Oatmeal Raisin Whoopie Pies – Cream Cheese Frosting

Oatmeal raisin whoopie pies are one of those desserts that blow you away by how good they are! Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, because these are honestly hands down one of my favorite cookies I’ve made. The soft, chewy oatmeal raisin cookie paired with the thick and rich cream cheese frosting is a match made in heaven. Trust me on this one, it will blow your mind! The cookies are so good they can stand alone by themselves, but I’m an frosting girl so I’m all about it!

Hand holding up two oatmeal raisin whoopie pie cookies stacked but cut into to see the center against a white background.

What you need to make oatmeal raisin whoopie pies + substitutions:

FOR THE OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES:

Unsalted butter- You can also use any neutral oil. Canola, vegetable, etc. I just used avocado oil because it’s what I had and you don’t taste it.
Brown sugar- Brown sugar gives it that caramel note, perfect sweetness, and deep rich brown color.
Granulated sugar- You can use white sugar, cane sugar, whatever you prefer. I haven’t tested coconut sugar.
Egg- The egg helps to bind the oatmeal raisin whoopie pies, and really helps to give it taste and texture. Make sure these are room temperature as well (on the counter for at least an hour) to help the recipe bind together better.
Vanilla extract- No baked good recipe is complete without vanilla extract in my opinion. It’s key!
All-purpose flour- Almond and coconut flour do not have the same measurements so they will not work in this recipe. However, gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour works!. Make sure to find one with xantham gum, I love Bob’s Red Mill, but any should do.
Old-fashioned rolled oats- I’m not sure if quick oats would create the same consistency here. Rolled oats work really well to give a nice chew! You could try quick, but I haven’t tested for myself.
Baking soda- Helps to produce a light and fluffy and perfectly cooked cookie.
Cinnamon- The cinnamon adds the nice warm flavor.
Sea salt- Salt brings out the flavor, and is a must in baked goods!
Raisins- Raisins are ideal here, I wouldn’t try to substitute for another dried fruit personally.

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

Powdered sugar- This is what makes frosting so delicious! I learned recently that if you don’t have powdered on hand, you can blend up granulated until powdered. Here’s how to do it!
Cream cheese- Cream cheese frosting will forever be hands down my favorite. It’s just SO GOOD. I’ve never tried substituting with dairy free cream cheese, but I’m sure it would work if needed!
Unsalted butter- You can use both unsalted or salted. Either should work fine. Make sure your butter is room temperature for the perfect creaminess.
Vanilla extract- This adds the perfect touch to the icing!
Pinch of sea salt- Helps to bring out the flavor! You can omit if you do salted butter.

Overhead and close up view shot of four oatmeal raisin whoopie pies against a white background.

Tips for making them:

Let the oatmeal raisin cookies cool completely before icing. You want to make sure the cookies are completely cooled before adding the frosting. You can even store them in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to speed up the process. Sometimes it helps when the cookies are a little harder to get the frosting on easier!
The cookies are so good they can easily stand alone on their own! I am a frosting girl, so I basically use any excuse to add frosting but these are fabulous by themselves (Thomas prefers them without frosting)!
This is the cookie scooper I use for ALL my cookie recipes! Pretty sure it’s actually an ice cream scoop so it works for that too, but it makes scooping cookies SO EASY!

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Oatmeal raisin whoopie pies with cream cheese frosting in hand

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Oatmeal Raisin Whoopie Pies – Cream Cheese Frosting

Oatmeal raisin whoopie pies are one of those desserts that blow you away by how good they are! Don't judge a book by it's cover, because these are honestly hands down one of my favorite cookies I've made. The soft, chewy oatmeal raisin cookie paired with the thick and rich cream cheese frosting is a match made in heaven.

Cook Time11

Course: Dessert

Keyword: cookies, cream cheese frosting, dessert, oatmeal, oatmeal raisin, raisin

Servings: full whoopie pies

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
½ cup brown sugar light or dark
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup all-purpose flour spoon and leveled
1¼ cups rolled oats
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp sea salt
⅔ cup raisins

For the Frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar packed
4 oz cream cheese room temperature
4 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
½ tsp vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt

Instructions

For the Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
In a large mixing bowl or stand mix, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Next, add in the flour, rolled oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and sea salt, and mix until well combined.
Add in the raisins and gently fold in until incorporated.
From here, I find it easiest to refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes to make it easier to scoop out. If you refrigerate the dough, it will make the cookies thicker and if you do it from room temperature, they'll be a little flatter, but both are equally delicious!
When you’re ready, scoop dough onto a lined baking sheet (either parchment paper or a silpat). I love using a cookie scooper because I find it easier to use. You can also just scoop out with a big spoon.
I made 16 cookies this time around. You can make yours larger or smaller! Just adjust your cook time. 16 single cookies so 8 full whoopie pies.
Bake for 8-11 minutes. Less time if baking from room temperature, more time if they're coming from the fridge. You want the tops set but soft. They’ll continue to cook when you take them out so don’t over bake!
Once done, cool on the baking sheet for about 5-10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Frosting:

Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl cream together the butter, cream cheese and vanilla extract.
Add in the powdered sugar and sea salt and mix until well combined. Set aside.

To assemble Cookies:

Once cookies are completely cooled, spread or pipe frosting on the backside of one cookie and top it with the backside of the other cookie, making a cookie sandwich! Enjoy!

Notes

For Storing: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Can stay at room temperature for a few hours!

For Freezing: Freeze cookies fully cooked and frosted in a freezer bag! You can store in the fridge first so the icing hardens and then store right in the freezer! Delicious straight from the freezer or thawed on the counter for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.