Name: Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies with Maple Cream
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 14 min
Ingredients: 1 cup brown sugar, packed; ½ cup oil, such as grapeseed, canola, or mild-flavored olive oil; ½ cup unsweetened applesauce; 2 tbsp ground flaxseed; 2 tbsp molasses; 1 tbsp vanilla extract; 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice; 1 tsp salt; 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats; 1 cup vegan butter, softened; 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tsp maple extract; 2 tbsp non-dairy milk, as needed

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.

First, make the cookies. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, applesauce, flaxseed, molasses, and vanilla until well-combined. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until you have a smooth, slightly runny batter. Add in the oats and mix well. The finished "dough" should be rather wet, yet still hold its shape when scooped.

Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to measure out generous tablespoon-sized mounds of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving roughly 2 inches between cookies. With wet hands, flatten the cookies to about 1/2-inch thickness, re-wetting your hands as needed to keep the dough from sticking.

Transfer the baking trays to the oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the tops of the cookies no longer look shiny and the cookies are starting to brown around the edges. These cookies are very chewy and moist, so if you poke a cookie with your fingertip, it may seem under-baked. Resist the urge to bake them longer so your finished cookie sandwiches will be moist and chewy, not hard and crunchy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes on the baking trays before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Use any remaining dough to bake additional cookies, if necessary.

While the cookies are cooling, make the maple filling. Place the vegan butter in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat on medium speed until fluffy. Add in about 1 cup of the powdered sugar and the two extracts, then mix on low speed until the sugar is incorporated. Continue adding one cup at a time, starting on low speed each time, until all the sugar is combined with the butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. If the filling is too thick to spread, add a tablespoon of non-dairy milk, then mix on medium-high speed to make a light, fluffy filling. Add additional milk as needed to achieve a spreadable frosting consistency.

When the cookies are completely cool, assemble the cookie sandwiches. Spread a generous amount of frosting on the bottom of a cookie then sandwich with another cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are filled.

Store the cookies in a covered container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.