Mrs. Fields & iVillage 30th Anniversary Cookie Contest (686 photos) Oatmeal Cookies (86 photos)

Oatmeal Creme Cookies

Cookie ingredients
2 cups butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar (or 1 cup Splenda for Baking)
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
6 cups quick cooking oatmeal
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
Creme ingredients
7 TBL. flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups white Crisco Veg shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar (or 3/4 cups Splenda for Baking)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 vanilla

Cream butter and sugars til fluffy. Stir in canilla and eggs, beating after each egg. Stir together flour, salt and soda. Add to cream mixture. Add oatmeal and coconut. Roll into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart. Pat down with a fork (aids in the cookie spreading out). Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Makes 80 cookies which combine to make 40 with creme filling. To make creme: Put flour in a sauce pan, add milk. Cook over lo-med heat, stirring constantly with a wisk until a smooth and thick paste forms. COOL!! Cream shorteneing, sugar and salt til fluffy. Add vanilla and flour mixture. Whisk til smooth. Make sure all sugar is dissolved, not grainy. Spread on cooled cookies and put the cookies together to make a little cookie sandwich.

I am known by family and friends as an excellent baker. A week doesn't go by that I'm not baking a cake for someone's birthday. My oatmeal creme cookies became a hit the very first time I made them. At a July 4th family picnic, my husband's family inhaled the cookies within 10 minutes, so the next year, I doubled the recipe and the cookies lasted about 20 minutes. My niece was diagnosed with diabetes one year and the next July 4th I made the cookies with Splenda for Baking so she could eat a cookie and not worry so much about her insulin. Since then, I've made them completely with Splenda for Baking (substituting for the white sugar only part of recipe)and I think they are softer and creamier. These are awesome cookies and can keep a family of 45 (in-laws) happy for about 20 minutes then they come running for more.