My Easter Table

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! We celebrated Easter Sunday with brunch at my house this year. It was nice but it's so much work entertaining people, even if it is your own family. It's important to me to have a very clean house and to have the clutter put away and the plants watered (ha!) and the table set and flowers arranged in vases. It's not all necessary, but it's part of my gift to those who visit. I want to give them the best of what we have. Does that make sense?

Anyway, it's exhausting and that's why we only have people over a couple times a year :-) This year we had my in-laws, my mom and stepdad, and my siblings over. For brunch I made mini frittatas with sausage and potatoes and brown sugar pancakes. My mother-in-law made a wonderful punch and my mother brought over fruit salad. We had orange juice and coffee and for dessert I made these yummy carrot cake sandwich cookies that I saw on Every Last Cookie, which I served on my new cake stand. For thank you favors I sent our guests home with ducky and egg iced sugar cookies!

These cookies were like having your own personal carrot cake. The cookies were loaded with spices, oatmeal and carrots. The recipe called for raisins but I forgot to add them because I was chatting with Ingrid while making these and I got distracted. Truthfully, I think she was sending me subliminal messages NOT to add them because she doesn't like them but I think the chewy contrast of the raisins would be nice. ha ha! They're a soft cakey cookie then you fill them a simple cream cheese frosting. I made them a day in advance and refrigerated them so the flavors could meld together and the cookies softened. I would say these were a hit and if you like carrot cake these are for you! They make a ton so there's plenty to share. The only thing that could make these better would be this mascarpone cream cheese filling!

Carrot Cake Cookies from Martha's Cookies

Cookies:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1⁄2 cups finely grated carrots (about 2 large carrots)
• 1 cup raisins (optional)

Cream Cheese Filling:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; stir to combine. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; mix on low speed until just blended. Mix in oats, carrots, and raisins. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour. (I did not chill the dough and they were fine).

Preheat oven to 350°F. Shape tablespoons of dough into balls, and place on prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until browned and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the cream cheese frosting: Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add butter and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in powdered sugar and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla and stir to combine.

Once cookies are completely cooled, using an offset spatula, spread about 2 teaspoons of frosting onto flat sides of half the cookies. Sandwich together with remaining cookies. Cookies can be refrigerated in airtight containers up to 3 days.

Makes about 40 sandwich cookies.

I have this little guy in display all year round. Isn't he the cutest?!

How did you guys celebrate this weekend? What did y'all eat?!