I don’t need to do nearly as much baking at the moment with Adriano away so I only made these cookies this weekend and they were pretty simple. They are quite plain so I joined them together with a cream cheese mixture to keep them interesting.
Last night, Dario stayed over at his girlfriend’s house so I was alone at home which is a rare occurrence and one I am not used to. Every creak and crack of the house made me jump and I checked the doors more than once. It made me realise how vulnerable we are in our houses here in New Zealand. In Italy, where I lived for nine years, the doors have multiple locks and the windows have shutters which get shut at night and when you go out. Here, we lock up of course but our locks are often inadequate and our windows are easily broken. Most home invasions are because a window is left open or because someone opens the door to a stranger but that is not always the case. As a nation, we are not nearly as violent as many countries but we are not completely safe either and bad things do happen. I have a vivid imagination and that doesn’t serve me well when I am home alone at night. Anyway, I woke up in the morning in one piece so all is well.
Oh and, if you look over to the right, you will see I have redesigned the cover of my cookbook, Afternoon Tea. I hope you like it’s new look.
- 170gms/6oz soft butter
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup white rice flour
- ¼ cup tapioca flour
- ¼ cup potato starch
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2.5 cups of rolled oats
- 100gms/3.5oz cream cheese
- 1 soft banana
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat some more.
- Sift the dry ingredients, except the oats, together.
- Add the flours to the butter mixture.
- Add the oats and mix well.
- Spoon spoonfuls of the mixture onto the baking paper and mold into flattened circles. Leave a space between because they will spread a little.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes,
- Cool a while to firm up and then remove from the tray to a cooling rack.
- Place the banana and cream cheese in a food processor and process until smooth.
- Spread the cream cheese over half the cookies and top with the other halves.
I know how you feel. My house is like it’s made of cardboard, anyone could get in if they wanted. I love the houses in Italy with there shutters
That’s exactly how I feel – a cardboard house is a good description. Soon we may need to start using shutters here too.
Hahaha, you’re so funny. I love to be at home by myself. I actually made my hubby buy a flight to Portugal, so I can enjoy my alone time 🙂 Big hug for you!
Marta, I also love being home alone but when it gets dark, my courage dissolves. I am just a big baby.
Whoopie pies are so much fun to eat – and the name is fun to say, too! I don’t think I’ve ever had an oatmeal whoopie pie (and know I haven’t made one) – nice idea. These look delish. Stay safe!
Whoopie pies certainly are fun. Apparently the name came from farmers who would come in from a hard morning’s work and, when they saw the whoopie pies on the table, would say, “Whoopie”.
It’s a very rare thing if I’m ever home alone. And on those occasions that I am by myself I’ve always felt secure because I have two dogs to alert me to anything untoward. However, the pack-leader, Ruby, has very sadly just lost her hearing. I’ve been watching her over the last few weeks and it’s amazing how my husband can come home and be walking through the house and she just doesn’t know he’s here. It’s so sad and definitely let’s me know I can’t rely on her for security anymore. Your whoopie pies look very comforting xx
Dogs would certainly be a big help. It’s such a shame when our beloved animals get old and frail – they have such short lives. Is there such a thing as hearing aids for dogs?
Beautiful post!
Thank you for dropping by.
The whoopie pies look amazing especially with the oatmeal!
Thanks, Nik. They have a good dose of fibre and taste really good.
Now that you mention it, I remember seeing the shutters with locks in Italy. Much more secure than the U.S.! I love oatmeal cookies, these whoopie pies would be perfect with tea.
I would think security would be important in the big cities in the US. It’s a shame when we have to take such measures to protect ourselves but no one else will do it for us. Anyway, shutters look good on houses.
These are not gluten free if they contain rolled oats….
Magali, this is a complex issue. We have had this discussion before on this blog and you can see it here to hopefully clarify it a little more: https://www.strandsofmylife.com/anzac-biscuits-a-salute-to-our-soldiers-gluten-free-low-fodmap/
I have never been to NZ, but my husband – he’s Danish – has. He says NZ is “like Denmark, but with mountains”. Whenever I am in DK I have sometimes to remind me that although crime is very low, I can’t just act like a stupid tourist. Bad things happen in the best places.
In any case, be glad you are in NZ, there are so many hellish places in this world of ours. 🙁
And BTW, I love whoopie pies not because of their taste, but because I find the name childishly hilarious.
That’s interesting. Even though I lived in Italy for almost a decade and travelled heaps, we never got to Denmark. I always thought there was a similarity between New Zealand and the Scandinavian countries. I am thinking of doing a Baltic cruise in the near future though that doesn’t give a very comprehensive view of the countries. But it’s a start.
OMG I am running into the kitchen NOW to make these. I’ll let you know.
You won’t be disappointed, Lisa, and I would love to know how they turned out for you.
They were a winner. The cookie turns out perfectly crispy but still a bit soft on the inside. Hubby and FIL were quite pleased. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so glad they all gave the recipe the thumbs up. My family loved them too.