Recipe: Zany Zucchini Apricot Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies with Cool Cream Cheese Filling

Zany Zucchini Apricot Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies with Cool Cream Cheese Filling

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• bake :

  to cook food with dry heat, as in an oven.

• chop :

  to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.

• grate :

  to reduce food, like a carrot, to very small shreds or pieces of the same size by rubbing it on a tool with an outside surface that has holes with cutting edges (a grater).

• spread :

  to apply a food, like butter, soft cheese, nut butter, jam, or frosting to another food, such as a cracker, bread, or cake using a butter knife or spatula; or to spread batter in a skillet when making a thin crepe or pancake.

• whisk :

  to beat or stir ingredients vigorously with a fork or whisk to mix, blend, or incorporate air.

History of Oats and Oatmeal Cookies!

• Oats were cultivated thousands of years ago. Before they were used as human food, oats were only used to feed animals. Oats as human food originated in northern Europe and Scotland, originally as porridge.
• Oatcakes were the precursor to oatmeal cookies. Oatcakes were popular during Roman times in Scotland. It was relied upon for an energy boost. During wartime, soldiers would carry oatcakes with them as a quick snack.
• Quaker Mill Company in Ohio began producing steel-cut oats around 1877. Later, they developed a roller to flatten groats, creating the modern-day rolled oats, leading to the formation of the Quaker Oats Company.
• Oatmeal cookies have been made since at least the 1800s, but they gained popularity in the 1900s. Fannie Farmer published the first oatmeal cookie recipe in the United States in her 1896 cookbook.
• Some oatmeal cookie recipes include raisins, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips.

Let's Learn About Scotland!

• Scotland is a country in Europe, at the northern end of the island of Great Britain, and is part of the United Kingdom, along with England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.  
• Scotland is made up of over 700 islands! These include the Orkney, Shetland, and Hebrides archipelagos (island groups).
• Edinburgh is Scotland's capital city and is famous for Edinburgh Castle. Glasgow is the largest city. 
• Scotland is home to much wildlife, including seals, mountain hare, ptarmigan, stoats, and the golden eagle. 
• The national animal of Scotland is the mythical Unicorn, loved for its purity and strength. 
• The thistle is a national symbol of Scotland!  
• In Scotland, people drive on the left-hand side of the road!  
• Scotland has a unique culture with traditions like bagpipes, kilts, tartans, and highland dancing.
• Two sports invented in Scotland are golf and curling. Golf first appeared in the 15th century and curling in the early 16th century. Scottish settlers to Canada brought curling with them, where it has become very popular.
• Archaeological evidence suggests that the first indoor toilets were possibly built in 3,000 BCE in a Neolithic settlement on Mainland, the largest of the Orkney Islands.
• Scotland was the first country worldwide to educate both boys and girls, beginning in the 17th century.
• Scottish dishes are well-known for their peculiar names: Forfar Bridie (meat pie), Cock-a-leekie (soup), Collops (thin meat slices), Crappit heid (stuffed boiled fish head), Arbroath smokie (smoked haddock), Partan bree (seafood soup), Rumbledethumps (potato, cabbage, and onion dish), and Skirlie (oatmeal side dish).  
• The most infamous Scottish dish is "Haggis," a savory pudding. It is usually made with sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver, and lungs) that is minced and combined with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, then mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in a casing of the animal's stomach for about an hour.

What's It Like to Be a Kid in Scotland?

• In addition to Haggis, kids may eat "Neeps and Tatties" (mashed turnips and potatoes). Some popular sweets are Shortbread biscuits (cookies); Scottish Tablet, a medium-hard sugary confection made with sweetened condensed milk, sugar, and butter; and Irn-Bru, a carbonated soft drink.
• Scottish kids may play football (soccer), rugby, curling, golf, tennis, cricket, shinty (similar to field hockey), and ice hockey.
• Scotland is full of places to hike and lochs (lakes) and castles to visit. On the Isle of Skye, Fairy Glen is a popular place for kids to explore. Its name comes from the unusual land formations on the hills. 
• Kids can ride the Harry Potter Train (actually the Jacobite Steam Train) that runs from Fort William to Mallaig in the Scottish Highlands. The train crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which was seen in a Harry Potter movie when the Hogwarts Express crosses it.