Oatmeal Cream Pies

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and maple syrup together with a spatula until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oats, whole wheat pastry flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and sea salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until a thick, sticky dough forms. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes so the oats absorb some moisture.

3. Scoop 20 rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared pans, spacing them 2 inches apart. Flatten each mound slightly with the back of the spoon or dampened fingers. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are golden but the centers still look slightly underdone. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. While the cookies cool, make the filling. Beat the cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of softened butter, and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes with an electric mixer.

5. Match the cookies into pairs of similar size. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the cream filling onto the flat side of one cookie, then press the flat side of its partner on top. Repeat with all remaining cookies.

6. Refrigerate the assembled pies for at least 10 minutes to let the filling firm up before serving. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Why It Works

Whole rolled oats give these cookies their signature chewy, textured bite while providing beta-glucan fiber that supports healthy digestion and steady blood sugar. Whole wheat pastry flour adds structure without the dense, tough texture of regular whole wheat flour. The cream cheese filling is naturally thick and tangy, which means it holds its shape between the cookies without needing the powdered sugar, corn syrup, and hydrogenated oils found in commercial oatmeal cream pie filling. Grass-fed butter enriches both the cookies and filling with conjugated linoleic acid and fat-soluble vitamins.

Tips

• Do not overbake. These cookies should look slightly underdone when you pull them from the oven. They firm up as they cool and need to stay soft enough to bite through without cracking.
• Freeze for lunchboxes. Wrap assembled pies individually in parchment paper and freeze. They thaw by lunchtime and keep everything else in the lunchbox cold.
• Add raisins. Fold 1/3 cup of raisins into the cookie dough for an oatmeal raisin variation.
• Filling consistency. If the filling is too soft to hold its shape, refrigerate it for 15 minutes before assembling the sandwiches.