Z is for Zucchini Bread Cookie Sandwiches (Jennifer)

Hello readers!

I've just returned to LA from a wonderful trip to see dear friends in NYC. As a "thank you" to my parents for watching our dog the past four days, I baked them these cookie sandwiches. My dad is not a big fan of chocolate, so I thought this cookie sandwich would hit the spot for him. The cookie part is delicate and light, and the creamy filling is rich and sweet. I also love that these cookies feel very "fall-inspired" even though I hear the weather back in LA didn't feel much like fall this past week. Maybe these cookies can get you into the spirit!
Zucchini Bread Cookie Sandwiches
from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Coarse salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely grated zucchini
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a bowl. Beat 1 stick butter and the sugars until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.
2. Beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Mix in zucchini, oats, and walnuts. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.


3. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop (about 2 tablespoons), drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden, about 17 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

4. Beat together remaining 1/2 stick butter, the cream cheese, and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread 1 heaping tablespoon filling onto the flat side of 1 cookie, and sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining filling and cookies.

Review:
Yum, these cookies were terrific! Soft, moist and just enough sweet. In addition to the zucchini cookies on the left in the pic above, I also made carrot cake cookie sandwiches. The carrot cake version is on the right in the picture above. Much like whoopie pies, though a bit different in ingredients, cookie sandwiches like these just put a smile on my face. I would definitely recommend these cookies to anyone looking for a jazzier alternative to traditional chocolate chip, oatmeal, peanut butter, etc, kinds of cookies.

This is my kind of fall Saturday. Baking cookies, drinking coffee and a pumpkin candle burning.

Yum!

Enjoy!

Jennifer