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The soft-baked Oatmeal Cream Pie from Little Debbie is one of the favorite snacks from the 90s. This mini whiskey oatmeal cream pies recipe will bring back the good old days.
With the right ingredients like brown sugar, butter, and molasses, it is unbelievably easy to make puffy oatmeal cookies. For a more refreshing filling, you can make your own whiskey marshmallow cream.
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Oatmeal Cream Pies remind many of us of the innocent childhood days. It’s not hard to see why; the combination of the soft whole-grain oat cookies and the gooey vanilla creme filling was hard to top. If your cravings get the best of you, know that anything is possible in the art of bakery!
Reviving a nostalgic dessert with an innovative addition is one of the most amusing parts of baking. The oatmeal cookies in this recipe will follow the traditional Little Debbie method with a few nuances.
So, instead of the crunchy cookies that need soaking in the coffee, you will obtain moist and squishy cookies.
The order in which you mix the ingredients is everything. Starting with plenty of brown sugar, butter, and salt, you will first have a creamy batter in your hands. The fluid ingredients will follow, such as eggs, vanilla extract, milk, and whiskey.
You will finish off the dough with flour and oatmeal in the very end. Now, I know what you are thinking, whiskey has an undeniably strong smell. However, the smell will fade out as whiskey will infuse throughout the dough, leaving a hint of tangy flavor behind.
Next up, you need a cream for your cookie sandwich. This mini whiskey oatmeal cream pies recipe calls for a whiskey-spiked merengue.
If you see the word whiskey in a recipe, there is no harm in adding it into every layer, am I wrong? The combination of Irish whiskey, vanilla beans, and brown sugar makes a meringue-like cream that will pair beautifully with your cookies.
Wrap your kitchen apron around your waist, and let’s get started with our whiskey oatmeal cream pie!
Mini Whiskey Oatmeal Cream Pies
If you’re craving a grown-up version of a childhood favorite, you simply must make these mini whiskey oatmeal cream pies! They’re perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, too! Whiskey and oatmeal, together at last!
Ingredients
- FOR THE OATMEAL COOKIES
- 6 ounces whole wheat pastry flour
- 0.25 ounces baking powder
- 0.13 ounces baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 8 ounces light brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla bean paste (substitute pure vanilla extract)
- ½ ounce whole milk or half & half
- ½ ounce Irish whiskey
- 5 ounces quick-cooking rolled oats
- FOR THE BROWN SUGAR WHISKEY MARSHMALLOW CREAM
- 4 ounces egg whites (about 4 eggs' worth)
- 8 ounces light brown sugar, packed
- pinch of kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons Irish whiskey
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla bean paste (substitute vanilla extract)
Instructions
FOR THE OATMEAL COOKIES
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, with a rack in the center.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon into a bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment fitted on, combine the butter, brown sugar, and salt. Cream together on medium speed for 8-10 minutes, or until very pale and fluffy.
- With the mixer off, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Turn the mixer on low and add the eggs, one at a time, waiting until the first is incorporated into the mixture before adding the second.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the vanilla, milk, and whiskey at low speed until just combined.
- Slowly add the sifted dry ingredients to the mixer bowl, and mix on low until just combined and the dough comes together.
- Turn the mixer off and stir in the oats by hand using a silicone spatula.
- Using a small cookie scoop (mine holds approximately one teaspoon of dough), portion the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about two inches of room in between cookies.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 5-8 minutes, or until the cookies are light brown and crisp at the edges.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire baking rack to cool completely.
FOR THE BROWN SUGAR WHISKEY MARSHMALLOW CREAM
- Set a saucepan with about 2-3 inches of water over medium heat and allow to heat until steaming.
- Combine the egg whites, brown sugar, and salt in either the metal bowl of your stand mixer or another heat-safe bowl.
- Place the bowl over the steaming pan of water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water.
- Whisking often, gently heat this mixture until the sugar is dissolved. Feel the mixture with your fingers (you can wear a glove!) to check for doneness.
- When the mixture is no longer grainy, remove the bowl from the saucepan. Place the bowl on the stand mixer with the whisk attachment fitted on.
- Whip this mixture on medium-high speed for 8-12 minutes, or until the meringue is light, fluffy, and voluminous, and the sides of the bowl are no longer hot.
- Turn the mixer off and add the whiskey and vanilla bean paste, and whisk on medium for 30 seconds, or until combined.
- Using a spatulate, transfer the marshmallow cream to a piping bag with a small round tip fitted on.
ASSEMBLING THE OATMEAL CREAM PIES
- Place one cooled cookie face down on a piece of parchment paper, and pipe about 2 teaspoons' worth of marshmallow cream in the center.
- Place a second cookie on top, pressing down gently in the center to coax the marshmallow cream to the outer edges of the cookie sandwich.
- Repeat with the remaining cookies until all miniature oatmeal cream pies are assembled. Depending on how large you made your cookies, you should get approximately 24 pies.
- Store the oatmeal cream pies in an airtight container at room temperature for two days, or in the fridge for up to four.
Notes
The recipe for the marshmallow cream will yield more than you need to fill the cookies, so store it in an airtight glass jar at room temperature for up to two weeks--if it lasts that long!
* Cookie recipe adapted from Gisslen's Baking Fundamentals; marshmallow cream recipe.
* This recipe was originally published on 10/2011 by Jaclyn. Notes and photos updated on 09/2020.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 359Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 332mgCarbohydrates: 68gFiber: 4gSugar: 39gProtein: 8g
Cooking Tools: Oatmeal Cream Pies Recipe
Although the cookie mixture will turn into a dough in the end, I strongly recommend that you use a mixer with a paddle attachment. You should make sure that all the liquid ingredients are perfectly mixed and that brown sugar is fully dissolved, which will be a lot easier with a stand mixer.
Also, remember to follow the speed indicated in the recipe, as each ingredient will best-dissolve and integrate at a different mixing rate.
Important note: Use a silicone spatula to mix the oatmeal; do not use the paddle attachment for this step! Also, a word of advice: For the ingredients to infuse perfectly throughout, you can try to chill the dough in the bowl for an hour before scooping onto your baking sheet.
Removing the oatmeal cookies from the baking sheet and tray can be tricky because these cookies are prone to breaking apart.
First of all, you should make sure that the cookies cool down to room temperature before you try to remove them from the wire rack. To separate them from the baking sheet, use a thin spatula so that the cookie can retain its shape when lifted.
When it is time to make your brown sugar whiskey marshmallow cream, switch to a whisk attachment with your stand mixer. This will ensure that your meringue is free of grains and fully combined.
To spread the cream onto the bottom cookie, the easiest method is to use a piping bag with a small round tip.
The Choice of Whiskey
This whiskey oatmeal cream pie calls for Irish Whiskey both in the dough and in the cream because it is relatively smoother and sweeter than some other types of whiskey. Bourbon is a great alternative for a similar flavor. Rye Whiskey will give a more fruity and hard-edged taste, while Scotch will contribute to a more woody and smoky taste in the cookie.
Add/ Remove/ Substitute
- If you don’t have vanilla beans, you can substitute vanilla extract in both the cookie and the cream.
- This recipe calls for light brown sugar, but dark brown will work just fine. In fact, you can generate a stronger flavor using dark brown sugar.
- If you don’t have – or don’t want to use – whiskey, you can substitute more vanilla extract or pure almond extract.
Storing
You can keep your oatmeal cream pies refrigerated for up to four days. The other option is to store them in a dry and cool place at room temperature, but the storage time will decrease to two days because of the cream.
Frequently Asked Questions: Oatmeal cream Pies Recipe
Are oatmeal cream pies good for you?
Yes and no. There is less saturated fat in oatmeal cream pies, which is healthy for your cardiac and digestive systems. However, Little Debbie’s oatmeal cream pies have abundant carrageenan, which poses a high risk of gastrointestinal inflammation and colon cancer.
Do oatmeal cream pies have dairy?
The answer is yes for the original ones, but you can incorporate coconut milk, pumpkin puree, and maple syrup into your recipe for a gluten-free and dairy-free version.
Are Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies vegetarian?
Because of the high Gelatin content, Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies are not vegetarian.
When did oatmeal cream pies come out?
The original recipe dates back to 1935, invented by O.D McKee of McKee Foods Corporation, but the official launch of the product wasn’t until 1960.
Conclusion
Don’t you just love making grown-up versions of all-time favorite snacks? Little Debbie’s collection of snacks is the perfect playground to experiment with your baking skills.
Even if whiskey has a sharp flavor when neat, this flavor will mellow out inside the vanilla, sugar, and spices like cinnamon, giving an overall-butterscotch-like flavor.
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