Making Oatmeal Cream Pies Jealous

I made these yummy things for Sam's nurse. Last year I took oatmeal raisin cookies to her at the hospital. She said she doesn't eat many sweets, but these are her favorite cookies- score! So this year, I wanted to make them just a little better and I think I succeeded. These were awesome, with a capital A. I gave her half of them and refrigerated the rest. They were even better the next day because the cookies softened and tasted like Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies- only much better and dare I say- healthier?

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

by Quaker

• 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 c. packed brown sugar
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
• 1 c. raisins
• 3 c. Quaker Oats, old fashioned, uncooked

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together butter and sugars til creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Add combined flour, soda, cinnamon, salt. Mix til fully incorporated. Stir in oats and raisins.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet, then remove to wire rack.

NOTE: I used an ice cream scoop to make uniform sized cookies. They were slightly bigger than tablespoonfuls so they took a couple more minutes to bake- approx. 14-15 minutes. Using the scoop yielded 36 cookies (or 18 sandwich cookies).

Mascarpone Cream Cheese Filling

• 8 oz. mascarpone cheese
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2-3 tbsp. honey
• 1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted

Combine cheeses in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer til creamy and lump free. Mix in desired amount of honey. Then stir in sugar til sweetened to your liking.

To assemble the sandwich cookies: Place about one tablespoon of mascarpone filling on one cookie and top with an additional cookie. Gently squeeze together to allow the filling to come to the edges. Don't press too hard or the filling will ooze out. Eat right away or refrigerate leftovers for up to 4-5 days. The longer they sit in the fridge, the softer they'll be. This recipe made enough filling for 18 sandwich cookies.