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Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies – Soft & Chewy Fall Cookies

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Soft and chewy pumpkin oatmeal cookies are sandwiched with tangy-sweet and spiced cream cheese filling. To ensure the best results, review my success tips above before beginning.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (226g) pumpkin puree
  • 2 and 1/4 cups (191g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
  • 1 and 2/3 cups (209g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
  • 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Filling
  • 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice
  • pinch of salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Blot the pumpkin: Line a medium bowl with 2 paper towels. Place the pumpkin puree in the bowl. Using another paper towel, press down to blot excess moisture out of the pumpkin. After blotting, make sure you have about 3/4 cup (170g) of pumpkin. Discard paper towels and set blotted pumpkin aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together.
  4. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium-high speed until creamed, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat on high speed until combined. Add the blotted pumpkin, and beat on high speed until combined.
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase to medium speed and beat until combined. Dough will be creamy, soft, and sticky.
  6. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough (about a scant 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons (25–30g) of dough each) and drop on the cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart. With the back of a spoon, press down to slightly flatten the balls, as the cookies won’t spread much unless you help out first.
  7. Bake for 14–16 minutes or until lightly browned and set on the edges. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. (Success Tip: If your cookies are spreading unevenly, remove them from the oven and use a spoon to lightly push any wonky edges back in towards the center, to reshape into circles. You can repeat this trick again, if needed, when you take them out of the oven after baking.)
  8. Make the filling: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat cream cheese and butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed until confectioners’ sugar is incorporated, then increase to high speed and beat until smooth and creamy. Pipe or spread some of the filling on the bottom side of half of the cooled cookies; top with remaining cookies, right side up. I used Wilton 2A tip to pipe.
  9. Cover and store leftover cookies at room temperature for up to 1 day. After that, store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week to keep the creamy filling fresh.

Notes

Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and store it, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before continuing with step 6. Baked cookies, cooled but not filled/sandwiched, freeze well for up to 3 months. (For best taste and texture, filling should be fresh.) Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before continuing with step 6. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding a minute or two to the baking time.

Why Am I Blotting Moisture Out of Pumpkin Puree? Pumpkin puree is a really wet ingredient (it’s 90% water), which is a good thing for adding moisture to cakes, pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin bread. But it poses a problem when we’re trying to make dense, chewy oatmeal cookies. Start with 1 cup of pumpkin (about 225–240g) and blot out enough moisture and liquid to yield 3/4 cup (170g) of denser, thicker puree.

Use Whole Oats: Finer-cut quick oats may dry out the dough, so I recommend whole oats here.

Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, for the cookies: use 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and an extra 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Do not leave out the 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon that is also called for in this recipe. For the filling: Use a pinch each of the same spices (you may want to avoid ground cloves in the filling, or make it an extra small pinch—it’s quite strong).

Use Only the Egg Yolk: Pumpkin acts kind of like an egg in cookie dough, so you don’t need an entire egg here. Use only the yolk, to help give the cookies structure and provide moisture and richness.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://us.cookingtastes.com/pumpkin-oatmeal-cream-pies-soft-chewy-fall-cookies/