Forget all the bad, soggy oatmeal cookies you’ve ever had in your life. Picture instead a moist-centered, butterscotch-imbued, crisp-edged cookie flecked with nubby oats. Add to this the fragrant nuttiness of toasted coconut. Then subtract any chewy raisins that may have accidentally wandered into the picture, and substitute sweet, soft dates, guaranteed not to stick in your teeth. Now mentally sandwich two of these cookies with a mascarpone-cream cheese filling. And that’s what you’ll find here. An oatmeal cookie with a little something extra, a recipe made for keeping. You can bake the cookies a few days ahead, but they are best filled within a few hours of serving.
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 80 grams shredded sweetened coconut flakes (3/4 cup)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 330 grams packed dark brown sugar (1 3/4 cups)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 190 grams all-purpose flour (1 1/2 cups)
- 7 grams fine sea salt (1 teaspoon)
- 3 grams baking powder (1 teaspoon)
- 8 grams ground cinnamon (4 teaspoons)
- 260 grams rolled oats (3 cups)
- 100 grams dates, pitted and chopped (1/2 cup)
- 65 grams granulated sugar (5 tablespoons)
For the filling:
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 6 tablespoons mascarpone
- 25 grams confectioner’s sugar (3 tablespoons)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Nutritional Information
Nutritional analysis per serving (36 servings)
189 calories; 9 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 31 milligrams cholesterol; 121 milligrams sodium
Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
About 36 cookies, for 18 sandwiches
Preparation
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut flakes on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast, stirring occasionally, until lightly colored and fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. Cool. Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees.
- In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light. Beat in brown sugar and honey, then beat until very fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla.
- In another large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and 1 teaspoon (2 grams) cinnamon. With the mixer set on low, beat flour mixture into butter mixture until combined. Beat in oats, dates and toasted coconut.
- Line three baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir together granulated sugar and remaining 3 teaspoons (6 grams) cinnamon. Roll heaping tablespoonsful of dough into balls, then roll balls in cinnamon sugar; transfer to baking sheet, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of space between dough balls. Bake until cookies are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the filling: Using the electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in mascarpone, confectioner’s sugar and vanilla. Scrape down sides of bowl. Sandwich about 1 tablespoon of filling between two cookies; repeat with the remaining filling and cookies.
1 hour 15 minutes
Dining and Cooking