Veggie Turkey and Cookies and Candies

Not at the same time, mind you!

The Turkey

Some years back I had created a simple veggie tray with the look of a turkey, for the purpose of teaching a class. It was a hit, because everyone in the class was able to recreate it, making everyone feel good. Granted, it is simple. But, you know? Sometimes simple is the best.  So if you happen to need a veggie tray for upcoming festivities, or to take and assemble somewhere else, this one will be great for you. There is no real recipe. Just set the vegetables in the manner shown, and voila!

Turkey Crudite Platter

More veggies can be added to make a more artistic "turkey" or just to be able to serve more people. Cauliflower or broccoli florets would be a pretty addition. Also, olives, whether black, green or reddish (Kalamata) can also be added into spaces. Arrange these in a symmetric manner and there you have it.

Turkey Crudité Platter

Serves a small crowd, alongside other appetizers

1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 cucumber
1 bag of "baby carrots"
1 black olive (or more, as desired) 
2 scallions
large lettuce leaves to line platter
1 large, round serving platter

A few hours or up to a couple of days ahead, cut off the roots from the scallions, then cut off the tops to leave a length about 4-inches long. Slice lengthwise down the white parts, about 1 to 1½-inches up the length of the white part. Repeat with at least one more cut lengthwise, and a third, if possible, to give the scallion the ability to curl. Set the white, cut ends of the scallion down into a jar or bowl with ample room to allow for the scallions to curl evenly. Place in the fridge to chill. Once the scallions have curled, they are ready to use.

From the bottom of a green pepper, cut off about a 1-inch thick chunk; this will be the turkey's "face." Set aside.

Slice the cucumber into rings, Cut the remaining part of the green pepper in half, lengthwise, clean out seeds and membranes and slice across into thin half-"circle" rings. Set aside. Cut the two other bell peppers in half, lengthwise, clean out seeds and membranes, then cut across into thin (about ½-inch thick) half rings. Set aside.From some of the top or bottom pieces of the red and yellow peppers, cut a long, narrow, triangular wedge; these will be the beak and wattle. 

Place lettuce leaves onto the platter, enough so they will be visible all around the edges, making a nice "frame." Begin by making the body of the turkey using the cucumber slices, layering them towards the bottom ⅔ of the platter and building them up in the center. Arrange the baby carrots neatly around the top half of the platter, making two or more rows, as needed. Layer on the red bell pepper rings nearest the top edge of the cucumbers, then the yellow pepper rings, then the green pepper rings, which should now be slightly overlapping the carrots. Set the inch-thick piece of green bell pepper on top of the mound of cucumbers. Place two black olive slices as eyes, then the yellow pepper wedge pointing downwards as the beak, with the red pepper "wattle" triangle near and slightly downwards from the beak. Remove the scallions from the cold water, draining them slightly, then set them with the green tops slipped underneath the cucumbers at the bottom, and now the scallions are the feet. And now you have a lovely turkey to dress your table.


Here are a couple of other possibilities for Christmas: Another platter, mainly broccoli in the shape of a tree and cauliflower florets to set it off, plus some little tomatoes to make it festive. The second uses a foot-high Styrofoam cone, covered in either foil or plastic film. The broccoli florets are attached by inserting toothpicks (the kind that are sharp on both ends) first into the broccoli, then placed onto the Styrofoam. Leave room to create a garland, using little red tomatoes and black olives, inserting toothpicks first into the Styrofoam, then placing the tomato or olive (trying to press these softer vegetables with the toothpick already inserted does not work well). Cut a star from a red bell pepper and insert a toothpick up into the bottom, before inserting it atop the "tree."

Christmas Tree Crudite Platters

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And, on to the Cookies!

Christmas is fast approaching. Scary thought! It is not too early to begin thinking of visitors, parties, get-togethers and such, and planning, planning, planning! And while veggie platters are all well and good, cookies are the name of the game in most houses. I have some old favorites I want to share here, and more that will be shared in another blog. Or two. I do have a lot of cookie recipes, as I have been at this a lot of years, already!

Pecan Praline Fudge

Having made a chocolate fudge using pinto beans as a base ingredient (Nutritious, Delicious Fudge), I wondered how it would be to make a white "fudge" using white beans and no cocoa? My first intent was to make the recipe Maple Walnut, but switched to Pecan Praline. Feel free to substitute maple flavoring for the pecan praline flavoring and walnuts for the pecans, if desired. These were just amazing. As I am no chocoholic, these were higher on my favorites than the chocolate variety.

Pecan Praline Fudge

Makes one 9 x 13-inch pan

Pecan Praline Fudge

1 can (15-ounce) white beans (navy or great northern)   
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons pecan praline flavoring
2 pounds + 2 cups confectioners' sugar (about 6 cups in total)
2 cups pecans, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Lightly butter a 9 x 13-inch pan and set aside.

Pour beans into a colander and run copious amounts of cool water over them until they stop foaming. Allow to drain well, then place the beans in the bowl of a food processor. Process until very smooth, stopping and scraping the sides as needed. Add in the melted butter and the flavorings and process to blend thoroughly.

Pour the mass into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in the confectioners' sugar and starting very slowly, mix until the whole mass comes together. Add in the pecans and salt and mix again only just to combine. Turn out the whole mass into the prepared pan and with a spatula, press the fudge into the whole pan evenly. Refrigerate until ready to use. Cut into whatever size pieces you prefer for serving.

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Orange, Pistachio & Craisin Fudge

A variation on the above recipe, this one makes a beautiful holiday display, with red, green and yellow mixed in.

Orange Pistachio & Craisin Fudge

Makes one 9 x 13-inch pan

Orange Pistachio & Craisin Fudge

1 can (15-ounce) white beans (navy or great northern)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon pistachio flavoring, if available
2 pounds + 2 cups confectioners' sugar (about 6 cups in total)
2 cups total candied orange peel, dried cranberries (craisins) and pistachios, lightly chopped
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Lightly butter a 9 x 13-inch pan and set aside.

Pour beans into a colander and run copious amounts of cool water over them until they stop foaming. Allow to drain well, then place the beans in the bowl of a food processor. Process until very smooth, stopping and scraping the sides as needed. Add in the melted butter and the flavorings and process to blend thoroughly.

Pour the mass into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in the confectioners' sugar and salt, then starting very slowly, mix until the whole mass comes together. Add in the orange peel, craisins and pistachios and mix again only just to combine. Turn out the whole mass into the prepared pan and with a spatula, press the fudge into the whole pan evenly. Refrigerate until ready to use. Cut into whatever size pieces you prefer for serving.

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Springerle

Traditionally anise flavored and made with stamped images, these cookies can also be made with

Springerle Cookies

other flavors. I chose to make mine orange flavored. These cookies must be made at least 12 hours prior to baking, as the drying time allows the images to set and show after baking. They puff while baking, so trying to bake them too soon may result in the image being blurred.

Makes about 60 to 70 (1¼ x 2-inch) cookies

4 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon orange zest
¼ teaspoon orange flavoring
3½ to 4 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and lemon colored. Add in the sugar gradually while still beating, and then the butter, baking powder, orange zest and flavoring. Begin to incorporate the flour. You may not need all the flour, but the dough should come out stiff and not very sticky. More flour may be added while rolling out the dough if needed.

Flour a surface and turn out the dough. With a regular rolling pin, roll the dough to about ⅓ to ½-inch thick. Using a springerle mold, rolling pin, or cookie stamps, press the mold into the dough to imprint a clear picture. Cut apart the cookies and set them on a floured board or towel. allow the cookies to air dry, uncovered, for at least 12 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Set the dried cookies onto lightly greased baking sheets. Bake them for approximately 15 minutes or until set but not brown.

NOTES: If desired, using edible colored dusts, the designs can be tinted prettily.

Springerle unbaked and baked

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Try These Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies

It has been a while since I have managed to get back to my blog. November was an exceedingly busy month, for me. And now we are into December, and it will get even busier, so before things really go crazy, I did want to post this recipe I started back in late October!
 

Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies with Marshmallow Creme

I had a lovely, Soft Pumpkin Cookie recipe I'd been using for years and finally got posted, but then I got thinking, "What about a Pumpkin Sandwich Cookie?" I couldn't recall ever seeing such a thing, so I started thinking about how could I make a slightly more crisp cookie, using a moist vegetable like squash? I did see a lot of recipes for "Pumpkin Spice Cookies," but these were nothing more than spice cookies, using the usual spices used when making a pumpkin pie. Beware, because there is no pumpkin or squash in those recipes at all. They are just spice cookies! 

Next, I went looking for other cookies I had made that would work as a sandwich. Then, comparing and reworking, to try and get the recipe to come out with a cookie at least crisp enough to hold shape when sandwiching. I didn't want domed cookies that would make the final sandwich look like a ball, because I did see some made that way online. They are probably delicious, but not at all what I wanted for my outcome. 

The amount of actual pumpkin/squash in the recipe would have to be fairly low, or else the cookies would be far too soft. Not enough pumpkin/squash and you have no flavor at all. A fine balancing act, to be sure.

And then of course: what to fill the cookies with? How would they stand up to being filled. When you bite, would all the filling just squeeze out? For my first attempt, I used a cream cheese frosting, flavored with pumpkin pie spice. The mixture was far too soft. It did literally flatten, on taking a bite, leaving all the filling falling out around the edges. Not at all good. And then I saw a suggestion somewhere for using Marshmallow Fluff. Hmmm. So then I went hunting for Marshmallow Fluff recipes, and it turned out to be not too difficult at all, so I compared a few recipes and went my own way, slightly on the low side of sweetness levels. The Marshmallow Creme recipe came together easily. The most difficult thing about the recipe was trying to put it into jars or containers once made! It can be made ahead of time, if needed.

Marshmallow Creme

Marshmallow Creme

Makes about 2 pints

3 large egg whites (4 fl.oz. / 114 grams)
½ teaspoon cream of tartar (0.05 oz./1 gram)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (1 oz./30 grams)
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⅔ cup granulated sugar (5.2 oz./148 grams)
⅓ cup water (3 fl.oz./88 grams)
¾ cup golden syrup (9.3 oz./265 grams)
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon caramel flavoring, optional

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until very foamy. Slowly add in the 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat to soft peaks.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the ⅔ cup granulated sugar, the water and the golden syrup (or substitute dark corn syrup, honey, or a combination of these two). Stir until the granulated sugar is dissolved, then bring to boil without stirring and using a candy thermometer, bring the syrup to 240 degrees F. 

Immediately remove from heat and re-start the whisking of the egg whites in the mixer bowl on medium high speed. Begin pouring the hot syrup carefully just down the side of the bowl, being very careful not to let the syrup hit the whisk attachment. Beat until all the syrup has been added, then continue to beat for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, until cooled. Beat in the flavorings. The marshmallow creme can be stored at room temperature for three days or in the fridge, well covered.

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Back to the Cookies. When I made this batch of cookies, it was my second batch, having first made them filled with a cream cheese icing, unsuccessfully. This time, I opted to cut them out with a fluted-edge cutter, and then I poked little holes in the centers using a two-tined pickle fork. Remember when making these, that they will be sandwiched, so there will ultimately be half the amount of finished cookies than the original amount of single wafers.

Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies

Made 94 wafer cookies / 47 sandwich cookies 

Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies with Marshmallow Creme

1 cup butter, at room temperature
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice 
½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Add in the yolks and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree and beat in. Combine the dry ingredients, then on very low speed, add to the creamed mixture, slowly, until all the flour is well mixed in. Flour a surface and roll out the dough rather thinly, about ⅛-inch thick. Cut out 2 or 2½-inch diameter cookies and bake them on ungreased cookie sheets for 14 to 16 minutes, or until set and just barely golden. Remove from cookie sheets immediately, to a rack or clean surface to cool completely before filling.  

Baked Cookies and Filling them

Set one cookie top side down and pipe or spoon on the filling, then top with another wafer right side up.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Tis the Season for Pumpkin

'Tis the season for Pumpkin in all its forms. My favorite of the squash varieties, when it comes to baking, are either butternut squash or one of those big blue-green colored ones, whether called Jarradale, Jamboree or whichever name they come by. They have such lovely smooth flesh, making them ideal for things like pumpkin pie, pumpkin tarts, pumpkin loaves, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cookies and anything else baked with pumpkin. Another reason I love these two types of squash best for baking is that they are less watery. 

Some Squash Varieties

Most every "pumpkin" (those orange ones, be they round, flat or other) I have ever tried is stringy and/or watery, even the sugar pumpkins. I bake my squash, to avoid having any water added to the equation, but even so, the pumpkin varieties give off so much liquid that by the time you've set the cooked flesh into a colander to drain for use in a recipe, there is not much left to use. 

I try to accomplish a nice, thick puree, similar to a can of "pumpkin." Ultimately, I use either the blue Jarradale type or everyday butternut for this purpose. Just my preference. If you have great luck with another variety, then do use whatever works for you. 

And then, there are always cans of "pumpkin," in case you run out during the year!
 

Soft Pumpkin Cookies

I started off using some of my stash of already baked and pureed Jarradale squash in the freezer. I do this with the big blue varieties in the fall and portion it into freezer zip-top bags in 2-cup portions, suitable for a pie. If I need less than 2 cups for a recipe, then I use the rest added into soup, which gives a nice body (not to mention great flavor) to any thin soup. This time, I decided to make Soft Pumpkin Cookies.

Lard vs Shortening vs Butter

I want to clarify on my reasons for using lard in this recipe. Firstly, I do not like using shortening, which is an unnatural product, and worse for one by far than lard or butter, which are from natural sources. (My own opinion.) I have made these cookies various times using one of all three fats. Butter tastes great, but leaves a flat cookie, just too soft. Shortening works better, keeping shape a bit more and holding their domed shape a bit better. Lard makes these cookies tender and delicate yet still retaining their pretty dome shape on baking. Ergo; lard it is, for me. Just know if you switch the fat the results will be far different. 

These cookies are, as the name states, "soft." They have a most wonderful flavor, and are as delicate as can be. They have a nice glaze icing using browned butter, making these truly irresistible. Next I want to attempt a Pumpkin Sandwich Cookie. I have the cookie part down, but was unhappy with the filling, which was too soft. Back to the drawing board with the icing part, but for now, here are my Soft Pumpkin Cookies:

Soft Pumpkin Cookies

Made 5½ dozen (2-teaspoon) drop cookies

Soft Pumpkin Cookies

COOKIES:
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup lard (or shortening)
1 cup pureed pumpkin/squash, or canned pumpkin
zest of one orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole grain, ground Kamut Khorasan flour (or half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour)
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup ground nuts (walnuts preferred)

ICING:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (no butter substitutes!)
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 3 tablespoons milk, as needed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Have ready one or two ungreased baking sheets.

COOKIES: Combine in a mixer bowl the sugars and lard, beating until smooth. Add in the pureed pumpkin, orange zest and vanilla extract and beat to combine. In a separate bowl whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves. Add the dry ingredients in, beating very slowly until moistened, then beat briskly just to combine thoroughly. Add the nuts and stir to distribute.

Drop the cookies onto the baking sheet(s) using a two-teaspoon measure or cookie scoop, keeping them at least 2 inches apart. Try not to make them any larger, as they come out soft already. Bake the cookies for about 9 to 11 minutes, or until just set. Remove the cookies at once to racks to cool completely.

ICING: Heat the butter in a preferably light-colored skillet, so you can keep track of the browning process. Allow the butter to brown nicely, but not burn. Using a non-butter imitation will only burn. Pour the browned butter into the confectioners' sugar in a bowl and stir to combine. Add in the vanilla and a pinch of salt, if desired. Add milk one tablespoon at a time, only if needed to make an icing that the cookies can be dipped into, leaving with a nice coating. If too stiff, add a little more milk. Dip the tops of the cookies in the icing, then turn upright and let the icing set.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

One of My Traditional Christmas Cookies

Cinnamon Cookies

Somehow, in all the years since I started with my website and this blog, I have never yet entered this recipe for Christmas Cookies. I guess it is such a part of the scenery at Christmas that I just forget to share the recipe? Maybe? Whatever reason it may be, these have been overlooked, yet they have been a part of my Christmas Cookie repertoire from my earliest cookie-making days in Guatemala as a new young wife. 

I guess fiddling with recipes has been in my nature even back then when I didn't really know anything about cooking at all. The original recipe started out with my 1966 edition of The Joy of Cooking. That book was where I really picked up a love of understanding a recipe and what makes it work. The recipe I used was one with various alternatives. You could use white sugar or brown sugar. You could use cinnamon or other spices, or no spices. You could make them like "thumbprint" cookies and fill them, or not. There were so many options available, and I chose the route of using brown sugar and the cinnamon, but not making them into thumbprint cookies. And to add my own touch, I set a glace cherry on top. 
 

Cinnamon Cookies

While the recipe is not 100% original, in these days it is truly difficult to find anything that is totally original. I sat down a couple of years ago to create a cookie recipe all of my own. I took the amount of flour I thought would give me the size recipe I wanted. I added in sugar in the quantity I thought would be sufficient without being too much. I used butter, because butter is best! Egg, of course. Baking powder, vanilla extract, salt. I wrote down all the quantities I felt would be best for what I wanted. And I made them and they came out truly great. And then? I found a recipe online that was exactly the same! The same proportion of every single thing! I did no copying, no looking at other recipes. I wanted it to be my own. And someone already had the exact same recipe out there. How frustrating.

But really, there are these basic ingredients and only so many ways to alter the proportions. Not trying to justify using a pre-written recipe to build something, but it is just too easy to do. However I came to this recipe, I have been making it since my children were tiny, and we have all loved them, forever. So what are these cookies? I call them Cinnamon Cookies. Uninspired title, perhaps. But that is what they are. And if you like cinnamon, there is nothing NOT to like about these cookies; it uses a whole tablespoon of cinnamon for a quite small recipe. 

These cookies are rolled into balls, then rolled in granulated sugar, then flattened slightly, as with peanut butter cookies. Then I set a half glaceed cherry into the center, pressing a bit to adhere. Over the years, I have tried rolling the balls into green sugar granules and setting a half green glaceed cherry on top, and also used red sugar granules and red glaceed cherry half. But I think after all the experiments, they look best rolled in regular white granulated sugar and with either red or green glaceed cherry on top. The recipe is very small, at only 28 cookies, more or less. I generally double the recipe, and have even quadrupled it, when all the kids were still at home and we also had guests.

Cinnamon Cookies

Cinnamon Cookies

Makes about 28 cookies

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon salt
- granulated sugar, for rolling
14 - 16 glaceed cherries, halved

Cream together the butter and brown sugar until very light. Beat in the egg to combine completely. Whisk together  the cinnamon, flour and salt, then add in these dry ingredients all at once and mix just until no dry flour remains. Do not over-mix. Bring the dough together into a solid mass and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or place in a zip-top bag. Chill the dough for at least 2 to 3 hours, or overnight.

*DO AHEAD: If prepping early, make the dough, wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 weeks. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.

Preheat oven to 375. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar to completely coat, then set at least 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet(s). Use a glass or other flat-bottomed object to flatten the cookie balls to about ¼-inch thick discs. Set a half cherry in the center, pressing gently to adhere (the stickiness of glaceed cherries works well, here). Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until set and barely beginning to turn golden at the edges. Remove them immediately to a clean counter or cookie rack to cool.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Remembering Some Cookies Called Gauchos

Long ago (in the late 1960s, but don't tell anybody, okay?) I used to love these cookies called "Gauchos." I guess the brand name was "Burry's," though that part didn't stick in my memory. I did remember the elephant on the box, when I saw them online. Gauchos were oatmeal peanut butter cookies with a sweet peanut butter filling.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

I have never, ever been one of those who would eat a teaspoon (or tablespoon) of plain peanut butter from the jar. I don't think I have ever done that, even in childhood. I have lots of vices, but that isn't one. On the contrary, I am most certainly one of those who eat cookie dough, lick the beaters after making cake or cookies, scoop out remains in the bowl. I know this gives some people the shudders, and maybe the "raw egg police" will come after me, but since my earliest childhood, I followed Mom around by her apron strings in the kitchen waiting just for these treats. I never got sick from it, either, not in all these years since. And yes, she wore aprons, mostly those with the bib top like this pattern shown at left.

Somehow though, I just really loved these Gauchos cookies. I love oatmeal cookies, and these had oatmeal in them, too. Maybe that was my tipping point. Or maybe it is just the fact of sweetened peanut butter in the middle? I have a really serious sweet tooth. I love peanut butter cookie dough, but not the cookies once they are baked.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

All these musings, and I still cannot say what specific thing is what made me love these particular cookies, but I recall, as a teen, going through whole boxes all on my own! So this morning, I suddenly remembered these, and wondered if someone had a recipe out there. As it turns out, there are lots of the exact same recipe posted on many blog sites. I made only a minor change in the cookies and one in the filling. Most places show the same recipe whether it is for what used to be Gauchos, or the Girl Scout Cookies called "Do-Si-Dos®," and apparently the same company made both, or so I read somewhere. 

Long and short of it all is that I gave into the temptation this morning, and though the recipe is the same on numerous web or blog sites, I am posting it here one more time, with my own small changes and observations. 

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Makes about 45 large sandwich cookies or up to 60 smaller ones

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies before sandwiching

COOKIES:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 cups quick cooking rolled oats

FILLING:
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
¾ cup peanut butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut parchment to fit various cookie sheets.

In bowl of a stand mixer, add in the first 4 ingredients for the cookies and start beating slowly, until the mixture is creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat to combine. 

In a separate bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add this to the mixer bowl and starting on low speed, gently mix until there is no fluffy powder left. Increase speed and combine well. Add the oatmeal and mix to just combine. 

I used a 2-teaspoon cookie scoop first, which yielded large cookies almost 3-inches in diameter. A little past halfway scooping the cookies, I switched to a 1-teaspoon scoop. They seem small, but puff and spread when they bake. Allow plenty of room on the parchment lined sheets. Flatten the cookie mounds to about ¼-inch thick. Bake larger cookies for about 9 to 11 minutes, or until lightly golden. Smaller sized cookies bake for about 8 minutes total.

Allow the cookies to cool completely. They will harden enough to handle. Then make the Filling. Place the first three Filling ingredients into the clean mixer bowl and begin beating slowly, until all the confectioners' sugar is moistened. Increase speed slightly to cream. Mixture will be thick. Add in 3 tablespoons of heavy cream and beat to combine. 

If a piping bag is available, it makes quick work of piping the filling onto the cookies. Turn one cookie bottom side up and pipe on the filling (or spread with a knife or icing spatula), then top with another cookie, right side up. Repeat with all pairs of cookies. 

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.