Tag Archives: cookie

Life is Sweet

oatmeal cream pies heart life is sweet

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…

oatmeal cream piesWho 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.

oatmeal cream pies

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
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: four, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon. Set aside.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

oatmeal cream pies

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!

Share on TumblrSubmit to StumbleUponShare via email

Cookie Pie

chocolate chip peanut butter cookie pie

I’ve had many friends joke with me recently about how my food blog is well, lacking food. My apologies! I’m just having too much fun going out with these friends almost every night to be at home and bake. This is a good problem to have and I’m totally happy with it.

I had a little time this week squeeze in a baking project though, so I’ll end this week by sharing a recipe I started the week with: this super comforting chocolate chip peanut butter cookie pie. I made this simple dessert for some friends on Sunday night for the premiere of season two of Downton Abbey. It was the perfect thing to nosh on while getting lost in the romantic countryside setting and Crawley family drama.

chocolate chip peanut butter cookie pie

Cookie pie is a perfect comfort food. Like a warm gooey chocolate chip cookie, but with some crunchy peanut butter mixed in and served deep dish like a pie. Um, what’s not to love here? This is an easy one folks. So when the winds gust up and it’s pretty chilly outside, spend a few minutes to whip this one up. You won’t be disappointed.

cookie pie chocolate chip peanut butter

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Pie

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 tsps baking powder
  • 1/4 tsps salt
  • 6 Tbs butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 350°
  2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
  3. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and vanilla until well combined. Beat on high for a bit. Add the egg until fully combined
  4. Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing well until incorporated.
  5. Mix in the chocolate chips.
  6. Pour and press batter into a 9″ round pan (mine is silicone so I don’t need to butter/flour/line with paper – but if you need to, do so now).
  7. Bake for about 20-22 minutes. (You still want it to be a little soft in the middle)
  8. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then release the cake. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!
Share on TumblrSubmit to StumbleUponShare via email

Mad for Mad Mac

I have to be honest. I didn’t love my first French macaron…possibly because it was rose flavored, which tasted like eating perfume. But it has been two years since I studied abroad in Paris for a semester and had that first macaron, standing outside Ladurée on the busy Champs-Élysées so the memory of the popular cookie has faded.

For my birthday this weekend, my mom gave me two boxes of macarons from Mad Mac, an “authentic French madeleine and macaron” company based in NJ. Biting into a hazelnut one, I remembered immediately what I learned to love about the delicate and sweet cookies in Paris. They actually aren’t too expensive ($18 for a box of 12) and I think they’re totally worth it if you aren’t up to trying to make them yourself. I loved the hazelnut, but the lemon and vanilla were also fantastic. (Also, I have to note that they’re gluten free, which is great for my friends over at Delight!)

I’m officially mad for macs again. (Watch out French Twist DC!) Have you had a Mad Mac? What do you think?

Share on TumblrSubmit to StumbleUponShare via email

Favorite Pistachio Cookies

These are my absolute favorite Christmas cookies. Every Christmas Eve my family hosts a large party for family and friends. We cook the Italian feast and everyone else brings dessert. One year, my Jewish high school boyfriend’s family came to the party and brought these amazing pistachio cookies. My aunt asked for the recipe that night and I’m so glad I have it now because it’s basically one of the only wonderful things I still hold on to connected to that relationship. Ha.

These cookies are soft, sweet, have the perfect pistachio flavor, oh and they are an awesome color!

Pistachio Cookies

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup softened butter
  • 8 oz. softened cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 2 ¼ cups flour
  • 1 package instant pistachio pudding (3.75 oz. box)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  1. Heat oven to 350°F.
  2. Beat together sugar, butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla and egg. In a separate bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients; whip into butter mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  3. Shape teaspoon fulls of dough into round balls or finger-like shapes and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown on the bottom. Let cool.
  5. Drizzle/decorate with melted chocolate and/or sprinkles. (I make them both ways!)

Share on TumblrSubmit to StumbleUponShare via email

White Chocolate Cranberry Biscotti

I love biscotti. It’s so simple yet has a special “I’m Italian and fancy and delicious” quality to it. It reminds me of family and vacation to Florence. I love the way the word rolls off my tongue. Its dessert, but you can also eat it with your coffee in the morning. And, it’s one of the easiest cookies to make.

My recipe is adapted from Giada De Laurentiis - I used cranberries because they are my boyfriend’s favorite and even though I don’t like white chocolate that much, I thought it paired well with the cranberries. Also the red and white colors were perfect for Christmas.

White Chocolate Cranberry Biscotti

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup of white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup of dried cranberries
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Mix together the dry ingredients. Using your electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter together and then add in the eggs. Slowly mix in the flour mixture. Stir in the white chocolate chips and the dried cranberries.
  3. Form the dough into a log shape (about 3 inches wide) on the lined baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes. Let cool for another 30 minutes.
  4. Carefully place the log on to a cutting board and using a serrated knife, cut diagonal slices. Place the biscotti cut-side down on the baking sheet again and bake again for another 15 minutes. Cool completely and serve with your morning coffee or late night hot chocolate.
Related Posts with Thumbnails
Share on TumblrSubmit to StumbleUponShare via email