Pumpkin Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

To say that I've been a little obsessed with pumpkin this fall might be an understatement.  Since those first Dunkin Donuts pumpkin coffees arrived in early September, I've just wanted to eat and drink all things pumpkin-flavored in a culinary celebration of the season (I may or may not have cleaned out my local Trader Joe's pumpkiny selection).  I love the fact that pumpkin seems to work equally well in both sweet and savory concoctions, but recently, I was on the hunt for a cookie option to take to a fall-themed party.  Who doesn't love the smell of cookies baking?  And when you throw in some pumpkin, you've got a recipe for a perfect, homey, fall treat.  Last year, I made these and these, which were both awesome, but I wanted to try something new this time and stumbled upon this recipe for Oatmeal Pumpkin Creme Pies.  I liked the idea of making sandwich cookies, and jaysus, were these little devils delicious.  The oatmeal balances out the sweet decadence of the filling so nicely and gives the cookies a heartiness that pairs well with cool weather and hot coffee. They were a huge hit at the party and also at work, where I took some of the leftovers.  Have I convinced you to make them yet?  If yes, then here's what you have to do:

First up:  making the oatmeal cookies (which would be scrumptious all by themselves.  So if you get distracted by the newest episode of Modern Family before you make the filling, that's okay too).  Take a stick of softened, unsalted butter and cream it with 1/2 cup sugar and 3/4 brown sugar (I like the dark stuff) with a mixer.  

Next add an egg and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and blend well.  

In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 cup all-purpose flour, and 1 and 2/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, and mix together.

Take this concoction and slowly mix it into the butter/sugar/egg mixture until just combined.

 Now would be a good time to dunk your finger in and taste it.  Just be sure to turn off the mixer first.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour.  This apparently prevents the cookies from getting too flat.  If after an hour, you've managed to not eat all of the chilling dough, take it out of the fridge, preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line a cookie sheet or two with some parchment paper.  Take about 2 teaspoons of dough, roll it into a ball, and then put it on the cookie sheet.  Mine were probably slightly bigger than the original recipe's....I always seem to have a heavy hand when it comes to cookie size. 

 

Bake the cookies for about 9 minutes, until the edges look a bit golden.  Let them cool for a few on the tray and then transfer them to a wire rack.

 

As the cookies are cooling, you can make the pumpkin cream cheese filling.  But, before you begin, you should probably try one of the oatmeal cookies while they are still warm.  Actually, better make it two so you don't have an uneven number to turn into sandwiches.  You'll need your strength to make this very difficult filling, after all.  Go back to your mixer and blend together 4 oz. of softened cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of unsalted, softened butter, 1/4 cup pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I'd recommend Trader Joe's version, which has a dash of cardamom and lemon peel, but if you don't have any, you can improvise by mixing together 1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground ginger) at medium speed until smooth.  

Mix in 2-2.5 cups of powdered sugar, depending on how sweet you like it.  I put in the entire 2.5 cups because I am personally of the opinion that you can never add too much powdered sugar.

When you've got your icing nice and smooth, it's time to assemble the sandwiches.  Plop a generous dollop of  frosting on the flat side of a cookie, spread it around, and then top it with another cookie.  Continue doing this until you run out of icing, cookies, or the willpower that's holding you back from eating one immediately.

 Aren't they gorgeous?  You might want to take a picture because they certainly won't last long.

 

Isn't pumpkin season grand?

 

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The Witching Hours

After our morning of museuming, GK and I were famished, so we went off in search of lunch.  We hadn't gotten too far before we stumbled upon the Peabody Essex's Garden Restaurant.  We actually entered the restaurant via its  lovely Asian-inspired garden that borders the street and sat outside, but you can go in through the museum as well and sit inside if you prefer or if the weather isn't cooperating.

We started off with some wine and the fruit and cheese plate.  It just seems like more of a holiday when you can have wine with lunch, doesn't it?

For our mains, we both wanted something seasonal and light after gorging ourselves on the cheese, so GK chose the Roasted Beet and Feta starter while I had the soup of the day, butternut squash with bits of apple and brown rice.

The soup was good, but the flavor combination of the beets and feta was better.  With most museum restaurants, I feel like the food is often overpriced and underwhelming, but luckily this wasn't the case here and I would definitely recommend stopping by the Garden Restaurant if you've worked up an appetite after viewing the PEM's exhibits.  GK and I finished our wine and soaked up some sun until GK suggested that we explore more of Salem before I got too cheeky....

Soon, we had made it to the Burying Point, the oldest graveyard in Salem, dating back to 1637.  We spent some time wandering among the gravestones, looking at the macabre motifs carved onto them, enjoying the solemn, spooky atmosphere, and wondering about the lives of the people who were commemorated there long ago.

 

After leaving the Burying Point and walking around a bit more, GK and I decided to that we needed something sweet to shake off the solemn mood that the graveyard had evoked, so we went off in search of dessert.  Eventually, we stumbled upon Maria's Sweet Somethings, a chocolate and ice cream shop, full of delightfully kitschy witch paraphernalia.  GK and I both went for sundaes and we both ordered smalls, foolishly thinking that they wouldn't be that big. You can imagine my surprise and delight when I was handed this peanut butter monstrosity:

GK's caramel concoction was just as epic, but we made short work of them, like the true professionals that we are.

 

After we had finished our sundaes, we had a little over an hour left in Salem before we wanted to make the trip back to Boston, and we both wanted to hit up another historical site.  Luckily, in Maria's Sweet Somethings, GK had picked up a pamphlet for The Witch House.  Neither one of us had heard of it before, but as it is the only structure left standing in Salem that has direct connections to the Witch Trials, we decided to give it a go.  

The Witch House was the home of the Jonathan Corwin, a Salem judge who presided over some of the witch trials and even listened to some early testimony in his home.  The house is an interesting example of a historic home from the 17th century, and its displays give information on the witch trials, Corwin's life and family, and customs, medicine, and superstition in New England during this time period.  

The Witch House is a great stop on your Salem tour, especially if you only have a small amount of time to kill and you're more in the mood for something authentic and historic, rather than something of the cheesy witch-themed variety.  We went through the entire house in about an hour, and while they do offer guided tours, we opted for the less expensive self-guided tour and still feel like we learned a lot and didn't miss out on anything.

After leaving the Witch House, GK and I made our way back to Boston, feeling refreshed by our day out of the city and our step back in time, and in a decidedly more Halloween-ish mood.

  

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