Just like clockwork, every August I crave old back-to-school lunchbox favorites. Yes, I know I am a childless adult who is more than a decade away from her last first day of school, but I guess it’s pavlovian. In years past, it’s been peanut butter & jelly and Rice Krispies Treats. This time around, it’s arguably the second* best packaged sandwich cookie out there: Oatmeal Creme Pies.
*Oreos are first, obviously.
Now, I already have a recipe for a homemade version of Oatmeal Creme Pies—two actually—but this is a non-traditional school year and I think that warrants a non-traditional recipe. Nothing radical, nothing complicated. We’re talking all the flavor, soft texture and marshmallow magic of Oatmeal Creme Pies, but less than half the work.
Oatmeal Creme Pie Bars, y’all! These sweet squares are a cross between a thick cookie and a blondie topped with a soft & swoopy marshmallow frosting, and they taste *just* like your favorite school lunchbox treat. Yesssss.
The cookie layer is a streamlined version of my usual Oatmeal Creme Pie dough, made with quick oats (homemade or store bought) and a hint of cinnamon. The only “major” change is the addition of a tiny spoonful of baking powder for a little extra lift. The batter comes together in minutes before being spooned into a pan, then baked until golden at the edges and nearly cakey in the middle, the way all good Oatmeal Creme Pies are.
The marshmallow frosting is a take on my usual Oatmeal Creme Pie filling. It’s super smooth and a bit glossy in the best possible way. In the past, I’ve used shortening in my Oatmeal Creme Pie filling for maximum nostalgia, but swapped it for butter here with good results.
Heads up that this frosting will not “crust” or set in the same way as a traditional American buttercream, but a brief chill helps it to slice cleanly. It should be soft but not runny, and completely irresistible. With both marshmallow fluff and confectioner’s sugar, it will seem too sweet, but keep in mind that the cookie bar base is pretty light on sugar compared to most, so the end result will be pretty balanced. I mean, it’s still dessert, but it’s not cloying.
This batch of Oatmeal Creme Pie Bars came together in a relative flash—less than two hours top to tail, including cooling—meaning you might have time to whip some up soon, regardless of the fact that lunchboxes may not be a part of your life right now, whether it be because school is virtual or because you’re a 35 year old childless adult with a snack cake habit.
That said, I have it on good authority that after-school/afternoon snacks apply at all ages.
Oatmeal Creme Pie Bars
makes one 8- or 9-inch pan, about 16 bars
Bars:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
3/4 cups quick oats*
Marshmallow Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
7 ounces marshmallow fluff (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square pan. Line with parchment, leaving some overhang on two sides for removal. Grease again. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and fluffy, 60-90 seconds. Beat in brown sugar, followed by egg and yolk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix to combine. Mix in quick oats.
Spoon batter into the pan and spread in an even layer all the way to the edges. Bake 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let bars cool completely in their pan on a rack.
Make the marshmallow frosting. Cream the marshmallow fluff and shortening with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in confectioner’s sugar and salt. Add in vanilla and mix on high until the frosting is very fluffy.
Spread frosting over the top of the cooled bars. Chill for 30 minutes to set. Frosting will not harden.
Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan, then use the parchment overhang to lift the bars onto a cutting board. Use a large, sharp chef’s knife to slice bars, wiping clean between cuts. Serve.
Leftovers may be kept covered at room temperature for a couple of days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Ideally, they should be kept in one layer, but if stacking, place layers of parchment or wax paper between.
Note:
If you don’t have quick oats, you may blitz 1 cup of old-fashioned oats in the food processor until there are no whole oats visible. Steel cut oats will not work in this recipe.
It seems like every July my mind goes to Maine while my body stays in New York and bakes in preparation to join it…in 
I’m not saying I manifested a Maine trip, but I’m not saying I didn’t (with a lot of VJ’s help and a big check). What I am saying is that when I started testing these gluten-free, vegan Oatmeal Waffles a few weeks ago, I could only daydream about making them on a sunny 
Until then, these Oatmeal Waffles are my current weekend breakfast obsession. They’re fairly quick and easy to make, and have a slightly sweet whole grain flavor—no cardboard here, I promise. These are real, delicious, syrup-in-every-divot, Saturday morning-worthy 
The batter is made with eight ingredients: gluten-free old-fashioned oats, non-dairy milk, applesauce, touches of oil and sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. It comes together in the blender and, after resting for ten minutes, makes four burnished, crispy-edged, fluffy-centered waffles—enough for two or four people, or eating one now and freezing three for when a craving hits. And oh, it will hit.
For those who don’t need or want their waffles to be 
Again, I’m not saying I manifested a trip to Maine, but if you put intention—in this case, waffles and a dream—out into the world (and write a check and ask VJ to send a series of emails to the powers that be), sometimes good things happen. Like vacation and a freezer-full of Oatmeal Waffles.
I posted my best-yet 
If you are an Oatmeal Raisin fan, you’ll love these sweet little bars. They’re super chewy thanks to low flour content, a glut of old-fashioned oats, and a high brown sugar-to-dry ingredients ratio. The raisins are plumped in simmering water before mixing for maximum flavor and texture.
Deep toasty flavor comes courtesy of brown butter and toasted oats. You could, of course, just melt your butter and use your oats straight out of the bag, but spending a few minutes drawing out their nutty richness makes a huge difference in the final outcome. A teaspoon of cinnamon rounds out the batter and makes these blondies pretty irresistible!
These blondies bake up in 25 or so minutes, until the top is puffed and a little glossy. Let them cool until room temperature and then slice into pieces. The tops will crack in the best way and the middles will be dense and…well, they’re *very* good. The perfect low-maintenance sort of thing to make on this quarantine Wednesday.
I can hardly believe that Christmas is one week away. Thanksgiving was so late this year that I don’t feel like I’ve stopped to bask in the glow of Christmas lights at all, and I won’t have time to until I’m in Texas.
Don’t get me wrong, my apartment is decorated within an inch of fire code and I’ve been to see all the festive things. I’m just not quite in the spirit yet…except when I’m making cookies. Or showing up to places with cookies. Luckily for me, I do a lot of both of those things. Ain’t life grand?
Today’s cookies, these Oat-Pecan Linzer beauts, are a crisp, nutty, whole grain take on a classic. They’re as delicious as they are visually stunning, and they have the added benefits of being both gluten-free and vegan, so you know the batch will disappear in no time.
The Oat-Pecan Linzer Cookie dough is a variation on the 
The cut-out cookies are set over a rack and dusted with confectioner’s sugar, while the whole ones are spread with jam. You can glue your linzers together with any jam or spread you like. I used raspberry jam in the cookies with the tree cut-outs and apricot for the stars. Feel free to get creative with 
These linzers are everything I love in a holiday cookie: sweet, spiced, stunning and shareable. You *know* how much I love a 
If you’re keeping track, this is my third Monster recipe in 18 months, but I took the long way around, posting two spin-offs of this recipe before posting the real deal. Logic isn’t always my bag. 
If you missed my 
We’re talking puffy, chewy, peanut buttery cookies that have just the right amounts of oats, M&Ms and chocolate chips. I had every intention of pawning these off on friends and acquaintances, but they’re so delicious that I kept them all for myself. #sorrynotsorry
To that point, Monster Cookies stay good for a whole week! Day after day, I kept waiting to bite into one and be disappointed, but the batch came and went and nary a sad cookie was eaten.
e2 bakes brooklyn 