Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

These oatmeal sandwich cookies are soft and chewy, with warm notes of cinnamon and molasses, and they are filled with a tangy, toasty brown butter cream cheese frosting.

If you love a nostalgic sandwich cookie that tastes like fall, this is the one I keep coming back to.

My family calls them little hand pies, because the frosting in the middle makes them feel like a treat worth saving for a slow afternoon with coffee.

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Before you mix anything, make the brown butter. It is optional, but it gives these cookies such a deliciously warm, toasted flavor. If you are short on time, you can use regular butter instead.

1. Set a wide, heatproof bowl next to the stove to pour the butter into once it is browned.
2. Place 1 cup of unsalted butter in a large, light colored pan over medium heat. Stir the whole time with a rubber spatula so the milk solids do not burn.
3. Once melted, the butter will foam and sizzle around the edges. Keep stirring. It should turn golden brown after 5 to 6 minutes and be topped with a foamy layer of bubbles.
4. Shortly after that, the foam fades and the milk solids at the bottom of the pan turn a perfectly toasted brown. You should smell a strong, nutty aroma.
5. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the butter into the heatproof bowl to stop the cooking. If it stays in the hot pan, the milk solids will burn. It can happen in a flash, trust me.
6. Place the brown butter in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool to room temperature. You can also brown it 1 to 2 hours ahead and let it cool on the counter.

This recipe makes 16 sandwich cookies. Prep takes about 15 minutes, baking takes about 8 minutes, and the additional time is roughly 30 minutes for cooling the brown butter.

Step 1: Mix the Butter, Brown Sugar, and Wet Ingredients Together

Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set them aside.

Add 1/2 cup of room temperature brown butter to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. The remaining brown butter goes into the frosting later, so keep it covered on the counter.

Add 1 cup packed dark brown sugar and beat on a medium high speed for a couple of minutes, until the mixture becomes lighter in color and looks fluffy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.

Next, scoop 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree onto a couple of sheets of paper towel and pat it to remove any excess moisture.

Add the blotted pumpkin puree and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the butter and brown sugar mixture, then mix on a medium speed until combined. If you prefer, 1 large egg can be used instead of the pumpkin puree.

Step 2: Fold in the Dry Ingredients

Fold 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, 3/4 cup old fashioned oats, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp fine salt into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Stop as soon as everything is just combined.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to make sure nothing is hiding at the base. The dough should be quite thick, and that is exactly what you want. A thick dough holds its shape and bakes up chewy in the middle.

Step 3: Scoop and Bake the Oatmeal Cookies

Use a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop or a small spoon to measure about 32 cookie dough balls and place them on the prepared pans. Space them about 1 1/2 inches apart, since they will spread a bit as they bake.

Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 8 to 9 minutes, or until the edges look set and the centers have puffed up but are still soft. Do not wait for the centers to look fully baked. They keep setting on the warm tray after they come out.

Gently flatten the cookies with the bottom of a metal measuring cup or glass while they are still warm. Let them cool on the sheet for 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Step 4: Make the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

While the cookies bake and cool, make the filling. I prefer a hand mixer here, because this makes a pretty small amount of frosting and a big stand mixer bowl leaves you scraping the bottom forever.

In a medium bowl, beat 1/3 cup of room temperature brown butter, which should be the amount remaining, with 1/4 cup room temperature full fat cream cheese on a medium high speed until combined.

Add 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp fine salt. Mix on a low speed until combined and smooth, then scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.

Scoop the frosting into a large piping bag or a freezer ziplock bag, and cut an opening at the base that is about 1/2 inch wide.

Step 5: Fill These Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

Pair the cookies up. It is okay if they are not all exactly the same size, so just match the closest ones together. Pipe a generous layer of frosting on the back of one cookie in each pair, then sandwich them together. Repeat until all the cookies are filled, then enjoy.

These can sit out at room temperature for a few hours, or be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. I usually press each filled cookie gently with my palm after sandwiching, just enough to settle the frosting into an even layer.

Oatmeal Cookie Ingredients & Substitutions

Life happens, and sometimes you are missing an ingredient or baking around a food restriction. Here is how I handle the most common swaps.

• Brown butter: Salted butter works if you omit the salt called for in the recipe. Vegan butter works too. If you are short on time, regular unsalted butter can replace the browned butter, though you will lose some of that toasted flavor.
• Dark brown sugar: It is preferred for the deep molasses note, but light brown sugar works. If you use light brown sugar, add 1 Tbsp molasses to bring back some of that color and depth.
• Pumpkin puree: Keep it as written if you can, but applesauce or 1 large egg can be used instead.
• All purpose flour: A gluten free flour blend can replace it. Check your blend’s package directions before you start so you know how it behaves.
• Old fashioned oats: Quick oats can replace old fashioned or rolled oats. The texture will be a little softer, but the cookies still work.

A quick note on measuring: fluff the flour, spoon it into the measuring cup, then level it off. Scooping straight from the bag packs in extra flour, and a dry dough bakes up crumbly instead of chewy.

How Many Cookies Does This Recipe Make?

Using a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop, this recipe makes 16 sandwich cookies. If you do not own that scoop size, a regular tablespoon works just fine.

Keeping every cookie the same size matters more than it sounds. Evenly sized cookies bake at the same rate, so they stay soft, and they pair up properly once you start sandwiching. Doubling the ingredients makes a double batch, which you can mix with a hand mixer or a stand mixer.

Here is what one sandwich cookie looks like nutritionally, based on the source recipe.

Tips for Making the Best Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

• Use a cookie scoop so every cookie is uniformly sized.
• Space cookies about 2 inches apart before baking, because they spread.
• Do not over bake. The edges should be set while the centers stay soft and puffy, and the cookies keep setting on the tray after they come out of the oven.
• Flatten the cookies while they are still warm with the bottom of a metal measuring cup or glass. This makes sandwiching and eating much easier.
• A piping bag is handy, but a ziplock bag works too. Use the freezer style bag, since it is sturdier and less likely to split at the corner.

One more thing I have learned the hard way: let the cookies cool completely before you pipe the frosting. A warm cookie melts the filling, and then you are eating a very delicious mess with a spoon.

Pull the trays out when the centers still look slightly underdone. That is the difference between a chewy sandwich cookie and a crunchy one.

Making These Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies in Advance and Storing Them

The dough can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept in the fridge in an airtight container. When you are ready to bake, let the chilled dough come to room temperature, then scoop and bake as usual.

Once baked and filled, the cookies keep in an airtight container or ziplock bag for a few hours at room temperature, a week in the fridge, or a month in the freezer.

Baked cookies without filling can also be frozen for up to a month. Thaw them overnight in the fridge, then add the frosting once they reach room temperature and you are ready to eat.

I like to freeze a batch of unfilled cookies before a busy week, because filling them takes only a few minutes and they taste fresh the same day.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you make these oatmeal sandwich cookies, I would love to hear how they turned out. Did you brown the butter, or did you take the quick route with regular butter? Tell me in the comments, and let me know if you added your own twist, like a pinch of nutmeg or a spoon of maple syrup in the frosting.

Happy baking, and enjoy every soft, spiced bite.

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Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

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Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies These oatmeal sandwich cookies are soft and chewy, with warm notes of cinnamon and molasses, and they are filled with a tangy, toasty brown butter cream cheese frosting. If you love a nostalgic sandwich cookie that tastes like fall, this is the one I keep coming back to.

• Total Time: 53 min
• Yield: 16 sandwich cookies 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Brown Butter
1 cup butter, unsalted, cold and cut into Tbsp-sized pieces

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 cup brown butter, room temperature – made above
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup pumpkin puree OR 1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, fluffed and spooned into the measuring cup
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fine salt

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Filling
1/3 cup brown butter, room temperature (the remaining)
1/4 cup full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1/4 tsp fine salt

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Instructions

Brown Butter
1-Using brown butter is optional, but it: Using brown butter is optional, but it gives these cookies such a deliciously warm, toasted flavor! However, if you’re short on time, you can always just use regular butter.
2-Grab a wide, heatproof bowl to pour: Grab a wide, heatproof bowl to pour the butter into once it’s browned. Set aside.
3-Place 1 cup of unsalted butter in: Place 1 cup of unsalted butter in a large, light-colored pan (to make it easier to see) over medium heat. Stir the butter the entire time with a rubber spatula to prevent the milk solids from burning!
4-Once melted, the butter will foam and: Once melted, the butter will foam and sizzle around the edges. Keep stirring!! The butter should turn golden brown after 5-6 minutes and be topped with a foamy layer of bubbles. Shortly after this the foam should kind of fade away and the milk solids at the bottom of the pan will be a perfectly toasted brown. It should have a strong, nutty aroma.
5-Immediately remove the pan from heat and: Immediately remove the pan from heat and pour the butter into a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process. If left in the hot pan, the milk solids will burn. It can happen in a flash, trust me!! Place the brown butter in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool to room temperature.

Oatmeal Cookies
6-Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and line: Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
7-Add 1/2 cup of room-temperature brown butter: Add 1/2 cup of room-temperature brown butter (the remaining amount will be used to make the frosting) and 1 cup packed dark brown sugar into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on a medium-high speed for a couple of minutes, or until the mixture becomes lighter in color and looks fluffy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
8-Next, scoop 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree: Next, scoop 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree onto a couple of sheets of paper towel and pat it to remove any excess moisture. Then add the blotted pumpkin puree and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the butter/brown sugar mixture. Mix on a medium speed until combined.
9-Then fold 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour,: Then fold 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp fine salt into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is properly mixed together. The dough should be quite thick.
10-Use a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop or: Use a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop or a small spoon to measure about 32 cookie dough balls and place them on the prepared pans. Space them about 1 1/2 inches apart, as they’ll spread a bit as they bake.
11-Bake one tray at a time on: Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 8-9 minutes, or until the edges look set and the centers have puffed up but are still soft.
12-Gently flatten the cookies with the bottom: Gently flatten the cookies with the bottom of a metal measuring cup or glass while they’re still warm. Then let the cookies cool on the sheet for 10 minutes, then place them on a wire rack to finish cooling.

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Filling
13-While the cookies bake and cool, make: While the cookies bake and cool, make the brown butter cream cheese filling. I prefer making it with a hand mixer because this makes a pretty small amount of frosting.
14-In a medium bowl, beat 1/3 cup: In a medium bowl, beat 1/3 cup of room temperature brown butter (should be the amount remaining) and 1/4 cup room temperature cream cheese together on a medium-high speed until combined.
15-Then add 1 cup powdered sugar, 1: Then add 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp fine salt. Mix on a low speed until combined and smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
16-Scoop the frosting into a large piping: Scoop the frosting into a large piping bag or a freezer ziplock bag, and cut an opening at the base that’s about 1/2 inch wide.
17-Pair the cookies up (it’s ok if: Pair the cookies up (it’s ok if they’re not all exactly the same size!), then pipe a generous layer of frosting on the back of one of the cookies before sandwiching them together. Repeat until all the cookies are filled, then enjoy! These can sit out at room temperature for a few hours, or be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

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• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 8 min
• Method: stovetop

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 sandwich cookie
• Calories: 326kcal
• Sugar: 18g
• Sodium: 265mg
• Fat: 23g
• Saturated Fat: 14g
• Carbohydrates: 29g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 2g
• Cholesterol: 71mg