There’s something about fall that makes me want to bake all the cozy things – and these pumpkin oatmeal cream pies are at the top of my list. I mean, who can resist a soft, chewy pumpkin cookie spiced with warming chai or pumpkin spice, sandwiched with a luscious maple brown butter cream cheese frosting? It’s like autumn in every bite. I first made these for a friendsgiving gathering, and let’s just say they disappeared faster than I could refill the plate. The secret? Browned butter. It adds this nutty, caramelized depth that takes these cream pies to the next level. Trust me, once you try them, you’ll be hooked.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
These pumpkin oatmeal cream pies aren’t just good – they’re the kind of dessert you’ll daydream about. Here’s why:
- That chewy texture: Thanks to chilled dough and blotted pumpkin puree, these cookies stay soft but never cakey.
- Spiced just right: Warm chai or pumpkin spice makes every bite taste like fall in the best possible way.
- The frosting game-changer: Maple brown butter cream cheese filling? It’s what separates “good” from “can I have the whole batch?”
- Better with time: The flavors deepen overnight – if you can resist eating them all immediately.
And honestly? They make your kitchen smell like heaven while baking. Need I say more?
Ingredients for Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
Gathering the right ingredients is half the battle with these pumpkin oatmeal cream pies. Here’s what you’ll need – and yes, the browned butter is non-negotiable!
- 20 tbsp (283g) unsalted butter, browned and reduced – After browning, you’ll have 1 cup (226g) left. It should be cooled to softened butter texture
- 1 ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour – Spoon and level it, don’t scoop!
- 1 tablespoon chai spice or pumpkin pie spice – I’m team chai for extra warmth
- 1 tsp (5g) baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup (150g) light brown sugar – Pack it in there
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk (18g) – Room temp is key
- 1 cup (230g) pumpkin puree, blotted – Yes, we’re blotting – no skipping!
- 2 tsp (10ml) vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups (191g) old-fashioned oats – Not quick oats
For the Maple Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 10 tbsp (141g) unsalted butter, browned and reduced – Ends up as 8 tbsp (½ cup, 113g)
- 4 oz (113g) cream cheese – Full fat only, softened
- 2 ½ cups (280g) powdered sugar – Sifted, no lumps!
- 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp maple extract (optional but so good)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1-3 tbsp (15-45ml) milk – As needed to adjust consistency
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Pumpkin puree: That blotting step is crucial – un-blotted pumpkin makes soggy cookies. Just spread it on paper towels and press out the excess moisture.
Spice blends: Chai spice gives a more complex flavor, but pumpkin pie spice works great too. No blends? Make your own with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
Maple extract: If you can’t find it, use 1 tbsp real maple syrup (but reduce milk slightly to compensate).
Butter situation: Yes, you’re making brown butter twice – once for cookies, once for frosting. It’s worth every minute. Make it ahead if you can!
Equipment You’ll Need
Okay, let’s talk gear! You don’t need anything super fancy for these pumpkin oatmeal cream pies, but a few key tools make all the difference. Honestly, my first batch was a bit… rustic-shaped because I tried to wing it without the right stuff. Learn from my mistakes!
- A heavy-bottomed saucepan: This is non-negotiable for browning your butter without burning it. A light-colored one lets you see the color change.
- Stand mixer or hand mixer: You could cream that brown butter and sugar by hand, but your arm will thank you for using a mixer.
- Mixing bowls: A couple of medium-sized ones for dry ingredients and that all-important pumpkin blotting.
- Paper towels: For squeezing every last drop of water out of that pumpkin puree. Trust me on this one.
- Cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoon size): This is my secret for cookies that are all the same size and bake evenly. No more guessing!
- Parchment-lined baking sheets: For no-stick baking and easy cleanup. I never bake without it.
- A 3-inch round biscuit cutter (or a wide-mouth glass): This is the magic trick for getting perfectly round cookies right out of the oven. Game changer.
- Cooling racks: Let those cookies cool completely so your frosting doesn’t melt into a puddle.
See? Nothing too crazy. Just gather these before you start, and you’ll be set for success!
How to Make Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
Alright, let’s get to the good part – making these glorious pumpkin oatmeal cream pies! I’ll walk you through each step, including my little tricks for perfect cookies every time. Just follow along, and soon you’ll be biting into cookie heaven.
Making the Brown Butter
First things first: the brown butter. It’s the secret weapon in both the cookies and frosting, so don’t even think about skipping this step! Here’s how to nail it:
- Cut your butter into even pieces and melt it in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. The light color lets you see the color change.
- Whisk constantly as it foams up – this is when the magic happens! You’ll see little brown bits forming at the bottom. That’s the milk solids toasting up.
- Pull it off the heat the moment it smells nutty and looks golden amber. Pour it into a heatproof bowl immediately to stop the cooking.
- Cool completely – this takes about 30 minutes at room temp, then 1-2 hours in the fridge. It needs to be soft but solid, like room-temp butter.
Pro tip: Make this the night before! That way it’s ready when you are.
Preparing the Cookie Dough
Now for the fun part – making that perfect pumpkin cookie dough. Here’s how to get that ideal chewy texture:
- Blot your pumpkin like there’s no tomorrow! Spread the puree on paper towels and press gently. You’ll be shocked how much water comes out.
- Whisk dry ingredients together – flour, spices, baking soda, and salt. Set this aside for now.
- Cream the brown butter and sugars for a good 1-2 minutes until fluffy. This creates tiny air pockets for perfect texture.
- Add egg yolk, pumpkin, and vanilla, mixing just until combined. Overmixing here makes tough cookies.
- Gently stir in dry ingredients, then fold in the oats. The dough will be thick and slightly sticky – that’s perfect!
- Chill the dough for at least 1-2 hours (overnight is even better). This step is non-negotiable for chewy cookies!
Baking & Shaping the Cookies
Okay, time to bake these beauties! Here’s how to get perfectly round, chewy cookies:
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line baking sheets with parchment.
- Scoop dough balls (about 1.5 tbsp each) and space them 3 inches apart. They’ll spread!
- Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are golden but centers look slightly underdone. They’ll firm up as they cool.
- Shape them quickly! In the first 5 minutes out of the oven, use a biscuit cutter to gently scoot each cookie into a perfect circle. Just nudge the edges – it’s magic!
- Cool completely on the sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to racks. Warm cookies = melted frosting disaster!
Assembling the Cream Pies
The grand finale! Here’s how to create those dreamy sandwich cookies:
- Make the frosting: Beat together your second batch of brown butter with cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and remaining ingredients.
- Adjust consistency with milk – you want it thick but spreadable, like buttercream.
- Match cookie sizes before filling – pair them up so they fit together nicely.
- Spread or pipe frosting onto the flat side of one cookie. Don’t skimp – these are cream pies, after all!
- Gently press the matching cookie on top. That’s it – you did it!
Now the hardest part: waiting at least 30 minutes before devouring them all. The flavors meld together beautifully if you can resist!
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Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies: 3 Secrets to Perfect Fall Cookie
- Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 42 minutes
- Yield: 24 cream pies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Delicious pumpkin oatmeal cream pies with a maple brown butter cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
- 20 tbsp (283g) unsalted butter, browned and reduced down to 1 c (226g) cooled to softened but still cold
- 1 ½ c (180g) all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon chai spice blend or pumpkin spice blend
- 1 tsp (5g) baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ c (150g) light brown sugar
- ¾ c (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 (18g) large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 c (230g) pumpkin puree, blotted
- 2 tsp (10ml) vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ c (191g) old fashioned rolled oats
- 10 tbsp (141g) unsalted butter, browned, reduced down to 8 tablespoon (½ c, 113g) and cooled to a solid room temperature texture
- 4 oz. (113g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 ½ c (280g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp maple extract, optional for maple flavor
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1–3 tbsp (15–45 ml) milk, as needed
Instructions
- Make brown butter the day before or about 1-2 hours before you plan to make the cookies. It will need 60-120 minutes to cool enough to become the texture of softened butter.
- To make the brown butter, melt butter in a clear heavy bottom sauce pan. Once the butter starts to foam, whisk continuously until brown bits start to form. Remove from heat, pour into clean bowl and cool 30 minutes to room temperature and transfer to the fridge for an additonal 60-90 minutes (1-1.5 hours). Butter should be texture and temperature as solid butter at room temperature.
- Lay 2-3 paper towels across a wide, shallow bowl. Scoop out most of a 15oz. can of pumpkin puree (425g) onto the paper towels. The excess water will absorb into the paper towels. Before using in the recipe, squeeze the excess water from the pumpkin puree. You should have 1 c (230g) left to use in the recipe.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, spice blend, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the brown butter and sugars together on medium speed until well combined, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add egg yolk, pumpkin and vanilla extract, beating on low for about 20 seconds before adding the next.
- On the lowest mixing setting or by hand, stir in the dry ingredients to the wet until just combined. Add the oats, stirring until just combined.
- Cover the cookie dough with pastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours or up to overnight. This is an important step in getting the chewy texture and a more developed flavor.
- Pull cookies out of the fridge about 10 minutes before you want to start baking them.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F / 190 C for about 20-30 minutes before baking the cookies. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a small or medium cookie scoop, or tablespoon sized spoon, scoop cookie dough into 1 ½ ” (40g) sized balls. Place them about 3 ” apart on the baking sheet.
- The cookies will spread a bit while baking.
- Bake the cookies at 375 F (190 C) for 10-12 minutes until golden brown around the edges and slighlty underbaked (and a little puffed) in the center. Cool cookies on the hot cookie sheet placed on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
- Within the first 5 minutes of removing the cookies from the oven, use a large biscuit cutter (wider than the cookies) to help shape any cookies into a more round shape.
- After 10 minutes, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling to room temperature. Cool completely before adding the frosting.
- Make brown butter while the cookie dough is chilling. It will need 1-2 hours to cool enough to become the texture of softened butter.
- To make the brown butter, melt butter in a clear heavy bottom sauce pan. Once the butter starts to foam, whisk continuously until brown bits start to form. Remove from heat, pour into clean bowl and cool 30 minutes to room temperature and transfer to the fridge for an additonal 60-90 minutes (1-1.5 hours).
- Butter should be texture and temperature as solid butter at room temperature.
- Cream together cooled and softened brown butter with the room temperature cream cheese until creamy and well combined, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stop and scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add sifted powdered sugar ½ c at a time, beating each addition of powdered sugar until incorporated. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl as needed. Once all the sugar has been added, add in the vanilla etxract, ground cinnamon, maple extract, 1 tablespoon milk and salt.
- Beat on high until the buttercream is fully incorpated and desired consistency. If the buttercream is too thick, add an additional 1-2 tablespoon milk of choice, beating until well incorporated.
- Using a small offset icing knife, spoon or piping bag with piping tip of choice, apply the desired amount of frosting to the bottom of one cookie. Apply the bottom of another cookie to the frosted side of the first cookie. Gently press together. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make brown butter ahead of time for easier preparation.
- Blotting pumpkin puree removes excess moisture.
- Chilling the dough improves texture and flavor.
- Use a biscuit cutter to shape cookies while warm.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cream pie
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
Tips for Perfect Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
After making these pumpkin oatmeal cream pies more times than I can count (and taste-testing every batch, obviously), I’ve picked up some game-changing tricks. These little tweaks make all the difference between “good” and “oh-my-goodness-I-need-another-one” cookies!
Cookie Dough Secrets
Chill longer than you think: That 1-2 hour minimum? It’s the bare minimum. Overnight chilling gives you deeper flavor and the perfect chewy texture. The dough keeps well for up to 3 days in the fridge too!
Blot like your cookies depend on it: Seriously, press that pumpkin puree between paper towels until no more water comes out. Wet pumpkin = flat, cakey cookies instead of chewy perfection.
Room temp is relative: When the recipe says “let dough sit out for 10 minutes before baking,” watch the texture, not the clock. If it’s still rock-hard, give it another 5 minutes.
Baking Like a Pro
Underbake on purpose: Pull cookies when edges are golden but centers still look slightly underdone. They’ll finish setting on the hot baking sheet – this keeps them soft for days.
Shape fast: That biscuit cutter trick only works in the first 5 minutes out of the oven. After that, the cookies set – so work quickly but gently!
Rotate your pans: If baking two sheets at once, swap their positions halfway through. Ovens have hot spots, and we want even baking.
Frosting Finesse
Texture is everything: Your frosting should hold its shape when piped but still spread easily. Too thick? Add milk 1 tsp at a time. Too thin? Mix in more powdered sugar.
Chill before piping: If your frosting seems too soft, pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes. This helps it hold beautiful swirls when piping.
Match your pairs: Before filling, lay out all cookies and pair them by size. Nothing’s worse than a lopsided cream pie!
One last tip? Make a double batch. These disappear faster than you’d believe – especially if you have pumpkin-loving friends around! You can find more dessert recipes on our site.
Storage & Reheating
So, you’ve made these pumpkin oatmeal cream pies – now what? Let’s talk storage because, trust me, you’ll want to keep these around as long as possible (if they last that long!). Here’s how to keep them fresh and delicious:
Room temperature: If you’re planning to devour them within a day or two, just pop them in an airtight container at room temp. The frosting stays perfect, and the cookies stay soft. Easy peasy.
Refrigerator: For longer storage, the fridge is your friend. Layer them between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container, and they’ll stay fresh for up to 5 days. Let them come to room temp before eating – cold frosting is a no-go for me.
Freezing: Want to save some for later? These freeze like a dream! Wrap each cream pie individually in plastic wrap, then pop them in a freezer-safe bag or container. They’ll keep for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temp for a couple of hours. Pro tip: freeze them unfrosted if you want to frost them fresh later.
And if you’re reheating? A quick 10 seconds in the microwave brings back that just-baked warmth. But honestly, they’re so good at room temp, I rarely bother. Just grab and go!
FAQ About Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
I get asked about these pumpkin oatmeal cream pies all the time – and I totally get it! Here are the answers to the most common questions that pop up (usually while people are mid-bite, frosting on their noses):
Can I skip chilling the cookie dough? Oh honey, no. I know it’s tempting, but that chill time is what gives these cookies their perfect chewy texture. Skipping it means flat, spread-out cookies that lose all their cozy thickness. If you’re in a pinch, 1 hour is the absolute minimum, but overnight is magic.
How long do these cream pies stay fresh? They’re best within 3 days at room temp (stored airtight), but let’s be real – they rarely last that long in my house! The flavors actually get better on day two. If you need longer storage, pop them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Can I use quick oats instead of old-fashioned? I wouldn’t recommend it. Old-fashioned oats give that perfect chewy bite, while quick oats can make the texture a bit mushy. It’s worth grabbing the right kind – they’re usually right next to each other in the grocery aisle anyway!
Help! My pumpkin puree is watery even after blotting. Some brands are juicier than others. If you’ve blotted and it still seems wet, try this: spread it on a plate lined with paper towels, then place more towels on top and press gently. Repeat with fresh towels until no more water transfers. Your cookies will thank you!
Why do I need to brown the butter twice? Great question! The cookie dough and frosting need different amounts of browned butter, and browning them separately ensures perfect measurements for each. Plus, the frosting butter needs to be extra smooth. Yes, it’s an extra step, but that nutty, caramelized flavor? 100% worth it.
Nutritional Information
Okay, let’s be real – we’re not eating pumpkin oatmeal cream pies for their health benefits! But if you’re curious (or just like to know what you’re indulging in), here’s the scoop per cream pie:
- Calories: About 220
- Total Fat: 10g (6g saturated)
- Carbohydrates: 30g (2g fiber, 18g sugar)
- Protein: 2g
- Sodium: 120mg
A quick heads up – these numbers are estimates based on specific ingredients and measurements. Your exact counts might vary slightly depending on your cookie size, how much frosting you use (no judgment if you go heavy!), and ingredient brands. The brown butter and cream cheese frosting definitely make these a special treat rather than an everyday snack – but oh, what a treat they are!
Final Thoughts
Well, there you have it – everything I’ve learned about making these irresistible pumpkin oatmeal cream pies over years of baking (and eating) them! Honestly, just writing this makes me want to whip up another batch right now. That brown butter aroma alone is worth the effort.
If you’re a pumpkin lover like me, these will become your new fall obsession. That perfect balance of chewy cookie and creamy frosting? Absolute magic. And don’t even get me started on how they make your whole house smell like autumn coziness while they bake.
I’d love to hear how yours turn out! Did you add any fun twists? Maybe a sprinkle of sea salt on top or a dash of extra cinnamon? Tag me if you share photos – nothing makes me happier than seeing these cream pies bringing joy to other kitchens. Now go forth and bake! Just don’t blame me when you can’t stop at just one…
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