I found the perfect thing. I had a recipe for Zucchini Nut Bread Cookie Sandwiches (whew! That's a mouthful and a half) from good ol' Martha. This looks like one of those Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies Dad used to eat all the time in his lunches. This one was kicked up a notch...or two. I subbed out apple for the zucchini and pecans for walnuts. The luscious cream cheese frosting was way better than anything I can remember that was sandwiched into a Little Debbie.
What I liked was it encompassed the flavors of the apple pie; apples, cinnamon, vanilla, butter--but in a different little package. I decided adding some apple pie spice to the cream filing would add a nice touch.
When I was baking them, I wished I had a way to bottle up the smell and share it with you here! The smell drew Dad into the kitchen for one of his investigations. He stated a phrase I have heard so many times, one of my childhood quotes to my Grama, "I smell something good to my nose!"
Now for the recipe...
Apple-Oatmeal Cream Pies
Prep Time 25 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Yields 12-14 sandwich cookies
Ingredients
For Cookies
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- Coarse salt
- 1 stick (8 T) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup finely grated apple
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
For Cream Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a bowl. Beat 1 stick butter and the sugars until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.
2. Beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Mix in apple, oats, and walnuts. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
 |
| I put my apples through the grater attachment of the food processor...two large did the trick! |
3. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop (about 2 tablespoons), drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden, about 17 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
 |
| Keep your bowl-o-batter in the kitchen between trays of baking. The chilled dough keep the cookies from spreading too thin while they bake! |
4. Beat together remaining 1/2 stick butter, the cream cheese, and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add apple pie spice and whip until incorporated.Spread 1 heaping tablespoon filling onto the flat side of 1 cookie, and sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining filling and cookies.
 |
| Adapted from Martha Stewart Living |
Aren't they pretty!
I stored these little cream pies in a airtight container in the refrigerator. I separated them with a layer of parchment because I knew such a moist cookie would stick to the others. They were good served at room temperature but also just as yummy cold, straight from the fridge.
We all really enjoyed these and I think I would have really liked the original recipe since I am a big fan of baking with zucchini. If you want, you could even throw some raisins or dried cranberries in these guys. I think the zucchini version with a cupful of mini-chocolate chips mixed in could be fun too! This recipe has a lot of room for playing!
Yumalicious Dishes!
