Okay, I need to talk about these immediately. I have been building out my little BUTTER CAFE concept all year, and every time I sit down to dream up a new recipe I ask myself one question. Does it use an absolutely absurd amount of butter? These oatmeal cream pies use butter in the cookie, butter in the apple pie filling, and butter in the cream cheese frosting, so I think it is safe to say they qualify. They are so freaking good. I stood at my counter eating one over the sink and immediately started making a second batch.
Here is what is happening inside. Two soft, chewy, brown sugar oatmeal cookies spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, and in between them the dreamiest tangy cream cheese frosting, a spoonful of buttery cinnamon apple pie filling, and a drizzle of salted caramel. It is nostalgic like the oatmeal cream pies you grew up on, but grown up, cozy, and about a thousand times better. Sweet, salty, spiced, creamy, chewy. Every single bite has something going on.
These are my PERFECT fall recipe. They are what I want on a chilly afternoon with coffee, what I want to bring to a fall party so I can watch everyone go completely silent after the first bite, and what I want to make on a Sunday when the whole house should smell like cinnamon and browned butter and apples. The batch makes 12 generous sandwiches, which sounds like a lot until you realize how fast they disappear.
P.S. Let your cookies cool COMPLETELY before you assemble. I know it is hard, I know they smell incredible, but warm cookies will melt your cream cheese frosting into a sad puddle and slide right off. Bake them first, then make the filling and frosting while they cool, and everything lines up perfectly.
Ingredients Needed
- Unsalted Butter: Butter is the whole personality of this recipe, which is exactly why it belongs in the Butter Cafe. You need a full cup softened for the cookies, a half cup softened for the frosting, and a tablespoon for the apple filling. Softened means it gives easily when you press it but still holds its shape, not melty or greasy. Take it out about an hour before you start and you are golden.
- Light Brown Sugar: This is where all that warm molasses flavor and chewiness comes from. A full cup goes into the cookie dough and a tablespoon sweetens the apple filling as it cooks down. It keeps the cookies soft and moist for days instead of turning them crumbly. Pack it firmly into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.
- Granulated Sugar: Just a quarter cup, but it does something the brown sugar cannot. It helps the cookies spread properly and gives you those slightly crisp edges against the chewy middle. It also helps the butter and sugar whip up light and fluffy when you cream them. Do not skip it, that little bit really balances the texture.
- Eggs: Two large eggs bring structure, richness, and that soft cakey chew we want in an oatmeal cookie. Room temperature eggs blend into the butter mixture so much more smoothly than cold ones. If you forgot to set them out, just pop them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes. Works every time.
- Vanilla Extract: It shows up in both the cookies and the cream cheese frosting, warming everything up and tying the spices, apples, and caramel together. Use a good pure vanilla if you have it since there is nowhere for it to hide in a frosting. It is one of those quiet ingredients you notice the second it is missing.
- All Purpose Flour: Only a cup and a half here, because the oats are doing most of the structural work. That lower flour ratio is exactly what gives you a soft, chewy, oat forward cookie instead of a dry one. Spoon and level your flour rather than scooping straight from the bag. Packing it in is the fastest way to a tough cookie.
- Old Fashioned Oats: Three full cups, and they are the heart of the whole cookie. Old fashioned rolled oats give you that hearty chew and beautiful texture that quick oats simply cannot match. Do not swap in instant or steel cut here, the texture will be completely different. This is the ingredient that makes it an oatmeal cream pie!
- Baking Powder: One teaspoon gives the cookies just enough lift so they bake up soft and slightly puffy instead of flat and crisp. We want a cookie with a little body since it has to hold all that filling. Check that yours is fresh, baking powder loses its power after about six months. A pinch in hot water should fizz right up.
- Cornstarch: A teaspoon in the cookie dough and a teaspoon in the apple filling, doing two different jobs. In the cookies it makes them extra soft and tender with the sweetest chew. In the filling it thickens everything into a glossy, jammy consistency instead of a watery one. It is a tiny amount that changes everything.
- Cinnamon and Nutmeg: A full teaspoon of cinnamon in the cookies plus a half teaspoon in the apple filling, and a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg for that cozy fall warmth. Together they make your entire kitchen smell like an apple pie candle. Fresh nutmeg grated on a microplane is a game changer if you have one. This is the spice combo that makes these taste like FALL.
- Salt: Half a teaspoon in the cookie dough, and it is doing so much heavy lifting. It cuts through all that sugar and caramel and keeps everything from tasting flat and one note. Sweet needs salty to taste like anything at all. Never skip it, especially in a recipe with this much sugar going on.
- Apples: One cup peeled and diced small, cooked down into the coziest little apple pie filling. I love a firmer baking apple like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith so they stay tender but do not turn to mush. Dice them SMALL, about a quarter inch, so every bite of your sandwich gets apple. This filling is honestly good enough to eat with a spoon.
- Cream Cheese: Four ounces, full fat, and truly ROOM TEMPERATURE. It is the tangy base of the frosting and the thing that keeps these from being too sweet against all the caramel. Cold cream cheese gives you lumps you can never beat out no matter how long you try. Let it sit on the counter for at least an hour before you start.
- Powdered Sugar: Two cups sweetens the frosting and keeps it silky smooth with zero grit. Add it slowly with your mixer on low or you will be wearing it, trust me on this one. Two cups gives you a frosting that pipes beautifully and holds its shape between the cookies. Taste as you go and add a little more if you like it sweeter.
- Heavy Cream: Just one tablespoon, but it loosens the frosting into the most perfect pipeable, fluffy texture. Without it the frosting can be stiff and hard to spread without tearing your cookies. Add it before the powdered sugar and beat it in well. You will see it transform right in front of you.
- Salted Caramel: A quarter cup, homemade or store bought, and I am not judging you either way! It goes on right before you sandwich, and that sweet salty hit against the tangy cream cheese and spiced oats is what makes these unforgettable. Warm it slightly so it drizzles easily. Be generous, this is not the moment for restraint.
Substitutions and Modifications
- No cream cheese? A classic buttercream works beautifully, just increase the butter to 3/4 cup and add an extra tablespoon of cream.
- Swap the apples for pears! Same dice, same cook time, and it is SO good with the caramel.
- No heavy cream on hand? Whole milk or half and half will loosen the frosting just fine.
- Add 1/2 cup of chopped pecans or toasted walnuts to the cookie dough for extra crunch. Very fall, very good.
- Make them gluten free by using a 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend and certified gluten free oats.
- Not a caramel person? A drizzle of maple syrup or a little apple butter is a beautiful swap.
- Want smaller cookies? Scoop 36 balls instead of 24, bake for 9 to 10 minutes, and you will get 18 mini sandwiches.
- No piping bag? Just spread the frosting on with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is nostalgic and grown up at the same time, like the oatmeal cream pies you loved as a kid but with real apple pie filling, tangy cream cheese frosting, and salted caramel.
- Butter shows up in the cookies, the filling, AND the frosting, which is exactly why this one belongs in the Butter Cafe.
- One batch makes 12 big cookie sandwiches, so it is perfect for fall parties, bake sales, or handing out to everyone you love.
Equipment Needed
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment (or a hand mixer)
- Small saucepan or skillet
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Cookie scoop, about 2 tablespoons
- Wire cooling rack
- Piping Bag
- Vegetable peeler and sharp knife
Apple Oatmeal Cream Pies
Video
Ingredients
For the Oatmeal Cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
For the Apple Pie Filling:
- 1 cup apples peeled and diced small
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
For Assembly:
- ¼ cup salted caramel homemade or store bought
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Getting this done first means you are not scrambling once the dough is ready.
- Add 1 cup of softened unsalted butter, 1 cup of packed light brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar to your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is pale, light, and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice so everything gets in there. Do not rush this part, it is what gives the cookies their soft texture.
- Add the 2 large eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix again until fully combined and smooth. The mixture should look creamy and well emulsified.
- Add the 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Fold everything in on low speed just until you no longer see streaks of flour. Overmixing here will make the cookies tough, so stop as soon as it comes together.
- Fold in the 3 cups of old fashioned oats. The dough will be THICK and hearty, and that is exactly right. Give it a final scrape from the bottom of the bowl to make sure the oats are evenly distributed.
- Scoop the dough into 24 equal balls, about 2 tablespoons each, and space them out on your lined baking sheets. A cookie scoop makes this so much faster and keeps them uniform, which really matters when you are sandwiching them later.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden and the centers still look just barely soft. They will finish setting on the pan, so pull them before they look fully done. Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool COMPLETELY.
- While the cookies cool, make the apple pie filling. Peel and dice 1 cup of apples into small pieces, about a quarter inch. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan over low to medium heat, then add the apples, 1 tablespoon of light brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Saute for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring every so often, until the apples are tender and syrupy and your kitchen smells like the best fall candle in existence. At the very END, sprinkle in the 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, stir it through, and cook for 1 more minute until the filling is thick and glossy. Set it aside to cool completely.
- Now make the cream cheese frosting. Beat the 4 ounces of room temperature cream cheese with the 1/2 cup of room temperature butter until completely smooth and creamy with no lumps at all. Room temperature is not optional here, it is the whole secret to a silky frosting.
- Add the 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and beat again. Then add the 2 cups of powdered sugar SLOWLY, a little at a time with the mixer on low, until the frosting is fluffy and reaches a thick pipeable consistency. Give it a taste and add a touch more powdered sugar if you want it sweeter.
- Time to assemble, and everything needs to be completely cool before you start. Flip half of your cookies over and spread or pipe a generous layer of cream cheese frosting onto the flat side of each one.
- Spoon a little of the cooled apple pie filling right on top of the frosting, then drizzle on that salted caramel. Do not be shy about it, the caramel is the whole point.
- Top each one with a second cookie and press down gently until the frosting just reaches the edges. You should have 12 gorgeous cookie sandwiches. Serve them right away or chill for 20 minutes to help them set up, and get ready for everyone to lose their minds!
Storage Instructions
- Counter: Because of the cream cheese frosting, these are only good at room temperature for about 2 hours. Set them out just before serving so they are soft and at their best.
- Fridge: Store assembled sandwiches in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Let them sit out for 15 to 20 minutes before eating so the cookies soften back up and the caramel loosens.
- Freezer: Freeze the assembled sandwiches in a single layer, then transfer to an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. You can also freeze the unfilled cookies alone for up to 3 months, which is my favorite way to get ahead.
Tips and Tricks
- Use a cookie scoop so all 24 cookies are the same size. Matching pairs make assembly so much easier and they look bakery perfect.
- Make the apple filling and frosting while the cookies bake and cool. By the time everything is at room temperature you are just five minutes from finished sandwiches.
- Pull the cookies from the oven when the centers still look slightly underdone. They set as they cool and that is how you get that soft, chewy middle.
- Add the cornstarch to the apple filling at the very END, not the beginning. Adding it early can make it clumpy instead of smooth and glossy.
- If your kitchen is warm and the frosting feels soft, pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes before assembling. It will pipe so much cleaner.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What apples work best for these?
Honeycrisp and Granny Smith are my favorites because they stay tender without falling apart, and Granny Smith brings a nice tartness against all that caramel. Softer apples like Red Delicious will cook down into applesauce. Dice them small so you get apple in every single bite.
Can I use quick oats instead of old fashioned oats?
You can in a pinch, but the texture will not be the same. Old fashioned rolled oats give you that hearty chew that makes an oatmeal cream pie taste like an oatmeal cream pie. Quick oats absorb more moisture and give you a softer, more cakey cookie.
Can I make these ahead of time?
Absolutely! The cookies, apple filling, and frosting can all be made up to 2 days ahead and stored separately in the fridge. Let the frosting come back to room temperature and give it a quick re whip before assembling. I would assemble the day you plan to serve them.
Why did my cookies spread too much?
Your butter was probably too soft or slightly melted. Softened butter should still hold its shape when you press it, not look greasy. If your dough feels loose, chill it for 30 minutes before scooping and you will be back in business.
Do I have to make homemade salted caramel?
Not at all, please use store bought if that is easier for you! A good jarred salted caramel works beautifully here. Just warm it slightly so it drizzles nicely, and add a pinch of flaky salt if yours is on the sweeter side.
How do I keep them from getting soggy?
Make sure both the cookies and the apple filling are COMPLETELY cool before assembling. Warm filling releases steam and moisture that will soften the cookies from the inside. Cooling is the whole secret here.
Do you LOVE Oatmeal Cream Pies?! Check out MORE of my Favs:\
Strawberry Cheesecake Oatmeal Cream Pies
Triple Chocolate Oatmeal Cream Pies
The BEST EVER Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Oatmeal Cookies
Let’s Stay in Touch!
If you make these Salted Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cream Pies, I NEED to see them! Snap a photo of that gorgeous caramel and apple layer and tag me @munchiesbymallory on Instagram and TikTok. It genuinely makes my whole day to see what you all create in your kitchens. This one is a proud Butter Cafe recipe, so pour yourself a coffee, put on something cozy, and go make the best fall cookie of your life. Happy baking, friends!
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