Oatmeal Cream Pies are popular in a Richmond, Virginia bakery with a unique name

OMG OCPSPhoto byOMG OCPS SCREENSHOT

Erin Kennedy was very close to her uncle who loved Little Debbie cookies. He passed away from medical complications in 1997 when she was in the 10th grade. Erin traveled the world and worked at least 30 jobs, hoping to see an oatmeal cookie pie box to remind her of her uncle. When she couldn't find a Little Debbie box, her memory faded.

Erin Kennedy's solution

In 2013, Erin spotted a recipe in a magazine that reminded her of oatmeal cream pies. She had no cooking skills, but she was forced to try making them.

Erin said:

"I spent six hours on that first batch and messed the recipe up royally. However, I created something that hardly looked like a cookie, but tasted uniquely delicious. I took them to a local pot-luck and was shocked at how many "OMG these are amazing!" and "you should sell these!" comments I received."

After seven consistent years of the same "OMG ..." comments, Erin had the cookies she wanted because they reminded her of the ones her uncle used to eat.

Erin Kennedy began baking a treat popularized by the Little Debbie brand in her spare time. The treat consisted of two soft oatmeal cookies with a dollop of creamy frosting in between. Little Debbie’s cream filling was made with marshmallows, but Kennedy preferred a cream cheese base, and so did her fans.

Kennedy posted a question on Facebook:

“And then I said, ‘Hey,’ to my Facebook friends. ‘If I did sell them, would you buy them?’ They said yes, and then it just kept growing.”

Erin Kennedy's oatmeal cream pies

Oatmeal cream piesPhoto byOMGOCPS SCREENSHOT

In October 2023, Erin opened a tiny storefront at 3 N 17th Street, Richmond, VA 23219. She offers 12 or 13 flavor varieties each month with a theme for her Oatmeal Cream Pies (OCP's).

September was apples, so customers could choose caramel apple, apple crumb cake, apple cider, apple cinnamon pecan, apple butter, or apple bacon. Erin also offered PB&J with strawberry or grape jelly, sweet heat, chocolate dip, chocolate peanut butter, cinnamon chips, and oatmeal raisins. October's theme is centered around Halloween.

Kennedy has several employees who scoop the dough onto cookie sheets and bake. They never see the recipe because Kennedy does all the mixing to keep her recipe top secret.

OMG OCPs

For more information, go to https://www.omgocps.com. By the way, the initials in the name of her cookie shop stand for "Oh, My God. Oatmeal Cream Pies."