I didn’t grow up in a “snack” house.
I grew up in an ingredient house.
If I wanted something sweet, I wasn’t opening a cupboard and grabbing fruit roll-ups or chips. I grabbed a kiwi…. Or peanut butter on toast. Or I pulled out flour, sugar, and butter and baked something. That was the deal.
And honestly? I never thought much about it… until 30+ years later and tik tok shows me that this was a thing…. Snack house vs Ingredient house…
Either way… the real treat? My grandparents’ homes.
My grandma almost always had nutty bars tucked away somewhere. My grandpa? Oatmeal cream pies. And sometimes — if the stars aligned — Mallowmars. I am an absolute sucker for all three. Still am. There’s something about those soft oatmeal cookies with that sweet, fluffy filling that just makes everything better.
Even now, they hold a permanent spot in my heart.
The two kids…. or – I guess I should say “young adults” in the house (18 and almost 20 — I to come up with a better nickname for them) like oatmeal cream pies too. So I figured… why not make them from scratch?
Here’s the thing: I’ve made oatmeal cookies before. A lot of them. And I’ve never been thrilled. Too dense. Too crunchy. Too dry. Too something. I’ve tweaked recipes, adjusted ratios, played around with brown sugar levels and bake times. Nothing hit that soft, bendy, nostalgic mark I was chasing.
Then I came across a recipe from Joanna Gaines on her Magnolia website.
And these?
These were it.
Soft without falling apart. Chewy but not dense. Just enough spice and molasses warmth to make them feel homemade, but still very much in the oatmeal-cream-pie lane we all remember.
Both of the young adults approved immediately. Even the fellow — who absolutely has a sweet tooth, just usually leans toward chocolate desserts — gave them his stamp of approval. That’s when you know.
Something I’ve learned over the years in the kitchen is this: not every recipe I create is going to be a winner. And that’s fine. I’ll always love developing my own versions, adjusting things, lightening things, deepening flavors, making them “ours.” But sometimes you don’t need to reinvent it.
Sometimes someone else already figured it out.
This was one of those times.
If you want to try the recipe that finally won me over, you can find it here:
https://magnolia.com/blogs/recipe/oatmeal-cream-pies
Maybe I will have to look in to trying and making homemade mallowmars!!
What was your treat? Maybe you sliced an apple and sprinkled it with cinnamon.
Maybe you stirred peanut butter into oatmeal.
Maybe you baked a whole cake just because you wanted something sweet.
What was the snack you made growing up?
Put on an apron and join in!
Till next time ~
— Angie
Leave a Reply