Cute little (not that little) sandwich cookies with delicious flavor and an excuse for me to buy Fluff for the first time since I got back to New England. The original recipe used cinnamon and nutmeg in the cookies, and I just went ahead and used apple pie spice and thought it was perfect.
Ingredients:
Cookies:
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons apple pie spice
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups old fashioned or quick cooking oats (just not instant)
Filling:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 7.5 ounce container Fluff
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
To make the cookies, first stir together the flour, apple pie spice, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
Combine the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and beat on medium-high with the paddle attachment until creamed.
Reduce the speed to medium and beat in the eggs one at a time.
Beat in the vanilla, then stir in the flour mixture.
Stir in the oats as well.
Put the bowl in the fridge and chill at least 1 hour, or until the dough is firm enough to shape into balls. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle.
Line two large sheets with parchment/silpats. Scoop dough into 1″ balls, spaced 2″ apart on the pans.
Press down gently on the top of each to slightly flatten.
Bake one pan at a time, for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. I had enough for almost a 3rd full pan.
Once the cookies are cooled, make the filling. Beat the butter until smooth, then beat in the powdered sugar.
Add the Fluff and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
Spread a heaping tablespoon of filling on the bottom of one cookie, and use another cookie to sandwich. Repeat with all the remaining cookies. You may have some filling left over.
Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
Slightly adapted from The Daily Cookie.
Cookies:
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons apple pie spice
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups old fashioned or quick cooking oats (just not instant)
Filling:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 7.5 ounce container Fluff
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
To make the cookies, first stir together the flour, apple pie spice, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
Combine the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and beat on medium-high with the paddle attachment until creamed. Reduce the speed to medium and beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla, then stir in the flour mixture, followed by the oats. Put the bowl in the fridge and chill at least 1 hour, or until the dough is firm enough to shape into balls. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle.
Line two large sheets with parchment/silpats. Scoop dough into 1″ balls, spaced 2″ apart on the pans. Press down gently on the top of each to slightly flatten. Bake one pan at a time, for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cookies are cooled, make the filling. Beat the butter until smooth, then beat in the powdered sugar.Add the Fluff and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
Spread a heaping tablespoon of filling on the bottom of one cookie, and use another cookie to sandwich. Repeat with all the remaining cookies.
Add the butter and process until evenly moist, using a spatula to stir if needed to get dry patches away from the walls of the processor.
Dump into the lined pan and press evenly into the bottom.
Bake 10 minutes, until set, then set aside on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.
Add the sour cream, peanut butter, Nutella/chocolate peanut butter, vanilla, and kosher salt, and beat again on medium until just combined.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each until smooth.
Pour into the crust and spread evenly.
Bake until the filling is mostly set, just a little jiggle in the center still, 20-25 minutes. Cool to room temp on a wire rack, about an hour, then refrigerate at least 4 hours.
When the bars are chilled, make the ganache. Put the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until just simmering. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit without stirring for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Pour the ganache over the cheesecake. Let set at room temperature until it begins to set, about 15 minutes, then sprinkle on the chocolate (if you put on the chocolate too soon, it’ll sink right in).
Preheat oven to 400. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment, and spray with baking spray if using foil.
In a small dish, stir together the olive oil, soy sauce, and honey. Pour over the tofu and again toss gently.
Spread in a single layer over part of the baking sheet.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, tossing halfway through.
Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, water, and vinegar in a small saucepan and stir together. Place the cornstarch in a small dish and pour 2-3 tablespoons of the sauce mixture into it, stirring until the cornstarch is all mixed in. Pour the cornstarch mixture back into the pot and add the brown sugar and garlic. Put over medium heat and whisk until the sauce has thickened.
Serve the tofu and broccoli over rice with a drizzle of sauce.
These are pretty intense looking, but were very doable in a day during which I did a whole lotta other stuff, especially because I had multiple bags of caramel bits already so skipped making that layer from scratch. I’ve gotten good response sharing with a few friends! The original recipe said use an 8″ or 9″ square pan and I used an 8″, since my 9″ pan still had leftover 
Combine the crumbs and melted butter in a medium bowl and stir together. Pour into the lined 9×9″ pan and spread evenly, pressing firmly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
When the crust has cooled, combine the caramel bits and water in a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 2 minutes.
Stir until smooth, then pour over the crust. Set aside.
In a small dish, combine 1/3 cup water, the vanilla, and gelatin and stir until no dry clumps remain. Set aside.
In a deep pot, combine the the water, honey, brown sugar, and salt. Put over medium heat and stir to combine.
Heat until a thermometer in the mixture reaches 245-250.
Remove from the heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.
Let cool for a quick minute, then add the now-congealed gelatin.
Beat with the whisk attachment, starting on low speak and working up to medium, and beating for around 10 minutes.
While the gelatin mixture is beating, heat the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
If your caramel layer is room temperature and the caramel isn’t sticky at all, throw it back in the oven for just a few minutes, just long enough to soften the caramel a bit to help it stick to the marshmallow. Spread the marshmallow onto the caramel layer, and spread evenly. Let set for at least 4 hours.
To cut, run a sharp knife under hot water until the blade is hot, then wipe the blade dry. Spray with some cooking grease, and slice. To store, put in an airtight container in the fridge, but bring back to room temp for cutting/eating.
In a large bowl, mash the banana until smooth.
Stir in the chocolate mixture, followed by the salt and flour.
Check that the batter isn’t still so warm that it would melt your chocolate chips, and if it’s cool enough, stir them in. (Otherwise, wait a few minutes until it has cooled.) Transfer the batter to your lined 9×9″ dish.
In a small dish, mix together the peanut butter and oil.
Drop spoonfuls over the batter, then drag a knife through the batter to marble the peanut butter in. In my cold house, on the cold marble counter, the chocolate in the batter had already firmed back up enough that it was quite firm and resistant to ‘marbling’.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until they appear set. While the peanut butter bakes, it gets little air holes in it, so if that’s going to bother you, drop small spoonfuls of additional peanut butter on the still-hot brownies, and it’ll melt into the holes in the existing peanut butter.
Let cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 2 hours. Remove from the pan and cut into squares, and enjoy.
Ingredients:
After the 7 hours, remove the bay leaf and discard. Remove the chicken onto a plate and shred, then return to the crock pot.
Stir in the chicken, and the cilantro if using. Serve with tortilla chips.
Microwave your peanut butter for 30 seconds to make it more pourable, then spread evenly over the top of the slices.
Move the pan into your freezer while you microwave the chocolate in 30 second bursts, stirring after each, to melt the chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, take the pan back out and spread the chocolate evenly on top of the peanut butter-ed bananas.
Freeze for an hour, then either slice with a sharp knife, or break off individual banana slices as you snack. Easy peasy!
Ingredients:
Beat in the egg and vanilla.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, milk powder, and baking powder.
Beat the dry goods into the cream cheese mixture in several additions. Refrigerate the dough at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake until light brown, 10-12 minutes.
Let cool briefly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. It took me long enough to roll the dough balls that it made sense to just put one pan in the oven at a time and work on the other. I ended up with about 3 1/2 pans’ worth.
Bring to a boil, and continue to cook at a low boil for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. It’s honestly ok to get the first 4 ingredients in and heating while you chop the apples as long as you take a break from chopping to stir once in a while.
While the caramel apple mixture boils, combine the dry goods from the dumplings in a small bowl, and the liquids in a measuring cup.
Stir together until no dry bits still exist.
Spoon big spoonfuls of batter into the boiling caramel apple mixture, trying to space them out evenly.
Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes. After that, the surface of the dumplings may look wet, but that’s probably just external mixture, they should be cooked through.
Scoop, and serve with some vanilla ice cream!
When ready to cook, drain the beans, then combine with the broth and 4 cups water over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until tender, at least 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and herbs and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the squash and cook for 5 minutes.
Drain the cooked beans, reserving the liquid, and pour 6 cups (after evaporation, that’s most of it) into the pot with the squash.
Cook at a simmer until the squash starts to become tender. Add the beans and continue cooking until the squash is very soft.
Season with salt if needed. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
