Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
I had to save the best for last this week. Oatmeal Cream Pies were my all time favorite. There’s just something about that soft chewy oatmeal cookies with the cream filling smooshed between.
I have a confession to make about the store bought version of this cookie. When I was in High School, I was the yearbook editor senior year with a good friend of mine K. He and I had a class period each day to do yearbook work as an independent study class. We had the yearbook room to ourselves for one hour a day. It was a lot of fun. We kept Oatmeal Cream Pies in the yearbook drawer and would house these things on a regular basis. We’d go through a disgusting amount of these cookies in one hour. Thank goodness for my high-school metabolism (which has since vanished), as well as my stomach of steel. Oh man, parts of high school were a good time.
Back to reality. In the past 10+ years since then, my stomach has become more sensative to dairy and other foods, and I have to work to not gain weight. I’ve learned a lot about how to eat healthy and gained quite the love of cooking and baking. I’ve also learned that most store bought foods can be made a hundred times better at home.
These cookies are no exception. The brown sugar in the cookies keeps them perfectly soft and the filling is so much better than what’s in the store bought version. It’s like a homemade marshmallow fluff, and it’s amazing. I packaged them in celophane bags so they were easy to throw into lunches for me and Hubby this week.
One Year Ago: Best Dang Thing Ever Bars
Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
Yield: 24
Ingredients:
For the Cookies
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
2 tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp boiling water
For the Filling
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp unflavored gelatin (about 1 1/2 packets)
1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup water (divided)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces vegetable shortening
Directions:
Make the cookies
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside (or use parchment).
Cream the butter, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, sift together the salt, flour, and baking powder. Add to the creamed mixture. Add the cinnamon and oats. Mix well.
In a small dish, add the baking soda to the boiling water, and then stir the mixture into the rest of the batter. Mix well.
Drop by the tablespoon onto the baking sheets about 2 inches apart and bake until the cookies are firm and just starting to turn golden around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on a wire rack or a plate.
Make the filling
In a small measuring cup, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/3 cup cold water. Let stand, stirring once or twice until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes.
In a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the granulated sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup hot water until well blended. Continuing to stir, raise the heat to high and bring to a full boil. Continue boiling for 30 seconds. Immediately remove from the heat. Stir in the gelatin mixture until it dissolves completely.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the vanilla.
With a mixer on medium speed, beat for 20 seconds. Gradually raise the speed to high and beat until the mixture is stiffened, white, very fluffy, and cooled to barely warm, about 5 minutes.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar.
Add the shortening and beat until completely smooth.
The filling will set up as it sits, so wait until it is thick enough to spread or pipe before filling the cookies.
Recipe from How to Eat a Cupcake
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Happy blog birthday!! I love the idea of making these for Halloween with orange and black sprinkles…and black or cute pumpkin cupcake liners. I’m all excited to make these now. Fabulous job!
beantownbaker — August 28th, 2013 @ 7:25 am
AND, you could use the Halloween Oreos that have orange filling in them if you wanted 🙂 Oh, now I’m thinking orange Oreos to get the orange/black colors. Then use just purple sprinkles. Or maybe purple and green to round out the festive Halloween colors.
Happy blogiversary, Jen!!!!!!!!!! More exclamations! 🙂 these cupcakes look amazing! Congratulations on 6 great years! You’re one of the blogs I followed before starting my own! You’re amazing!
beantownbaker — August 28th, 2013 @ 7:27 am
Thanks Julie! And thanks for all the exclamation points 😉 It’s crazy to think I’ve been doing this 6 years now…
6 years of blogging!!! These cupcakes are the perfect way to celebrate!
beantownbaker — August 28th, 2013 @ 1:37 pm
They sure are!
Happy 6th Blog-verisary!!! I can’t wait to see what the next 6 years will bring ya!! Been a loyal fan for the past 6 years or so!!
beantownbaker — August 28th, 2013 @ 1:38 pm
Thanks! Who knows where life is going to take me in the next 6 years, but I hope I’m still enjoying blogging. I know I’ll still love baking 🙂
what a great way to celebrate 6 delicious years!! congrats 🙂
beantownbaker — August 29th, 2013 @ 9:08 am
Thanks!
Do you think I could make these cupcakes in advance, freeze them, and then decorate them the day of a birthday party? Or do you think the oreos inside the cupcakes would be compromised by freezing?
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2013 @ 9:41 am
I’ve never put these Oreo cupcakes in the freezer, so I’m not sure how they’d work… If you try it, please let me know how they do.
Happy Blog-o-versery! I couldn’t imagine making oreo cupcakes more festive, but you certainly did so! Sprinkles are a fantastic idea!
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2013 @ 9:42 am
Thanks 🙂
Happy blogiversary! I love any dessert with an Oreo in it: these cupcakes seem like an excellent choice to celebrate with!
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2013 @ 9:42 am
I love Oreos in desserts too!
Okay, funfetti AND oreo, just stop it please 😉 this is a dream dessert!
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2013 @ 9:43 am
My thoughts exactly 😀
Happy blogiversary! I can’t remember who recommended your blog to me, but I’m so glad they did! And I think I will definitely make these cupcakes next weekend for the first weekend of the NFL season. Last year I bought a package of black and gold sprinkles (GO STEELERS!) and I’ve been saving them for a good occasion. I also have friends who request the mini ham & cheese sandwiches every single year on kick-off weekend, though we call them butter sandwiches. These cupcakes will be a great addition to the no-diet day, haha. Thanks!
beantownbaker — September 2nd, 2013 @ 9:44 am
Thanks! Great idea calling those sandwiches butter sandwiches. I’m going to have to adopt that name as well 😉 These cupcakes would be great for NFL kickoff next weekend (even if I don’t agree with your choice in teams to root for…)