With silky-smooth Swiss buttercream sandwiched between two perfectly spiced oatmeal cookies, these copycat creme pies are soft, chewy, and miles better than the Little Debbie version!

Gourmet Oatmeal Creme Pies

In my opinion, there’s no better way to finish off my Elevated Nostalgia series than with a version of oatmeal creme pies. They’re arguably the most iconic American snack, gaining popularity in the 1960s as the first Little Debbie product!

While they were never my favorite childhood snack, there’s something undeniably nostalgic about oatmeal creme pies—the cookies are impossibly soft with a rich and sweet marshmallow filling that’s perfectly wrapped in its Little Debbie packaging. I may be an Auburn fan, but even Nick Saban has two of these Little Debbie treats with his coffee every morning for breakfast.

And while oatmeal creme pies have always been a fan favorite, this homemade version take things to a new level! The addition of fall spices and molasses keeps the cookies rich and soft, while the fluffy Swiss buttercream adds a balanced sweetness to pull everything together. Without further ado, let’s get into the recipe!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Whenever I develop a copycat recipe, I always start with the ingredient label on the original product. If you grab a pack of these cookies from the grocery store, here’s what we’re working with:

Ingredients: Corn Syrup, Enriched Bleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Barley Malt, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Palm and Soybean Oils with TBHQ and Citric Acid to Protect Flavor, Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Molasses, Raisin Paste, Sugar, Water, Dextrose, Contains 2% or Less of Each of the Following: Leavening (Baking Soda, Ammonium Bicarbonate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate), Whey, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Corn Starch, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Mono and Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Monostearate, Dried Eggs, Modified Corn Starch, Sorbic Acid (to Preserve Freshness), Soy Flour, Dried Egg Whites, Annatto Extract, Beta Carotene, Caramel Color, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Citric Acid, Cocoa Processed with Alkali, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Modified Wheat Starch, Nonfat Dry Milk, Palm and Palm Kernel Oil, Pectin, Polysorbate 80, Propylene Glycol Monostearate, Red 40 Lake, Rice Flour, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Soybean Oil, Titanium Dioxide (Color), Turmeric Extract.

Phew. That was a mouthful, but the good news is that my version uses a lot less ingredients (plus ones that you can actually pronounce)! To make them at home, here’s what you’ll need:

Unsalted butter. Using real butter already makes these cookies taste better than the original!
Brown sugar. To enhance the fall spice and molasses flavor.
Molasses and honey. When used in baking, invert sugars add sweetness and moisture-binding properties to keep cookies soft for days. Instead of corn syrup, however, I opted to use honey (for a floral sweetness) and molasses (for that classic gingerbread cookie feel).
Egg. To hydrate, tenderize, and bind everything together.
Vanilla extract and salt. Flavor enhancers that add complexity to the cookie.
Flour. No need for fancy cake flour or bread flour—good ol’ all-purpose will do the trick!
Oats. To get that traditional Little Debbie texture, we’ll pulse the oats into a coarse meal. This way, the oats add chew and nuttiness without imparting too much texture.
Cornstarch. To keep the dough soft and tender.
Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Cocoa might sound odd in an oatmeal cookie, but it adds a subtle depth of flavor and color to the cookies.
Baking soda. To create the perfect amount of spread and browning.
Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, and espresso powder (optional). Much to my surprise, the original oatmeal creme pie doesn’t contain any spices! For my version, I remedied that with a healthy dose of cinnamon and ginger to compliment the molasses cookie.
Egg whites, cream of tartar, and granulated sugar. To form the base of our Swiss meringue.

How to Make Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies

Homemade oatmeal creme pies might sound daunting, but they don’t have to be! Here’s a quick breakdown of the recipe:

Prepare the cookie dough. The oatmeal cookie is pretty standard—we’ll start by pulsing the dry ingredients in a food processor to break down the oats, then we’ll stir it into our whipped butter and sugar mixture. Once everything is smooth, let the dough chill fully before scooping and baking.
Make the frosting. When developing this recipe, I didn’t like the idea of using traditional American buttercream or marshmallow fluff to sandwich the cookies. The original oatmeal creme pie is already too sweet, so I wanted a filling that complimented the cookies and didn’t overwhelm the warm spices. After some testing, I found the best alternative to be a Swiss meringue buttercream, which adds the same silky-smooth texture as marshmallow fluff without being overpowering.
Assemble. My favorite part—after letting the cookies cool, all you have to do is pipe over a layer of buttercream and sandwich the cookies together!

How to Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream

As a step up from the traditional filling, we’ll be making Swiss meringue buttercream! Compared to American buttercream, Swiss meringue has a better balance of sweetness while still retaining that silky smooth marshmallow texture.

What is Swiss Meringue Buttercream?

Swiss Meringue Buttercream is a type of frosting that’s known for its smooth, creamy consistency and light texture. Whereas French meringue is made from whipped egg whites and sugar, Swiss meringue adds the extra step of cooking everything over a double boiler, which results in a more stable and glossy finish. To turn the meringue into buttercream, however, all we have to do is slowly whip in the softened butter. The resulting frosting is silky smooth, buttery, and light—it’s perfect for any occasion, from frosting cakes, to piping cupcake decorations, and (of course) sandwiching it between homemade oatmeal cookies!

Swiss Buttercream Tips and Tricks

I know the process of making Swiss meringue is a more involved than traditional buttercream, but the result is absolutely worth it! Here are my top tips and tricks to get perfect Swiss buttercream every time:

Use clean equipment. When making meringue, you don’t want any egg yolks to get into the whites, otherwise it won’t whip up properly! To ensure there are no traces of fat on your equipment, lightly wipe everything off with a paper towel and a bit of lemon juice/vinegar.
Let the meringue cool to room temp before adding the butter. After heating the egg whites on the stove, we’ll whip the mixture on medium-high speed until it reaches glossy, stiff peaks. At this point, the bowl needs to cool completely to room temperature—if too warm, the meringue will melt the butter and result in a soupy consistency.
Use room temp butter. The butter should be at a cool room temperature—pliable but still slightly firm—and shouldn’t be greasy. Adding it slowly and gradually to the meringue will also ensure a smooth and stable emulsion.
Be patient! Depending on the temperature of your ingredients, it can take upwards of 10 minutes for a Swiss buttercream to whip up to the right texture! If at any time your meringue breaks or becomes soupy, chill the bowl for 15-20 minutes and then re-whip it.

Recipe FAQs

Do I have to chill the cookie dough? Yes! It can be annoying, but chilling the cookie dough is essential for this recipe. By doing so, you let the oats and flour fully hydrate, which enhances their flavor and reduces spread when baking.
My cookies were too soft/too dry! There are two possible culprits—either you over or undermeasured your dry ingredients or your over/underbaked your cookies! When measuring flour, always scoop and level it into a measuring cup before adding it to a recipe. As for baking, you’ll know when the cookies are done once they’re matte on top and golden brown around the edges.
What filling can I use aside from Swiss meringue buttercream? If you don’t want to go through all the steps of making Swiss buttercream, you can always use a traditional American buttercream or marshmallow fluff.
Recipe variations. Who says you have to stick to the classic? If you want to elevate these cookies even more, add raisins, chocolate chips, and walnuts to the dough, or drizzle over some salted caramel and flaky salt during assembly!
How to store leftovers? If kept in an airtight container, leftover oatmeal creme pies will keep at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Hope you guys enjoyed this recipe series—let me know if I should make another season (and what other treats you’d love to see)! Happy baking!