AK Cookie Week 2025 is HERE, and I can’t wait to share this mix of brand new and tried-and-true cookie recipes that are guaranteed to win your cookie exchange this year.
Let’s kick it off with these beautiful Christmas oatmeal cream pies that have festive sprinkles baked right inside and mixed into the fluffy buttercream filling. They taste like a cross between your favorite sugar cookies and classic, chewy oatmeal cookies, and truly melt in your mouth.
Easily make them gluten-free or dairy-free if you’d like, and have fun baking and frosting these cute cookies with the kiddos this season! Santa told me these were his favorites (and will be yours, too).
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Everything you’ll need to make these Christmas sandwich cookies
We’re sandwiching the perfect chewy oatmeal sugar cookies with an easy buttercream frosting and mixing sprinkles in along the way for a festive, joyful cookie. Here’s what you’ll need to bake them:
- Butter: I like to use salted butter in the dough and filling for extra flavor (but unsalted works, too!)
- Sugar: we’re using a mix of light brown sugar and granulated sugar to sweeten the cookies.
- Eggs: you’ll need 2 eggs to help the cookies bake properly.
- Extra flavor: mix in both vanilla extract and a touch of almond extract to give them that true sugar cookie flavor.
- Flour: we’re using all-purpose flour in this dough. See below for a gluten-free option!
- Oats: don’t forget the old fashioned rolled oats for the perfect chewy texture.
- Baking staples: you’ll need baking soda and salt as well.
- Sprinkles: give the cookies their festive look by mixing sprinkles into the dough and into the filling! I like these natural, dye-free sprinkles.
- For the filling: we’re using more salted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and almond extract, a bit of milk, and more sprinkles to make a delicious, fluffy frosting.
Can I make them gluten-free or dairy-free?
- To make gluten-free: use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour and gluten-free rolled oats in the dough. So easy!
- To make dairy-free: use a dairy-free/vegan butter in the dough and in the frosting, plus dairy-free milk in the frosting. We love Myoko’s dairy free butter
Alternatively, you could bake these Grain Free Birthday Cake Cookies or these and use holiday sprinkles! Double the batch if you want to turn them into sandwich cookies. My Soft Cut Out Sugar Cookies are another great alternative that are gluten and grain free.
What about vegan?
I haven’t tested these cookies using flax eggs, but let me know in the comments if you give it a try! Then follow the substitutions for making them dairy-free.
Tips for making perfect Christmas oatmeal cream pies
- Chill the dough. After you mix the dough together, let it chill covered in the fridge for 30 minutes. This will help the butter incorporate with the dry ingredients and give you the right cookie thickness and texture.
- Don’t scoop too big. I recommend scooping just 1 heaping tablespoon of dough to roll into your dough balls so that the cookie sandwiches aren’t too big (and are equal in size).
- Cool before frosting. Be sure your cookies are completely cool before adding the frosting; otherwise, the frosting will soak into the cookies.
- Don’t overfill. Leave a little edge around the cookies when adding the frosting so that it doesn’t leak out when you press them together.
Make regular frosted Christmas cookies
Not into sandwich cookies, or want to feed more people? Simply frost each cookie individually instead of sandwiching them together. They’ll still be fun, delicious, and so festive for your cookie exchange (and will make a lot more!)
Storing tips
Keep the cookies in an airtight container or reusable silicone bag at room temperature for 2 days, then transfer to the fridge for up to 1 week.
How to freeze oatmeal cream pies
- To freeze without the filling: If you’d like to freeze the cookie dough or the baked cookies without the filling, you can get all of my tips & tricks for freezing cookie dough and baked cookies here! You can freeze the dough or baked cookies for up to 3 months.
- To freeze the cookies with the filling: place the Christmas oatmeal cream pies in a layer in a container and separate each layer with wax paper. Store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Once ready to enjoy, take out cookies and thaw them at room temperature for 30 minutes-1 hour, OR enjoy them straight from the freezer!
Tools you’ll need
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Cookie dough scoop
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Offset spatula or piping bag (for frosting)
Get all of my kitchen essentials here!
More cookie recipes you’ll love
- Salted Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Salted Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Filling
- Vanilla Brown Sugar Oatmeal Latte Cookies with Espresso Icing
- Italian Cherry Almond Cookies (dairy free & gluten free!)
- Mint Chocolate Cookies with Mint Frosting
Get all of my cookie recipes here!
I hope you love these Christmas oatmeal cream pies! If you make them, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Christmas Oatmeal Cream Pies
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients
- ¾ cups (1 ½ sticks, 170 grams) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (213 grams) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Dry ingredients
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (190 grams) rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (80 grams) artificial dye-free Christmas colored sprinkles (Supernatural brand)*
- Filling
- ¾ cup (170 grams) salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 to 2 ½ cups (226 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk of choice
- ⅓ cup (53g) artificial dye-free Christmas colored sprinkles (Supernatural brand)
Instructions
- Mix the wet ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract and mix again on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add the dry ingredients: Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt and beat on medium-low speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Add the sprinkles and mix on low speed until just incorporated into the dough.
- Chill the dough: The dough needs a quick rest. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes while you preheat your oven and clean up a bit.
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a small cookie scoop to grab about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough and then use your hands to roll into a ball and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with more dough, placing the balls 2 inches apart, until you’ve filled up the baking sheet. (Not all cookies will fit on the sheet in one batch.)
- Bake the cookies: Bake until the cookies are just golden brown on the edges, 9 to 10 minutes. Cool the cookies on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Once the baking sheet has cooled, repeat with remaining dough.
- While the cookies cool, make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the softened butter on high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat, starting on low speed and slowly increasing to high, until creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and beat again until smooth and spreadable, 30 more seconds. If necessary, add another 1 tablespoon of milk to achieve desired consistency. Gently fold the sprinkles in with a spatula until well incorporated.
- Assemble: Spread the flat bottom side of a cooled cookie with about 1 tablespoon of filling, leaving a small uncovered border around the edge of the cookie. Place another cookie on top, flat-side down, then very gently press down to create a cookie sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies.
- To store: Keep the cookies in an airtight container or reusable silicone bag at room temperature for 2 days, then transfer to the fridge for up to 1 week or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
Hello! Going to make this tomorrow with my littles:) I am wondering.. do you think you would notice a huge difference without the almond extract? Unfortunately there’s a nut allergy in my family.
They won’t have as big of a “sugar cookie” punch in terms of flavor, but they will still be delicious without it!
My nephew has a nut allergy. You can buy the artificial almond extract that contains no nuts or almonds! Just don’t buy the pure stuff and you are good.
Wow 10/10 myself, husbands, kids, neighbors and guaranteed Santa are going to love them!!
So happy to hear that!!
Hi! Do these freeze OK?
Yes! Check out the blog post for freezing instructions.
Hi! Super excited to bake these cookies this weekend! I am wondering when the servings say this makes 22 cookies, is it 22 single cookies, or 22 cookie sandwiches? Thank you!
Hi! It makes 22 cookie sandwiches 🙂
I loved these! Both tasty and unique option for Christmas cookie boxes.
Absolutely! Glad you loved them!
These taste so yummy! But mine turned out super flat, not sure if my butter was too warm or what. I chilled the dough for 24 hours and tried again and they were better but still flatter than preferred. Even though, they were too flat they still have great flavor and are delicious! Thinking of using them in my cookie box.
I’m glad they were still delicious! Did you weigh your ingredients? That’s best for proper measurement. These have been tested by 4 different professional testers using weights so we know the measurements are accurate as written. Let me know if you test again and be sure to use ROLLED old fashioned oats (not quick oats).
Made these for a Christmas party and they were a hit! I put a little cream cheese in the frosting for some tang and it was perfect.
Love that!!
Hi! I want to make this for Christmas. Can I make the dough in advance?
Sorry for the delay! Yes, next time feel free to refrigerate it!
These are the perfect festive cookie to add to my Christmas cookie box this year! Oatmeal cookies are so forgiving and these were no different! Everyone in my family has claimed these as their favorite this year.
Absolutely! So glad these were a hit!
Very delicious! Made these as part of my 24 cookies of Christmas challenge in which I make a different cookie recipe everyday from 12/1 until Christmas Eve. My kids loved them, though when they asked if they could have a Naughty Santa in public it did get some looks from strangers. It did make a lot of buttercream so I made some sandwiches and some just topped with frosting and still had leftover frosting. These will definitely be on the list for next year. Thank you Monique for yet another delicious recipe. I have yet to find a recipe of yours that my family of 9 doesn’t like!
Haha I didn’t consider the name in public, but so glad they were a hit! Perfect for the holidays 🙂
Too sweet for my taste. But I love her chocolate chip cookies
These ones are a bit on the sweeter side – sorry you didn’t love them!