Whether you’re planning your Thanksgiving dessert ideas or just want an easy fall cookie for this weekend, this cookie sandwich recipe checks all the boxes. Keep reading for my best advice on how to make great oatmeal cookies, and then how to turn them into oatmeal cookie sandwiches!
What are the most common mistakes bakers make when making homemade oatmeal cookies?
Now, there may be different schools of thought on this, but in my opinion, the perfect oatmeal cookie recipe makes a soft and chewy cookie. The most common mistakes for bakers making soft and chewy oatmeal cookies are overbaking and using the wrong oats. I’ll put a list of common issues—and their solutions—below for troubleshooting oatmeal cookies at home.
If your cookies are coming out of the oven different than you expected, don’t fret! Just keep baking and enjoy them for what they are. It’s hard to remediate a dough that’s already finished, so just keep these tips and tricks in mind for your next batch.
My oatmeal cookies are dry, crumbly, or falling apart.
Old-fashioned rolled oats are the key ingredient here—they give these cookies their signature chewy texture. Quick oats can make them too dry, and steel-cut oats won’t soften properly. Use old-fashioned rolled oats. No substitutes!
My oatmeal cookies are too flat.
This often happens when the butter is too soft or the dough wasn’t chilled before baking. Warm dough spreads quickly in the oven. Next time, refrigerate your dough for at least 30 minutes before baking, and make sure your butter is softened—not melted—when mixing.
My oatmeal cookies are too fluffy or cakey.
This one can be a little trickier to troubleshoot. If your cookies are very fluffy, it could mean there’s too much flour—using the correct technique to measure out your flour is really important. Always spoon your flour into your measuring cup, then use the flat side of a butter knife or spatula to level it off. That’s called the “spoon and level method.” Too much flour can make your cookies dense or cakey instead of soft and chewy.
Super cakey or fluffy cookies can also be a result of overbeating the eggs (which incorporates extra air) or adding too much leavener (in this case, baking soda). If the latter is true, you’ll probably be able to taste it.
My oatmeal cookies came out crispy or crunchy.
This can happen if you leave them in the oven a few minutes too long. Oatmeal cookies firm up as they cool, so pull them out when the centers still look slightly soft. If you like a chewy cookie, trust me: You want to underbake them a tiny bit and let that leftover heat from the baking sheet finish the job.
What are the most common cookie mistakes overall?
Every cookie is different. I should know—I bake thousands of them every year, and I wrote an entire cookbook just about cookies! In any case, it would be impossible to list every mistake for every kind of cookie dough here, so I’ll just share a few.
Using butter that’s too warm is one issue—it causes cookies to spread out in the oven. Of course, that’s only for cookie doughs that use solid butter. Of course there are some that use melted butter too! Another common one is overbaking. If your cookies are coming out crunchy or burnt, you know you’ve overbaked them. On the other hand, underbaking could leave you with a doughy little mess. And like I said before, measuring your ingredients accurately is very important!
If you want to learn more and level up your baking technique, make sure to grab a copy of A Gift of Cookies: Recipes to Share with Family and Friends. I’ll say a little more about the book at the end of this article, too.
Should I refrigerate oatmeal cookie dough before baking?
Yes! Chilling this cookie dough is one of the best ways to guarantee a great texture. Letting the dough rest in the fridge for 30 minutes allows the flour to hydrate and the butter to firm up. That means your cookies won’t spread out too much. Even half an hour of chill time makes a big difference, I promise!
What happens if you put too much butter in oatmeal cookies?
Extra butter can lead to greasy, thin cookies. If you love a rich cookie, don’t try to get it with extra butter. Remember that mix-ins like toasted pecans and spices can add some truly satisfying flavors and textures. Yum!
How can I make my own oat flour?
It’s easy! Just place your old-fashioned rolled oats in a food processor or blender and process until the texture resembles flour. Use it right away or store it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. This recipe calls for a quarter cup.
I promised you a cookie sandwich. Yes, it’s finally time!
All that oatmeal cookie talk leads right here. These cookies are delicious on their own, but here they’re the base for a dreamy fall treat: an oatmeal cookie sandwich filled with pumpkin cream. The frosting is made with cream cheese, maple syrup, and Williams Sonoma pumpkin butter. If you love cream cheese cookies, this pumpkin version will be right up your alley. This really is one of my favorite pumpkin dessert recipes for the fall season. Cozy, festive, and fun to share—though you may want to hide a few away for yourself!
This recipe was inspired by my friends over at Williams Sonoma Lake Forest.
On my last visit (after a little shopping spree), the staff sent me home with a jar of their incredible pumpkin butter. One spoonful and I knew I had to bake something special with it! Thank you so much, Williams Sonoma!
Bake and Shop with Purpose this Holiday Season
As always, 100% of the proceeds from my cookbook sales will go to support local children’s charities—a cause close to my heart. Your support means the world, and together we can make a difference one cookie at a time.
Join me for a special event this October 18 and try these cookies for yourself!
Join me on October 18 from 2:00-4:00pm at Williams Sonoma in Lake Forest for a book signing and fall treat tasting! I’ll be signing A Gift of Cookies and My Life in Pies while serving up these cookie sandwiches and Mexican hot chocolate with Williams Sonoma’s famous peppermint bark. All proceeds benefit Hephzibah Children’s Association and the OPRF Infant Welfare Society.
Oatmeal Cookie Sandwich Recipe with Pumpkin Cream
Fall calls for oatmeal cookies—and what could be better than dressing them up with pumpkin cream? Made with Williams Sonoma pumpkin butter, these homemade cookie sandwiches make a festive Thanksgiving dessert idea, and they’re delicious all autumn long.
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, oat flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars for 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat well to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until incorporated.
- Fold the pecans in by hand using a rubber spatula. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Form the dough into 20 small balls (about 1 tablespoon each). Arrange them on parchment-lined baking sheet pans, 2 to 3 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are a light golden brown and the middle is set. Be careful not to overbake them. Remove from the oven and let your cookies rest for 5 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks.
- Prepare the pumpkin butter. With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth, then mix in the pumpkin butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar, cardamom, and orange zest. Continue mixing until the mixture is nice and fluffy.
- Spread a generous dollop of filling onto the flat side of half of the cookies. Make sure they’re completely cool first!
- Top with your remaining cookies to form sandwiches and gently squeeze together before serving. Enjoy!
