Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies

From the time we are little kids to "grown-up" adults, each of us have a favorite snack (or snacks) that bring us happiness and make us smile. Whether it's a favorite candy bar, ice cream, cookie or in this case, snack cake, our inner fat kid gets excited. Well, for me, one of my favorite snacks growing up was a Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie. My mom always made sure that they were always at home, in my lunchbox, on road trips, at my granny's house...EVERYWHERE.

Today's new blog recipe is a homemade Oatmeal Cream Pie that I think you will love. I sure do! The recipe starts with a great oatmeal cookie that is soft and chewy with complex flavors of maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest. Those cookies are then sandwiched around divine vanilla bean buttercream that adds just the right amount of sweetness. While I usually make these pies on the larger size, they can be scaled down easily to fit any dessert table for birthday parties, baby showers and weddings. I hope that y'all enjoy this trip down memory lane. Enjoy!

Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies

Prep Time: 15 to 20 minutes                                     Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

Difficulty: Easy                                                         Yield: 2 dozen cookies/12 pies

Ingredients
Oatmeal Cookies

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Vanilla Bean Buttercream Filling

• 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 vanilla bean

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Using a food processor, pulse the rolled oats for about 10 seconds until coarse. Do not ground the oats down to a fine powder. Once this is done, place oats in a large bowl along with flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and orange zest until well mixed (about 5-6 minutes on medium-high speed). Make sure to scrape down the bowl before adding additional ingredients. After the time has elapsed, add in eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract and maple syrup. Next, gradually add in flour mixture until combined.

Using a medium, two tablespoon ice cream scoop, place balls on parchment lined baking sheets spacing about 2 inches apart. Using your hand, softly flatten each ball before placing in oven.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes until the bottoms begin to brown. Do not cook longer than this time because cookies will harden as they cool. Cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. As the cookies are cooling, begin preparing the buttercream.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream the butter about 7-8 minutes on high speed making to scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently. Next, add in the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, kosher salt and vanilla bean seeds to the bowl and mix on the slow speed. Once the mixture has blended, increase the speed to high and mix for an additional 6-7 minutes until it is light and fluffy. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl several times. If the buttercream is too thick, add 1 teaspoon of heavy cream until you reach your desired consistency. Use a large piping tip or an offset spatula to spread about 2 tablespoons of filling onto the bottoms of half the cookies. Press the remaining cookies onto the filling, creating sandwiches. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. ENJOY!