oh my! oatmeal cream pies!

Confession time. I’ve had crushes on girls. I’ll let that sink in a moment.

In fact, my first crush was a delightful gal. Her name was Debbie and she always wore a jaunty hat. She was also pretty small in stature, and many referred to her as Little Debbie. Sorry about that, couldn’t resist.  Nor could I resist Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies when I was a young whippersnapper. I’d see the new box in the cupboard on Wednesday nights. Wednesday was the regular day for the Derr family grocery shopping trip to Buehler’s in Wadsworth. It was my favorite night of the week.

I haven’t had a Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie in years. And I’ve always wondered why they spelled Creme like that. It always seemed so exotic to me, so fancy. Yep, these are the things a young gay kid in a small town obsesses about.

Anywho, I’d been thinking about these treats for a while, so over the weekend I got to work. And here’s the result.

A few notes: First, be sure to line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat liner. These are sticky cookies. Second, the recipe for the filling makes more than you’ll need for the 18 finished pies. Don’t worry, refrigerate the extra for a snack another day. It would be great for frosting cupcakes, dipping fruit into, or just eating by the spoonful. Yes, I’ve done that, and we all know you have too. So don’t judge me.

Oatmeal Cream Pies – a made by mike original

For the cookies:

• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Combine the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

Beat butter, sugar and honey in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until smooth. Reduce the mixer to low and add the oat and flour mixture. Beat until combined. Cover dough and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a 1.75 inch ice cream scoop, drop 6 scoops of dough (about 2 tablespoons each) onto a lined baking sheet. Leaving at least 3 inches between each cookie. Using wet fingers, flatten each cookie slightly. Bake 15 minutes, until cookies are golden. Allow the cookies to cool at  least 5 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the cream filling:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat butter and confectioners sugar until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add cream and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes.

To assemble the oatmeal cream pies, place about 1 tablespoon of cream filling on the back side of one cookie. Gently place the second cookie over the cream and press until it reaches the edge of the cookies.

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peach, blueberry and almond crisp

That’s right folks, finally a new recipe. Life’s been hectic, but Fall is here and things will hopefully slow down. Well, I can dream, can’t I?

As the temperatures begin to dip, I fall into a comfort food coma. To kick the season off, I present to you a made by mike original: Peach, Blueberry & Almond Crisp.

Over the summer I stocked up on lots of fresh fruit. To give a little extra longevity to their life, I made freezer jam and froze the rest of the fruit on baking sheets them transferred them to freezer bags for long-term storage.  It’s a lot of fun to pull a bag out of the freezer and make a delicious treat. I hope you enjoy this crisp.

Peach, Blueberry & Almond Crisp - a made by mike original

• 1 pound peeled and sliced peaches, fresh or thawed if frozen
• 1 and 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, optional
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced and very cold
• vanilla ice cream for serving

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8 inch square baking dish.

Place the peaches and blueberries in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle almond extract, if using, over the fruit.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, almonds, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut the cold butter into the dry mixture with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles crumbs.

Sprinkle the flour/oat mixture in an even layer over top of the fruit. Bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is browned.

Serve warm with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream.

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wordless wednesday – morning hike