Going gluten free, one fear seems to stand out for everyone, namely that they’ll never be able to enjoy (fill in the blank) again. Real pizza, soft sandwich bread, grandma’s sticky buns … Little Debbie® Oatmeal Creme Pies ….
Having solved other major cravings with awesome gluten free versions, I turned to my husband’s favorite oatmeal creme pies from his past. Could I make an equally amazing gluten free Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie recipe? You be the judge!
This gluten free, dairy free, vegan version of the Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie even smells like what you remember. Bake these off, slather on some sweet cream filling and sandwich them together, then take a big, delicious whiff of that heavenly scent. Mmmmmmmm. It takes me back, that’s for sure!
Bake these gluten free cookie pies small or large (depending on the size of your craving, I suppose!) and be sure to set aside a few for yourself because the rest will be inhaled by your family, regardless of whether they are gluten free or even Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie fans … trust me — I’ve witnessed it!
You can even add raisins as I do sometimes, just because they’re my hubby’s favorite. It’s so great to be able to tailor recipes like this one to suit specific tastes, and also to be able to enjoy them practically allergen-free!
I’ve made this recipe not only gluten free but also dairy-free and vegan so nearly everyone can share … if you wanna. Coconut cream, pumpkin puree, applesauce, maple syrup — these are the delicious and natural ingredients I’ve used to replace all the junk in a store-bought Little Debbie.
Seriously, the ingredient list for the “real thing” (sorry Debbie) is enough to make anyone happy we can make our own with recognizable (and gluten-free!) ingredients.
Are you ready for this? Store-bought GLUTEN-FULL Little Debbie Ingredients also include ALL these ingredients: Corn Syrup, Enriched Bleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil with TBHQ to Preserve Flavor, Oats, Sugar, Water, Raisins, Molasses, Dextrose, Contains 2% or Less of Each of the Following: Leavening (Baking Soda, Ammonium Bicarbonate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate), Whey (Milk), Salt, Emulsifiers (Soy Lecithin, Mono – and Diglycerides, Sorbitan Monostearate, Polysorbate 60), Corn Starch, Eggs, Interesterified Palm and Palm Kernel Oil, Soybean Oil, Egg Whites, Cocoa, Coconut (Sulfite Treated to Preserve Color), Evaporated applies (Sulfite Treated to Preserve Color), Rice Flour, Nonfat Dry Milk, Carrageenan, Colors (Caramel Color, Titanium Dioxide, Red 40, Beta Carotene, Annatto Extract, Turmeric, Yellow 5), Sorbic Acid (to Retain Freshness), Spices, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Citric Acid, Pectin, Sodium Citrate. (Contributes a Trivial Amount of Trans Fat).
Contrast that nasty list with what’s in these homemade gluten free, vegan cookies and I think you’ll be quite smug about things when you taste how good they are! Absolutely no chemical colors, corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, milk, eggs or gluten were harmed in my recipe, no sir! And there’s no need! Look how gorgeous this color is, how soft the cookies are and how, well, … creamy the cream is! (Notice I said “cream,” not “creme”.)
If you don’t happen to have my easy gfJules™ Original Cookie Mix on hand, no worries! Just follow the recipe below to bake from scratch with my gfJules Flour and other dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients + certified gluten free, purity protocol oats, as noted in the directions below.
It’s important when baking gluten free that you choose only purity protocol, certified gluten free oats because oats are classified as “risky” due to cross-contact with other gluten containing grains in the growing, harvesting and packaging process. Click here to read why and how to find safe oats!
To make these wanna-be-fluffy cookies flatter (a la Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies), I like to roll them flat under plastic wrap and bake them that way. It makes them easier to eat once sandwiched around that delicious cream/creme and they look a lot more Little Debbie-ish, too!
See my step-by-step photos below:
So grab a can of coconut milk and get baking! I think spreading the cream on the cookies is half the fun!
I hope you enjoy this blast from your past as much as our family has!
Gluten Free Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie Recipe
These gluten free Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie cookies will take you back to your childhood ... and remind you of how hard it was to share!
Ingredients
Cookie:
OR
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated cane sugar
- 3/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 1/2 cups gfJules™ All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
PLUS
- 1/2 cup butter or non-dairy alternative (e.g. Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
- 1/2 cup vegetable or palm oil shortening (I like Spectrum Organic)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
- 1/4 cup natural applesauce
- 3 Tbs. pure maple syrup
- 1 cup certified gluten-free instant oats*
- 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Cream Filling:
- 1/2 cup butter or non-dairy alternative (e.g. Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
- 2 Tbs. coconut cream (skimmed from full-fat coconut milk can – unshaken!)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F (static) or 325° F (convection).
If making from scratch instead of using my gfJules™ Cookie Mix, whisk together the dry ingredients, as noted.
Bring the butter and shortening to room temperature, then beat together with half of the cookie or dry ingredient mix (including sugars) until light and fluffy – several minutes.
Mix in the pumpkin purée, applesauce and syrup until combined (if not using the cookie mix, add vanilla extract at this point). Gradually stir remaining mix and oats into the first mixture. Add raisins, if using.
Drop by measured tablespoonfuls (1-2 tablespoons, depending on the size of the final pie you would like) onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, at least 1 inch apart. Try to make them the same size and shape so they will make even sandwiches. Flatten the balls of dough with a rubber spatula so they are not too thick when baked.
Bake for 9-10 minutes, or just until the tops are lightly browned and they have spread some (larger cookies will take another 2-3 minutes to bake). Let them stand 5 minutes before removing to cooling racks.
To make the filling, bring butter to room temperature. Open a can of full fat (14 grams or more) coconut milk and spoon two tablespoons off the top. Underneath the thick cream layer will be the coconut water; the idea here is to only use the coconut cream from the top, no water. Reserve the remainder of the can for smoothies or other applications.
Whip butter with vanilla, confectioner’s sugar and coconut cream until smooth and thick. If too thick to spread easily, add another tablespoon of coconut cream; if too thin (if it might run off the cookies), add another 1/4 cup of confectioner’s sugar.
When cookies are fully cooled, arrange so two similarly-sized and shaped cookies are matched.
Using an offset spatula, butter knife or piping bag, spread filling on the flat underside of one, topping with another. Continue until all cookies are used. For the neatest filling edges, use a piping bag.
Store sandwich cookies in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
Yield: totally depends on how large you make the cookies, but approximately 15 sandwiches.
Recommended Products
I may earn a small amount from qualifying affiliate purchases; this amount goes to fund this blog and does not cost you anything additional.
Nutrition Information
Yield 15 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 307Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 33mgSodium 328mgCarbohydrates 44gFiber 1gSugar 41gProtein 1g
Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe.
Pin for later!
My son is allergic to coconut. Is there a good substitute for the coconut milk?
Hi Monique, any high fat milk will do, so for example if he can do dairy, use whipping cream or half and half. I hope that helps!
~jules
These received 10 thumbs up from our family of 5. The cookies are soft so the frosting doesn’t squish out and just a perfect treat!
They look amazing!!!! I’m so glad everyone loved these Little Debbies! Thanks so much for sharing your yummy pic, Stephanie!
~jules
The recipe only says half of the cookie mix to add and then the other half. How much cookie mix do you originally use?
Thanks
Hi Ashley, it’s a rough 1/2 and 1/2 just so that you’re not adding it all at once; you’ll add the whole mix in the end, so just add it all, just not all at once. I hope that helps!
~jules
Hi, what is a good substitute for oats. Even if they are certified as organic, safe and not contaminated, as a Celiac I cannot eat oats.
Thanks, ps. I love your products and especially your recipes and videos.
Hi Dano, thanks so much for your kind words. SO happy that my products, recipes and videos are helpful to you! Regarding oats, you’re not the only one who can’t tolerate oats, but luckily there is a substitution! Check out gluten free quinoa flakes for an oatmeal sub in baking and for breakfast. I hope it works out for you so you can enjoy recipes like this one again!
~jules
Whoops! I used your roll out cookie dough, not the original cookie dough mix. Other than that I did everything to the “T”! They still turned out delicious, yummy! 😋 Maybe a little more cake texture (?). I used organic simple mills vanilla frosting, easy!
Thank you for working so hard and creating wonderful products!👍❤️😋
Wow! Good to know, Janie! I never would have thought to use the Gluten Free Cut Out Cookie Mix dough instead, but why not? I’m sure it still tasted yummy, just a different texture. So glad you went with it and followed through with the recipe (and came back to let me know how it went!!). YAY! And thanks for your sweet note – thank YOU!
~jules
I used to eat oatmeal pies a lot when I was younger, but yours look way healthier! I love your technique of flattening the dough all at once. It looks like an easy way to get your cookies a uniform size!
They want to puff up, so the technique works well for these cookies, Sarah. I hope you love the recipe!
~jules
I loved these growing up. Can’t wait to make them GF!
I use to have debbie’s pies all the time as a kid! This is like reliving my childhood, love that!
It definitely brings back good memories! Enjoy!!!
~jules
Oh, yum!! I remember these from my pre-celiac days. What a great nostalgic treat to have on hand!
These look so delicious! So much better than the store-bought!
Yes! Exactly, Erin!
~jules
OK…Your Next Challenge…My absolute favorite Little Debbie snack was the “Nutty Bar”. That crispy wafer with PB and chocolate…just YUM! It’s been over 15 years. I have to imagine making those wafers at home is nearly impossible though. You up for it??!! 🙂
Ooooh I haven’t thought of those in a long time, Netti! I’ll have to get to work!
~jules
Would there be any substitute for the shortening that you would recommend?
Hi Kelly, I usually like to use Spectrum Palm Oil shortening, but an alternative would be solid coconut oil. Enjoy the recipe!
~jules
Oh my! These are delicious! I pinned this recipe months ago, but finally made them yesterday. So good…there might be a fight for the last one. I didn’t have quite enough confectioners sugar for the filling so I combined melted marshmallows, butter, about a cup of sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Turned out pretty good. Thanks for the recipe!
I use my larger cupcake pan to get even sized cookies, that way even for packing in containers they all fit.
That’s a super smart idea, Georgie. I’ve used English Muffin rings for that, too. Uniformity that tastes so good!
~jules