Oatmeal Cream Pies

I remember eating those Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream pies growing up.  I always thought they were SO good.  But now, I am older and a bit wiser.  I've come to realize how processed they are.  I love baking and I love making something new to share at family gatherings.  I wanted to really do something different for this Easter!  For Palm Sunday I made Apple Pie Cupcakes.  Oh they were delicious made from scratch cupcakes, filled with homemade apple pie and topped with homemade buttercream icing!  Good, but VERY time consuming.  I believe I spent at least 3 hours on those!  Those cupcakes were totally worth!  Anyhow, I was searching around for a new dessert recipe and came across oatmeal cream pies!  I debated between that and another recipe, but of course decided on the pies!  My house is smelling very delicious right now and I can't wait to try them tomorrow!  Due to the late hour for me and my baby girl is going to wake me up at 6am, I am going to make the cream filling in the morning after I feed her!  So, without further delay...here is the recipe! Hope you enjoy and HAPPY EASTER!

Oatmeal Cream Pies

Yield: 15 to 18 cookie sandwiches
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 12 to 14 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

A simple recipe for soft and chewy oatmeal cookies with a cream cheese filling.

Ingredients:

For the Cookies:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
For the Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Make the Cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place racks in upper-third and lower-third of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon; set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and molasses on high speed until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
4. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. With a rubber spatula, stir in the oats. Drop the dough in 2-tablespoonful mounds 2-inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set at the edges and slightly soft in the middle, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
5. Make the Filling: Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
6. Assemble the Cream Pies: Spread the filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich them with the remaining cookies. Store cookies in an airtight container with wax paper or parchment paper between layers, refrigerated for up to 5 days.

(Recipe adapted from Everyday Food)

Deviled Avocado Eggs

Deviled Avocado Eggs

Ingredients

• Mix 1 large avocado with 3 egg yolks,
• add 1 tsp. cilantro and 3 tsp lime juice,
• 1 tbsp red onion.
• Pinch of salt and pepper.
• Top with a dash of chili or paprika.

Apple Pie filled cupcakes

I was asked to make cupcakes for my family's Palm Sunday Easter get together!  I didn't want to just use some box mix from the store & I wanted to makes something different.  So I searched different recipes.  I came across this recipe and another cheesecake cupcake recipe.  I asked my husband which one I should make he said this one!  This does take some time to do!  I recommend making the apple pie filling while the cupcakes are baking.  That way it can cool while the cupcakes are cooking.  Then once the cupcakes have been sitting out on a cooling rake for about 10minutes, then make the buttercream frosting.  These were SO delicious!  I also put a couple apple pie pieces on top of the frosting to add a bit of decoration to it. 

For Apple Pie filled cupcakes,

What you will need:

For the cupcakes:

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

For the apple pie filling:

2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar
3 large granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced

For the vanilla buttercream:

2 1/2 sticks butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

To make the cupcakes, combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy (approximately 2 minutes.) Next, beat in eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla extract. Alternate beating in the dry ingredients and milk, in small increments, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Divide the batter evenly among cupcake tins. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place cupcakes on a cooling rack.

To make the apple pie filling, melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add cinnamon and sugar and heat until bubbly. Lower the heat and stir in apples. Coat thoroughly with cinnamon sugar mixture. Cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes, until apples are tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before filling the cupcakes.

To make the frosting, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until creamy. Stir in sugar and salt and beat on medium-low speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add vanilla and heavy cream. Mix on medium-low speed for approximately four minutes, until frosting appears light and fluffy.

To assemble, use a paring knife to cut out the center of each cupcake. Fill each cupcake with apple pie filling, and frost with buttercream.