oatmeal cream pies

oatmeal cookies are delicious. you know this. sandwiching them together with a sweet maple-y cream cheese is enough to make me get up and do a little jig around the room. add some dried tart cherries and it might morph into full on river dance. 

these cookies make me feel good about life. i want to go race my dog down the street or climb a tree. which is good. because if i wasn't running around i'd be sitting at home in my favorite part of the couch shoveling more of these dudes in my face. 

i like keeping them in the fridge. the filling firms up and gets cheesecakey. then you can have the most fun tearing off little bites with the perfect cookie to filling ratio. i can't think of anything i'd rather eat right now. back to the fridge!

Oatmeal Cream Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling

adapted from the Quaker geniuses

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup dried tart cherries

1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

preheat the oven to 350. whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until creamy. add the eggs and vanilla. mix in the dry ingredients. then stir in the oats, cherries, and pecans. drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets. bake 10-12 minutes til light golden brown. cool on some racks. 

Maple Cream Cheese Filling

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

2-3 cups confectioners sugar

1 1/2 tbsps maple syrup

beat the butter til smooth. add the cream cheese and beat til smooth. add sugar and syrup and beat. but not too much! or else it will loose structure and thats no good. 

fill cookies. sandwich together. feast.