life, we’re adding rolled oats to the dry ingredients as well. Do not use steel cut oats as the texture will be much different.
- Spices: for that amazing gingerbread flavor you’ll need ground ginger, cinnamon and allspice.
- Baking staples: can’t forget the vanilla, baking soda and salt.
- For the filling: turn these ginger cookies into gingerbread cookie sandwiches by sandwiching them with a cream pie middle made from butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and a little milk. No cream cheese needed.
Magical oatmeal cream pie filling
The oatmeal cream pie filling has got to be one of the most delicious parts of these cookies. It’s a vanilla buttercream frosting, with a little extra milk to keep it extra smooth and creamy. Sandwich it between two gingerbread oatmeal cookies and prepare to fall in love. I typically just spoon the frosting onto each cookie but feel free to use a piping bag to pipe the frosting onto the cookie if you’d like.
Yes, you can also bake these cookies as-is and either skip the filling or just frost each cookie individually!
Molasses: the key to gingerbread
A lot of people ask if they can skip the molasses in these gingerbread oatmeal cream pies. If you want that rich, deliciously spiced gingerbread flavor, the answer is nope! Not only does molasses provide delicious sweetness to these cookies, but 1 tablespoon of it has 20% of your daily iron needs. Mind. BLOWN.
A few notes on substitutions
I’ve only tested these gingerbread oatmeal cookie sandwiches as-is, so I recommend following the recipe as written to ensure that they turn out beautifully. In terms of substitutions:
- Can I make them dairy free? Yes! Simply use vegan butter in the dough and in the cream pie filling.
- Can I make them gluten free? I haven’t tested a gluten free version of these cookies, so I cannot recommend a substitute but a gluten free all purpose flour may work. Let me know if you do in the comments!
- How about vegan? A reader commented that a flax egg worked in the gingerbread oatmeal cookies, so feel free to give that a try! Then be sure to use vegan butter to keep the cookie sandwiches vegan.
Tips for the best gingerbread oatmeal sandwich cookies
- Choose your texture. If you like softer gingerbread cookies, bake them just until they’re set for about 9-10 minutes. If you like crispier edges, bake them closer to 12 minutes.
- Cool completely. Be sure to let your cookies cool completely before adding the filling so that the cream pie filling doesn’t melt.
- Don’t overfill. Leave a little edge around the cookies when adding the frosting so that it doesn’t leak out.
- Let them sit. The filling will have the best texture after letting the gingerbread oatmeal cream pies sit at room temperature for 1 hour, so try to resist biting into them until then!
How to store & freeze oatmeal cream pies
I LOVE freezing extra cookie dough because that way I can pop them in the oven whenever I want and it’s great when you want to bring something to a party or to a loved one’s house but don’t feel like having a baking extravaganza. Here’s how to store and freeze these cookies:
- To store: feel free to keep the gingerbread cookie sandwiches at room temp in an airtight container for 1-2 days, then I recommend transferring them to the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- To freeze: you have options to freeze the dough, freeze the baked cookies, or freeze the full gingerbread oatmeal sandwich cookies! Check out my full tutorial here to learn exactly how to do it.
More delicious cookie recipes
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cream Pies with Fluffy Peanut Butter Filling
- Salted Brown Butter Coffee Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cup S’mores Chocolate Cookies
- Death by Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Soft Brown Butter Ginger Cookies with Lovely Lemon Icing
Get all of our amazing cookie recipes here!
These gingerbread oatmeal cream pie cookies are the most perfect treats to bake for the holiday season or to bring to cookie exchanges. They’re freezer-friendly and are the ultimate treat for those who used to love Little Debbies (like me!) or have a serious obsession with all things gingerbread flavor.
Time to get your bake on!
I hope you love these gingerbread oatmeal cream pies! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
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Incredible Gingerbread Oatmeal Cream Pies
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Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes minutes
Total Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes
ServesServes 15 cookie sandwiches
Amazing oatmeal cream pies with a gingerbread twist! These perfectly spiced gingerbread sandwich cookies are crispy on the outside, soft in the center, and filled with a delicious thick cream middle for the ultimate holiday cookie.
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients:
- ½ cup butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar (dark is great, but light also works!)
- 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- For cream pie middle:
- ¾ cup butter, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoons milk to make the filling creamy
Instructions
Add room temperature butter and brown sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat the butter and sugar together for 1 minute. Next, add in the molasses, egg and vanilla and beat again until well combined, smooth and creamy, about 1 more minute.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, oats, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and salt in a bowl. Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low-speed just until combined. Chill dough in fridge for 1 hour, this is so the cookies have the perfect texture, so please don't skip the chilling of the dough!
Once ready to bake cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use your hands or a tablespoon to grab a large tablespoonful of dough and roll into a ball. Place dough balls 2-inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 9-12 minutes. If you like cookies with a crispy edges, bake for about 12 minutes. If you like softer cookies, bake for 9-10 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool the cookies on sheets about 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. They will still remain soft on the inside. Repeat with remaining dough. Makes about 30 cookies total (or what will be 15 cookie sandwiches).
Once cookies have completely cooled, you can make the filling: Add the room temperature butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on low, then gradually increase speed to high for about 1 minute, or until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
Top one cookie sandwich with a spoonful of filling, leaving a nice edge around the cookies and top with another cookie sandwich, then very gently press down slightly. Repeat with all cookies. You should get about 15 oatmeal cream pies. The filling will have the best texture after letting the cookies sit at room temperature for 1 hour, if you try to bite into them earlier the frosting won’t be as firm as we’d like.
Recipe Notes
See the full post for tips, tricks and ways to customize your oatmeal cream pies!
Instructions for freezing the cookies and cookie dough can be found within this post.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sandwich cookie with fillingCalories: 312calCarbohydrates: 46.8gProtein: 2.3gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9.6gFiber: 0.9gSugar: 26.2g
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by:Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on December 5th, 2019, and republished on December 15th, 2021.
