Quail & Condor, Melissa (Yanc) McGaughey
When Pastry Chef Melissa Yanc left her job and friends in Denver to pursue a culinary career in New York City in the fall of 2017, she had $800 in her pocket and a promising new restaurant management job. She had little money to spare for nightlife or dining out, but she did allow herself one small weekly luxury: a Little Debbie’s Oatmeal Cream Pie from a bodega on her way home from work. Now happily settled in Healdsburg with husband Chef Sean McGaughey, two kids and two restaurants among them, Melissa’s happy ode to her early pastry chef days is her own Oatmeal Cream Pie cookie from her popular Healdsburg Avenue pastry shop, Quail & Condor. Melissa’s classic OCP is beloved for its chewy texture, sweet oat-and-vanilla icing flavor and ample whoopie pie–like size.
Ingredients
- 244 g (1 cup + 1 tablespoon ) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 270 g (1⅓ cup) brown sugar
- 54 g (¼ cup ) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons molasses or honey
- 1¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 260 g (2¾ cups) rolled oats
- 213 g (1⅔ cups ) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon EACH cinnamon, baking soda and salt
- 454 g (3½ cups ) powdered sugar
- 227 g (½ cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- ¾ teaspoon milk
Preparation
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugars and honey; beat on medium-low speed just until light in color, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat just until combined. In a small bowl, mix together the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat just until evenly blended, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
Using a 1-ounce cookie scoop, scoop up ping pong–sized balls of dough, placing them well apart on the prepared baking sheets. Cover and refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight. (For longer storage, freeze the cookies for up to 3 months.
Preheat a convection oven to 325°F or preheat a standard oven to 350F°. When the oven is hot, bake the well-chilled cookies until lightly browned on the rims but still soft in the centers, about 14 minutes, rotating the pans about halfway through baking. Place the pans on wire racks and let cool; the cookies will continue to cook on the hot pans.
To make the filling: In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla paste and milk. Stir until smooth.
Turn half of the cookies flat side up. Using a clean 1-ounce cookie scoop, scoop about 2 tablespoons filling onto the center of each flat side. Top with the remaining halves to make sandwiches. Makes 6 large cookies.
