Oatmeal Cream Pies

 

I. LOVE. Oatmeal cookies. Love them! Chewy oatmeal cookies in particular. And these cookies are, in my book, perfection. They are chewy, moist, and oh so addicting. What could make an oatmeal cookie even better? Raisins? Chocolate chips? How about an oatmeal cookie sandwich with a layer of creamy filling in the middle! 

My mom has always loved oatmeal cream pies. They've been her Debbie snacks of choice for as long as I can remember. I, on the other hand, found them rather boring when I was growing up! I always leaned more towards the chocolatey, cakey, fudgy types of Little Debbies snacks. I love oatmeal cream pies now that I'm an adult, but I definitely think the homemade version is the best.

I've decided that I don't bake cookies as often as I should. Well, my husband actually decided that I don't make cookies often enough, then voiced those feelings to me, and I had to agree. With my love for baking and my desire to do so, we really should never be without fresh cookies in our home! So my new goal, especially for the holidays, is to try to make a dozen cookies a week. That way hubbs can never complain about my lack of baking and I can try out some of the recipes that I've had on my "Recipes To Try" list for way too long.

This really is a great cookie recipe if you like your oatmeal cookies to be chewy. This is the recipe I use as a base when I want oatmeal raisin or oatmeal chip cookies. It's nothing fancy--just simple and perfect! This filling is good. I didn't go crazy over it on it's own, but it' pretty delicious with the cookies. I may try a plain vanilla buttercream next time just to see what I like better, but I'd make this filling again. And if my husband's reaction means anything (which it definitely means a lot! He's never afraid to tell me when a recipe should be tweaked) then nothing about this recipe needs to be changed. 

This recipe yielded 17 pies for me, and this was pretty much a perfect amount of filling to go around. 

Please make these! You won't regret it.



Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup all purpose flour
1 2/3 cups old fashioned oats
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 C butter, room temperature
3/4 C dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and oats. 
Cream the butter and sugars together until well blended, and then beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined.

Scoop the dough into tablespoon sized balls and place them on ungreased non-stick baking sheet (or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper). Bake for about 8 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. The middle of the cookies may still look raw, but don't worry! They will finish cooking together and this way you'll get a perfectly chewy cookie. Please don't overbake them!
Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

Filling
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
3.5 oz marshmallow fluff (half of a 7 oz container)
2/3 cup powdered sugar (I may reduce to 1/2 cup next time)
1 t vanilla extract

With your mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and marshmallow fluff for about 3 minutes. Slowly add the powdered sugar until it's mixed in, and then add the vanilla extract. Continue beating until it's smooth and thick.

Pipe about a tablespoon of filling on half of your cookies, and then place a similar sized cookie on top to make a sandwich. 

Tada! Oatmeal cream pies! 



Pour yourself some cold milk and enjoy!

Jordie




Recipe adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Hazelnut Cappuccino Cupcakes with Nutella Filling

These cupcakes are delicious! They are incredibly light and hazelnutty. The texture of the cake reminds of me of a fluffy waffle, so that along with the mild hint of coffee makes these perfect for a healthy, balanced breakfast. ;)  The original recipe used 7 minute frosting, but I absolutely adore these with the whipped cream frosting. I mean, what could be more perfect than whipped cream for a cappuccino cupcake?! I really didn't want to stop eating these when I made them. I had 3 the first night (please don't judge me!) and then sent the rest of to work with D the next morning (phew!) These were a hit at his office, and I will definitely make them again sometime. 


Hazelnut Cappuccino Cupcakes
1 cup milk, room temperature
1 & 1/2 t espresso powder 
2 t vanilla
1 and 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
5 large egg whites, room temperature
3 and 1/4 cup sifted cake flour (sift first, then measure) 
1 and 1/2 TBSP baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 and 3/4 cups sugar
4 T hazelnut syrup, divided 


Preheat the oven to 350 and line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
Combine the milk with the espresso powder, vanilla and 2 Tablespoons of hazelnut syrup. 
Lightly whisk the sifted cake flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.
Beat the butter on medium speed until smooth.  Gradually add the sugar, beating until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.
On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk mixture, ending with the flour.  Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions.
In a different bowl, use the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Fold in a third of the beaten egg whites into the mixture until incorporated, then add the remainder, gently folding until combined.
Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
*note: some of my cupcakes had a rather ugly domed top because I filled the tins about 3/4 full. Not a big deal, just something that bugged me a little bit.


Place on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes.  Lightly brush remaining hazelnut syrup over the still hot cupcakes.
After 10 minutes, remove the cupcakes from the pans and cool completely on the racks.

Nutella Filling
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup nutella
1.5 cups powdered sugar
2 T heavy whipping cream
pinch salt

Beat the butter and nutella together until creamy, then slowly add the powdered sugar and mix on low until completely combined. Add the salt and vanilla extract. Add the heavy whipping cream and beat on medium speed for one minute.



Stabilized Hazelnut Whipped Cream Frosting
1 t. unflavored gelatin powder
4 t. cold water
1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4-1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-3 T hazelnut syrup
1/2 t. vanilla extract

First, sprinkle the gelatin powder over the cold water and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it starts to look thick and clumpy.
Then, heat it, either over gently simmering water on the stove or in the microwave, just until the gelatin is dissolved. 
Let this mixture cool until it's no longer warm at all, just room temperature, but do not let it cool so long that it actually starts to set (or you will have really gross, chewy lumps in your frosting!)
Beat the heavy whipping cream until it starts to look frothy, then add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and hazelnut syrup. Beat on med-high speed until it gets thick, then, on low speed, beat in the gelatin mixture. Switch your mixer to high and beat until stick peaks form. 
*You can stop and test it before it's at the stiff peak stage to see if it is sweet or hazelnutty enough for your tastebuds, and adjust accordingly.

To assemble the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped piece of cake out of each cupcake. Fill with about a tablespoon of the hazelnut filling, then replace the piece of cake that you had cut out. Frost generously with the hazelnut whipped cream and enjoy!

*The whipped cream frosting is just as good when made without the gelatin. The gelatin helps it keep it's form better, but I don't care for the texture after it sits in the fridge for a few days (if the cupcakes last that long). If you care about piping the whipped cream, I'd go with the stabilized version using gelatin. If you aren't too picky and just want a nice dollop of whipped cream, I'd skip the gelatin and whip the cream without it. :)

Hazelnut Cappuccino Cupcakes adapted from Bake at 350
Stabilized whipped cream adapted from Food.com
Nutella Filling adapted from Kitchen Treaty

Fluffy Flourless Chocolate Cake with Bailey's Whipped Cream

This cake is not your usual dense and moist homemade chocolate cake. Nope, this cake is so incredibly light and fluffy that you might find yourself going back for another piece because one just didn't cut it! I decided to make chocolate ganache to be the filling for my cake, and I'm so glad I did. It added a delicious fudgyness that wouldn't have otherwise been there. At the time I had been out of heavy whipping cream (sad face) so I decided to go with a whipped Bailey's buttercream frosting instead. Bailey's is probably one of my favorite frosting flavors, ever. It was very good, though next time I will go with a Bailey's whipped cream frosting. I also cut the recipe in half, as it is just my husband and me, so that's why my cake only has two layers.

Fluffy Flourless Chocolate Cake

12 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped

6 tablespoons water

12 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

1 1/3 cup sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

To Make cake layers: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease four 9-inch circular cake pans and line bottoms of circles with a piece of parchment paper.

Melt chocolate with water in a small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring. Cool to lukewarm.

In your stand mixer, beat yolks, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt until thick and pale for about 5 minutes.  Stir in melted chocolate until combined.  In a separate HUGE bowl, beat 12 egg whites until they hold stiff peaks (clean your beaters).  I use hand held mixer with a very large stainless steel bowl for this-

Add remaining sugar and beat until whites just hold stiff peaks. Fold one third of whites into melted-chocolate mixture, then fold in remaining whites carefully.

Spread batter evenly over four baking pans.   Bake until the cake has puffed and the top is dry to the touch, maybe 16 minutes.  I rotated my cake pans once to ensure they cooked evenly.  Once the cake is done, cool the cake pans on cooling racks for about 10 minutes.

If you wish, sift cocoa powder over top of cake layers.  Then place a piece of waxed paper over the top of the cake pans. Place a cookie sheet over paper and invert cake onto it, gently peeling off wax paper lining. For best results, place all of the layers in the freezer for at least 2 hours or until they are firm enough to be carefully lifted without breaking.

Chocolate Ganache Filling

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Stir in the rum if desired.

Allow the ganache to cool until thick, then whip with a whisk until light and fluffy.

Bailey's Whipped Cream

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted

4 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur

*or substitute 4 tablespoons cocoa and 1 teaspoon vanilla for the liqueur.

Directions:

Combine heavy cream, powdered sugar and Bailey’s in a clean bowl, and whip until stiff peaks form.

Cake assembly:

Remove cakes from freezer, and place one cake on a serving plate. Spread 1/3 of the chocolate ganache over cake layer, and then repeat with second and third cake layers. Place the fourth and final layer on top, and frost cake with the whipped cream. Sprinkle with miniature chocolate chips, if desired.

Cake Recipe Adapted from Gluten Free Mommy 

Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches

When I saw a recipe for Flourless Chocolate Cookies on Pinterest, I knew I had to try them. I baked them up and was pretty happy with the results. These cookies are almost like thin brownies. Pleasantly crisp on the outside, yet chewy and fudgy. My only complaint was that they were a little too sweet for my taste. 
As soon as I took a bite I knew they needed something to cut the sweetness, so I whipped up some cream and viola! The ice cream sandwich was born. I stuck my little cookie sandwiches in the freezer and a few hours later I was in love. I've tried freezing regular chocolate chip cookies with ice cream in the middle before, only to find that it was impossible to bite into the frozen cookie. Not fun! However when these were frozen, they stayed chewy and soft and absolutely delicious! The second time I made these I changed things up a little. It was a winner for me! I will put my version of the cookies below, but feel free to check out my source if you'd like to see the original measurements.


Flourless Chocolate Cookies


2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cups mini bittersweet chocolate chips


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (or silpat mats). If you use parchment paper, give it a light swoosh of nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together powdered sugar with cocoa powder and salt. Whisk in egg whites (start w/ just two) and vanilla extract and beat just until the batter is moistened. You're looking for a brownie-like, thick and fudgy batter consistency. If it seems too thick, add another egg white-- then a 4th one if it still seems too thick. Gently stir in chocolate chips.
3. Spoon batter onto the prepared baking sheet and carefully spread evenly with a spatula. Bake about 14 minutes, until the top is glossy and lightly cracked. Slide the parchment paper onto a wire rack. Let cool completely, and then use a pizza cutter to cut into squares.
*Alternatively, spoon the cookies into 12 equal  mounds onto 2 parchment lined cookie sheets, and bake.


Filling:
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 T powdered sugar
1 cup vanilla ice cream, softened


Whip the cream on high in a stand mixer or with a handheld electric mixer. When it starts to get frothy add the powdered sugar, and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to overwhip.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the softened ice cream. Spoon or pipe onto cookies, and carefully place a second cookie on top, taking care not to apply too much pressure. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in freezer for at least 3 hours.
If you'd like to dip them in sprinkles, do so after the filling has hardened in the freezer for a while.

Cookies adapted from kumquat 

Gourmet Cinnamon Rolls

My mom taught me how to make bread and cinnamon rolls when I was in my early teens, and for a while those were my favorite things to make. I've always loved to knead dough, and still get very happy when I see how delightfully puffy it gets after it has risen. I saw this recipe on one of my FAVORITE baking blogs, Sweetapolita, and knew I had to try it. The cinnamon rolls turned out amazing! She had listed a cream cheese frosting to go with them as well, and since I've never had cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting, decided to try them out. I wasn't crazy about it. To me, the tangyness of the cream cheese and lemon kind of made these taste like a cream cheese danish. Delicious, no doubt! Just not my preference for cinnamon rolls. So I will definitely make these cinnamon rolls again, but next time I will use a basic vanilla buttercream frosting, the way my mamma taught me. ;)

 Dough: 

1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast 

1 cup warm whole milk 

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1/3 cup butter 

1 teaspoon salt 

2 large eggs 

approximately 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 

3/4 cup bread flour 

Filling: 

3/4 cup light brown sugar 

1/4 cup 

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon 

1/3 cup butter 

 Method: 

For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Mix in the sugar, margarine salt, eggs, and eggs. Add the bread flour, and then mix in enough all-purpose flour until the dough is no longer sticky. 
Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, and dust with flour if it starts to stick to your hands. 
Put the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place about 1-2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size. 

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 21 inches long by 16 inches wide. It should be approx 1/4 thick. 
To make filling, combine the sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. 
Spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface, leaving about 1″ untouched on the top and bottom.

Gently roll into a fairly tight roll, trying to keep the filling inside.  With a sharp knife, slice into 12 pieces. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet about 2″ apart, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise for another hour. 

Bake in 400 degree oven on rack just above center, for about 10 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool on cooling rack and gently place into airtight container when cool. 

Adapted from Sweetapolita --the cream cheese frosting I was talking about is on her site, I didn't type it out here since I won't be making it again. 

Warm, gooey cinnamon rolls! YUM!

I packaged them up and sent them to work with my husband, they were well received. :)

Let me know if you try this recipe, and what you think!