Zucchini Nut Bread Cookie Sandwiches

I saw these cookies in Martha Stewart Living and had to try them out.

She had me at Cream Cheese Frosting.

The cookies by themselves are delicious. They're soft, like zucchini bread, and the oats and walnuts add a nice texture. And all that zucchini! I love it! And it makes for a healthier type of cookie. With cookies, I'll take all the help I can get. I might even try using whole wheat flour next time. Or maybe half whole wheat and half regular because I'm a wimp.

I changed her recipe just a little. Hers calls for 1 cup of grated zucchini. The zucchini I had made about 1 1/2 cups worth of grated goodness, and I didn't want to waste, so I put it all in. And I used reduced-fat cream cheese instead of regular. I have a serious aversion to fat-free foods, but reduced-fat I can handle. Also, I don't have a fancy 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop. I used a regular spoon and tried to make them all the same size. They weren't, of course, so I just matched up like sizes the best I could when I assembled them. It worked out fine.

Scrumptious!

• Zucchini Nut Bread Cookie Sandwiches
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• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Coarse salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup finely grated zucchini
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• 8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
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• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a bowl. Beat 1 stick butter and the sugars until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.
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• Beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Mix in zucchini, oats, and walnuts. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
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• Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop (about 2 tablespoons), drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden, about 17 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
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• Beat together remaining 1/2 stick butter, the cream cheese, and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread 1 heaping tablespoon filling onto the flat side of 1 cookie, and sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining filling and cookies.
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Enjoy!