Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
These oatmeal sandwich cookies bake up perfectly soft and chewy with warm notes of cinnamon and molasses, and are filled with tangy, toasty, brown butter cream cheese frosting.
This cozy recipe combines all our favorite Fall flavors in one nostalgic sandwich cookie.
How to Make These Brown Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
Let’s walk through each step of this recipe to make sure it turns out as amazing as possible!
I’ve also shared a video on how to make them in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, along with the tools I used. If you don’t have all of these on hand, feel free to get creative and work with what you’ve got!
Recommended Tools / Equipment
- 2 Large Baking Sheets
- Parchment paper or 2 silicone baking mats
- Small (1 Tbsp) cookie scoop
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
Step 1: Brown the Butter
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.
Ideally, it’s best to brown the butter 1-2 hours before you plan to make the cookies so that it can cool down to room temperature before making the cookies. But if you’re short on time, you can always pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes!
Grab a wide, heatproof bowl to pour the butter into once it’s done being browned. Set aside.
Place 1 cup of unsalted butter in a large, light-colored pan over medium heat. Stir the butter the entire time with a rubber spatula to keep it moving.
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.
Immediately remove the pan from the 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.
Step 1: Mix the Butter, Brown Sugar, and Wet Ingredients Together
Cream the room-temperature brown butter and dark brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or 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.
Next, scoop the 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 vanilla extract to the butter/brown sugar mixture. Mix on a medium speed until combined.
Step 2: Fold in the Dry Ingredients
Next, fold the all-purpose flour, old-fashioned oats, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and fine salt into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula 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.
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, as they’ll spread a bit as they bake.
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.
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.
Step 4: Make the Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
While the cookies bake and cool, make the brown butter cream cheese frosting!
I prefer making it with a hand mixer because this makes a pretty small amount of frosting.
In a medium bowl, beat the room-temperature brown butter (should be the amount remaining) and room-temperature cream cheese together on a medium-high speed until combined.
Then add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and 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.
Scoop the frosting into a large piping bag or a freezer ziplock bag, and cut an opening at the base about 1/2 inch wide.
Step 5: Fill These Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
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 at room temperature for a few hours or be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Oatmeal Cookie Ingredients & Substitutions
While I love this recipe just the way it is, I know you might not have all these ingredients on hand! Or you might have food restrictions or allergies.
Below are some swaps and variations that can be made in this recipe.
- Brown Butter – If you only have salted butter, you can use it to make the brown butter and omit the salt that this recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter. Or if you’re short on time, you can skip browning the butter and just use regular, unsalted butter.
- Dark Brown Sugar – I like using dark brown sugar, but light brown sugar will work too. If you use light brown sugar, I’d recommend adding 1 Tbsp of molasses if you have it on hand!
- Pumpkin Puree – I prefer this recipe using pumpkin puree, but you can also use applesauce or 1 large egg in its place.
- All-Purpose Flour – You can use a gluten-free flour blend if needed in place of the AP flour in this recipe.
- Old-fashioned Oats – I love using old-fashioned or rolled oats for their texture, but you can also use quick oats if needed.
How Many Cookies Does This Recipe Make?
The cookie recipe makes 16 sandwich cookies using a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop.
If you don’t have that size cookie scoop, don’t worry! You can also use a good old Tablespoon.
It’s important that they’re the same size so that all the cookies bake up nice and soft and can be paired up properly.
If you want to make more cookies, you can double the ingredients and make a double batch using either a hand mixer or a stand mixer.
Tips for Making the Best Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
- Use a cookie scoop to make sure your cookies are uniformly sized.
- Space your cookies about 2 inches apart before baking them. They will spread as they bake.
- Don’t over-bake your cookies! You want the edges to be set, but the centers to still be soft and puffy! Even if they seem a bit soft coming out of the oven, they will continue to bake and set on the tray once they’re out of the oven.
- Gently flatten the cookies with the bottom of a metal measuring cup or glass while they’re still warm. This will make them easier to sandwich together and eat.
- I used a piping bag to decorate these cookies, but you can also use a Ziplock bag if you don’t have a piping bag! I recommend using the freezer type because they’re a bit sturdier.
Making These Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies in Advance and Storing Them
This cookie dough can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store it in the fridge in an airtight container, then when you’re ready to bake them, let the dough thaw to room temperature, scoop the cookies, and bake them.
Baked and filled cookies can be stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temperature for a few hours, in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for a month.
You can also freeze baked, unfilled cookies for up to a month. I like to thaw them in the fridge overnight, then fill them with frosting once they’ve reached room temperature and are ready to be eaten.
Let Me Know What You Think!
If you try this recipe for oatmeal sandwich cookies, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating and let me know your thoughts by sharing a comment below.
Or if you share on social media, be sure to tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets so I can see your delicious creations!
Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Brown Butter
- 1 cup butter unsalted, cold and cut into Tbsp-sized pieces 226g
Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
- 1/2 cup brown butter, room temperature – made above 113g
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar 200g
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree OR 1 large egg, room temperature 60g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 5g
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour – fluffed and spooned into the measuring cup 160g
- 3/4 cup old fashioned oats 80g
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Filling
- 1/3 cup (the remaining) brown butter, room temperature 75g
- 1/4 cup full-fat cream cheese, room temperature 56g
- 1 cup powdered sugar 125g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 5g
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
Instructions
Brown Butter
- 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.
- Grab a wide, heatproof bowl to pour the butter into once it's browned. Set aside.
- 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!
- 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.
- 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
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Video
Notes
How Many Cookies Does This Recipe Make?
The cookie recipe makes about 16 sandwich cookies using a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop. If you don’t have that size cookie scoop, don’t worry! You can also use a good old Tablespoon. If you want to make more cookies, you can double the ingredients and make a double batch using either a hand mixer or a stand mixer.Tips for Making the Best Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
- Use a cookie scoop to make sure your cookies are uniformly sized.
- Space your cookies about 2 inches apart before baking them. They will spread as they bake.
- Don’t over-bake your cookies! You want the edges to be set, but the centers to still be soft and puffy! Even if they seem a bit soft coming out of the oven, they will continue to bake and set on the tray once they’re out of the oven.
- Gently flatten the cookies with the bottom of a metal measuring cup or glass while they’re still warm. This will make them easier to sandwich together and eat.
- I used a piping bag to decorate these cookies, but you can also use a Ziplock bag if you don’t have a piping bag! I recommend using the freezer type because they’re a bit sturdier.
Making These Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies in Advance and Storing Them
This cookie dough can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store it in the fridge in an airtight container, then when you’re ready to bake them, let the dough thaw to room temperature, scoop the cookies, and bake them. Baked and filled cookies can be stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temperature for a few hours, in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for a month. You can also freeze baked, unfilled cookies for up to a month. I like to thaw them in the fridge overnight, then fill them with frosting once they’ve reached room temperature and are ready to be eaten.Nutrition
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When you say 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (60g) OR 1 large egg, room temperature (56g) does that mean I don’t have to use the pumpkin at all? My husband doesn’t really like pumpkin but these cookies look delicious.
@Kim, I made with just the pumpkin, no egg, but you use so little pumpkin in the recipe, that you hardly taste it. I also interpreted the recipe as meaning you could use either the pumpkin or the egg.
@Jaime, Yes, either pumpkin or the egg.
I couldn’t wait to make these when I saw the recipe. And I’m not sure what went wrong. And I am a chef by trade so whenever I make something, I measure out all my ingredients and line them up in order that the recipe calls for. And my cookies did not spread at all. They looked exactly the same going in as they did coming out. So I still press them down, and made the Brown butter frosting, which was delicious and assembled the cookies. While delicious my cookies were not soft so I don’t know where it went wrong. I will give it a second try because I really want them to be successful for me.
How are you measuring your flour? Are you fluffing it, then spooning it into the measuring cup? Or using a scale? Sometimes people really pack flour into the measuring cup, and this can cause cookies to spread less!
But also – the cookies don’t spread a ton! However, they should be nice and soft! You may just need to decrease the bake time a bit! Some ovens run a little bit hot. Hope that helps, happy baking!
These are delicious and easy – thank you for all the detailed instructions – that is what made it easy. We all really enjoyed these and will be making them again. I must’ve made mine slightly bigger, I got 13 stuffed cookies.
I made these today and they turned out great! Very delicious! I think my cookie scoop is a little larger than a Tbsp and I had quite a bit of filling left over, but this is only my second time ever making a sandwich cookie so I’m still learning. Thank you for the easy to follow instructions! I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes soon!
Chelsea, These are by far the most delicious oatmeal cookies ever. That browned butter really makes the difference. The added cream cheese in the frosting seals the deal too.
I think they were so easy to make as well, I’m definitely going to make these again and again. Thank you for sharing.
So happy to hear that Madeline!! I absolutely love this recipe, and am so happy to hear you do too! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
The oatmeal cookies taste amazing! I was just curious if they are supposed to be crunchy or not. Mine are a tad… floppy? And very thin. I followed the recipe three times, and had this problem every time.
Hi Stefanie,
That is interesting, I would say they are not crunchy, but they shouldn’t be floppy! Out of curiosity, are you using pumpkin puree? And if so, what brand? Are you squeezing out the excess moisture? I usually use Libby’s, but some brands (especially the organic kinds) have a lot more water, and even if you squeeze out some of the water, the dough ends up wetter! If that’s not it let me know, and we will keep brainstorming!
do you have a recipe for just the sandwich part of this?
Hi Landry,
I’m not quite sure what you mean! Do you mean just for the frosting? Or just the cookies? Both parts of the recipe are included in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. The cookies can be made on their own without any filling too!
I added these cookies to my Christmas cookie box this year and they were a hit! Just wondering- if I wanted to make just the cookie part, what would be the measurement for the butter before being browned?
Hi Celina,
So happy to hear that! And great question. I would recommend starting with 1/2 cup + 1 tsp of butter or about 62g or butter if you just want to make the cookies. Hope that helps, happy baking!
My cookies dont stay fluffed when I take them from the oven. They get a dark color and then become thin when cooling. I used an egg instead of pumpkin. Is this why I am having an issue?
Hi Maggie,
They should bake up similarly with an egg or pumpkin! It sounds like they might be slightly underbaked if they’re flattening out once they come out of the oven. They might need another minute or two! Are you baking them on the middle rack of your oven? Are you baking them a dark metal tray? Were they a lot darker than my cookies looked in the pictures in this post?
Sometimes darker metal trays cause cookies to brown more and look like they’re done before the centers are done cooking. Those would be my first guesses. If it’s neither of those let me know and we can keep trying to troubleshoot!
The ingredient cause for a half a cup of brown butter, but in the instructions it calls for a cup, can you clarify which it is thank you I’m excited to make this
Hi Robin,
The brown butter is for both the cookie dough and the frosting, and some of the water evaporates as it cooks so you end up with a bit less than you start with. Hope that helps, happy baking!