Oatmeal Cream Sandwich Cookies

I had very difficult pre-teen and early teen years, I know most of us did.  But, did you have braces, not such a big deal these days but back then yikes! And a mother who was obsessed with Afros?  Well, I did, and being the skinny white girl with braces and an afro...you get the picture.

We had to drive 30 minutes to the town with the orthodontist, there weren't a lot of choices in rural Kansas.  We would go to the "city" do some shopping and stop by a Woolworths lunch counter for a burger before my orthodontist's appt.  After the adjustment I usually went a couple of days eating only soup and pudding, so my mom wanted to get some meat into me before the fast.  One of the things I loved about this particular Woolworth is they had a bowl of individually wrapped cookies at each booth.  You ate what you wanted and then just told the waitress what you ate so she could add it to the bill.  I usually ate about 6 of the oatmeal cream sandwiches.  This was a time to load up, and my mom never once said anything about the quantity of cookies I was eating.  I loved those cookies.

While I have outgrown the braces and the afro, I have not outgrown my love of oatmeal cream sandwich cookies.  These are my grown up version with a soft oatmeal cookie and a Nutella-mascarpone filling.  The best part about these is I can eat them as often as I want and I don't have to suffer with a sore mouth after.  Now, this is a walk down memory lane I can live with, no afro required.

Oatmeal Cream Sandwich Cookies
adapted from Perfecting the Pairing

Cookies:
 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ¼ cup dark brown sugar

2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups flour

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

¾ tsp salt

3 cups quick cooking oats

Frosting:
from Cook Like a Rock Star, Anne Burrell
1 1/2 cups Nutella
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl mix the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until well combined.  Add the eggs and vanilla, mix until completely combined.

In another large bowl mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Combine with a whisk.  Stir in the quick cooking oats.  Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two batches until thoroughly combined.

Scoop the cookies onto the lined baking sheets.  Lightly wet the bottom of a juice glass and press down on the cookies to flatten them into a disc.  Bake 10-15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through.  Watch the cookies closely.  Remove from the oven when the edges start to brown but the middle is still slightly soft.  Allow to cool completely on racks.

Meanwhile combine Nutella and mascarpone in a large mixing bowl.  In another bowl beat the heavy cream to soft peaks.  Add a spoonful of the whipped cream to the Nutella mixture and stir until you don't see any streaks.  Using a rubber spatula, fold a third of the remaining whipped cream into the Nutella.  Repeat this process two more times with the remaining whipped cream.  

When cookies are cool spread frosting between two cookies.  Continue until you have sandwiched all of the cookies.  Refrigerate until ready to eat. 

*I would recommend filling the cookies on the day you will eat them.  Otherwise keep them separate.

August 19, 2013   Daylight 16 hrs. 3 min. 13 sec.   Temp. H 65/ L 49° F