Before I dive into this post, I want to first say THANK YOU to everyone for the amazing feedback of my Behind the Scenes post on vmacandcheese. A very special thanks again to Victoria for having me! I’m so excited to welcome my new readers, so let’s all share a little treat…
Who doesn’t love an oatmeal cream pie? I mean really. I think it’s the definition of a comfort snack. We ate pretty healthy foods growing up – balanced meals and processed foods in moderation. When I was in 4th and 5th grade my younger brother and I would go to our neighbor’s house after school until our parents got home from work. One of the perks of this situation is that Mrs. Fritz always had Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies stocked in her pantry. It was one of those things that I had never had before and I never ate anywhere else. As soon as we dropped our backpacks, we headed toward the pies. I even loved the crinkling sound of opening its plastic wrapper. It was the perfect individual afternoon treat – sweet and nutty, with a little taste of rebellion.
Every so often I get a familiar craving for an oatmeal cream pie. As part of my new mantra, “just bake it already!” I made them when I was dreaming of something sweet and nostalgic this past weekend. These absolutely did not disappoint. They completely transported me to those after school days, but of course they were even better home made. Please go make these cookies soon…I promise they are perfect.
Oatmeal Cream Pies – Adapted from Martha Stewart
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: four, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and molasses on high until light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl so make sure everything is incorporated. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until fully incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, mix in the oats.
- Drop the dough on to a cookie sheet, leaving plenty of room between each spoonful. Bake until cookies are just set at the edges and a bit soft in the middle, about 11 minutes, rotating pans half way through. Leave on sheets to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- For the filling, beat the cream cheese and confectioners sugar in a mixer until light. Spread on half of the cookies and sandwich with the rest.
Oh, and did I wish you a Happy February yet? I guess these heart shaped pies are a bit of a Valentine’s homage (or just a testament of my oatmeal cream pie love). Since I don’t have a Valentine this year, I’m sharing this holiday with a bunch of my favorite bloggers. For the week leading up to the 14th, check back for some seriously amazing guest posts. I’m totally feeling the blogger love this month!
