Happy Monday!

My husband was away fishing for a week, so I wanted to make him something that I knew would make him excited to come home (besides me). And so, I decided to make these Oatmeal Cream Pies that he rates a 10/10. He’s hard to impress, but these sure do it!

As a child, I remember coming home from school and being elated to open up a pre-packaged snack like a “Cosmic Brownie” (anyone remember those colorful round sprinkles?) or an “Oatmeal Cream Pie”. I was overjoyed. The marshmallow, creamy filling with the earthy, brown sugar laden oats always made my day. The Moon Pies came as a close second growing up as well..graham cracker, chocolate outside, and marshmallow inside–the perfect instant smore.

And as much as the nostalgia waves can entice me to want to go for those snacks again, I much prefer making them from scratch, especially these Oatmeal Cream Pies. Sorry, Little Debbie, but I need you to step aside.

These Oatmeal Cream Pies are absolutely perfect. The cookie itself is very soft from the molasses, butter, and brown sugar. The filling is gooey and sweet to contrast the hearty oats.

Major Tips: It is essential to make sure you absolutely wait for the cookies to be completed cooled before moving them and/or applying the filling! They will fall apart otherwise! Also, do NOT overmix–you don’t want to toughen the batter! Last tip: Make sure you space out the cookies as specified in the recipe otherwise they will spread into one another.

This dessert is so easy to make, and they take almost no time to prepare.  They bake for 7-9 minutes, which means you can have your dessert ready in about 30 minutes or less, including cooling time. You don’t need to be a slave to your oven to make these, making it appealing to make all year long, including the summer!

These are great to make ahead as the cookie itself will not dry out. If you bring these to a party, you’ll definitely be a hit! You’ll be making everyone reminisce their childhood, but you’ll be taking over that memory with the bakery-like freshness from this homemade version. Enjoy! 🙂

Ingredients for 8 sandwiches (this recipe can be doubled easily!)

Cookies
1 cup light brown sugar, packed 1 cup butter, melted
1⁄3 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 cups old-fashioned oat, or quick oat

Filling
1⁄2 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon milk, or heavy cream (you may need to add more if the consistency is too thick)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup marshmallow creme (Fluff, Jet-puffed–whatever you can find. Tip: If it says 7 ounces on the jar, it will work–so need to buy two containers!)                                            1/4 cup of powdered sugar **(optional–the marshamallow creme makes this sweet enough for sure)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar until well combined.
3. Add the molasses, vanilla, and eggs, and whisk thoroughly.
4. Sift in the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until just combined.
5. Add the oats and mix until incorporated. Be careful not to overmix the batter or it might result in tougher cookies.
6. Using an ice cream scoop (or about 2 tablespoons), scoop out cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving about 3 inches (8 cm) between each one. You may also use a silicone pat if you have one as well!
7. Bake for 7-9 minutes. The cookies will still be very soft, so be sure to let them cool thoroughly. Be sure to let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about two to three minutes before moving to a cooling rack so they don’t fall apart.
8. While cooling, make the filling by beating the butter, milk, vanilla, and marshmallow fluff until well combined. I used my immersion blender, but a hand blender or stand mixer would work fine as well.
9. Once the cookies are cooled, put a spoonful of the filling on one cookie and sandwich with another. Repeat until all the sandwiches are made.