Oatmeal Cream Pies with Maple Cream - #FilltheCookieJar

I'm excited for this month's Fill the Cookie Jar reveal! This month's theme was Fall and it gave me so many options to choose from. My sister in law gave me a copy of The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook and I knew it was a great place to start looking for a recipe. The cookbook is broken down into the four seasons, so I went right to the fall section and found this recipe for oatmeal cream pies.

As a child I loved Little Debbie's oatmeal cream pies, but have never made a homemade version. These are so much better than them! I called them a grown up version. They had the perfect amount of spice and toasting the oats brings out an amazing nutty flavor. The original recipe called for a ginger cream but I knew finding crystallized ginger would be difficult, so I substituted maple syrup instead. The cookies are crisp, but I had put the cookies in the fridge due to the heat and humidity and they softened up. That's what I loved about them and really reminded me of my childhood.

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

Filling

8 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature

1/3 cup confectioners sugar, sifted

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment papers and set aside. On a separate baking sheet, spread out the oats. Place on the baking sheet on the upper rack and make for 10 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Keep the oven on to make sure it's preheated to bake the cookies. 

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add in the egg. Slowly add in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the toasted oats by hand. 

Scoop the batter into two tablespoon sized balls and place them two inches apart on the baking sheet. With dampened hands, flatten each to 1/2 inch thick. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes until they were lightly browned and then remove and allow to cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets. Transfer to a wire rack to completely cool. 

While the cookies are cooling, beat the cream cheese with confectioners sugar until smooth. Add in the maple syrup until combined. Spread the filling onto half of the cookies and then top with the remaining cookies.