Fun Food

Courtesy of Family Features

Culinary.net

OATMEAL CREAM COOKIE SANDWICHES

A Nostalgic Seasonal Treat

Cooler weather often brings about nostalgic cravings for seasonal dishes and desserts. From grandma’s classic pies, to the sweet taste of apple cider touching your tongue, Fall is full of flavor, spice, sweets and treats, just waiting to be devoured with family and loved ones alike.

Home chefs will know it’s time to tap into the flavor of fall once that first leaf drops to the ground. The pumpkins are set on porches and little ones all bundle up to go outside and play in the cool breeze. Nearly everyone can tell when the warm and cozy delight is here to stay for the season.

The kitchen is often known as the “heart of the home” and homes all over the country will smell and taste like fall festivities all season long with this recipe for Oatmeal Cream Cookie Sandwiches. The best part about this timeless recipe is that it’s known to evoke memories from childhood and can help introduce a new generation to a treat many generations before them have enjoyed.

Easy to make and pretty to look at, these cookies are great to make with little ones after a long day of pumpkin carving. Let the kids help with the preparation. They can use many ingredients you may already have in your pantry especially the ones they can reach with their little hands.

The result are a soft and slightly chewy, cinnamon-spiced oatmeal cookies sandwiched around a fluffy layer of vanilla bean cream filling that can keep each member of the family reaching for another.

Serve them to friends, neighbors, kids and adults and you will notice the delight spread across their faces with the very first bite. This recipe is something scrumptious that makes a statement for the upcoming season.

Find more seasonal dessert recipes and fall flavors for your family at Culinary.net.

OATMEAL CREAM COOKIE SANDWICHES

Servings: 10-12

Oatmeal Cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 cup light brown sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 3 cups rolled old-fashioned oats

Vanilla Bean Cream Filling:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Heat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

To make oatmeal cookies: with a mixer, cream butter, dark brown sugar and light brown sugar on medium-high speed until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla extract; mix until combined.

In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and oats. Gradually add oat mixture to wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Spoon dough into hands and roll into balls. Flatten balls and place onto prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around edges. Move cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

To make vanilla bean cream filling: with a mixer, cream butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and heavy cream; mix until combined.

Pipe or spoon a large dollop of filling on bottom sides of half the cookies; top each with second cookie.

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family matters

By Aimee Serafin

College Admissions:

The Latest [Untraditional] Pathways to Success

A 2021 Graduate Story

At a young age, William Nettles wanted to be a doctor like his father. He started to prepare for the rigorous academic path in 7th grade as he charted course options with his advisors. Will continued with academic achievements through high school, reaching out for tutors to secure top grades in class. He paid for SAT prep courses and took standardized exams multiple times, which earned him high scores, enough to gain entry into some of the top institutions in the country. But last spring, colleges and universities made a wide-sweeping decision that changed the way students have traditionally been admitted to schools.

In the worlds of PSAT, SAT, ACT, superscores and test-optional, COVID-19 forged unusual pathways in late spring 2021 regarding the college admissions process. Some schools across the nation were already moving toward test-optional admissions before the pandemic, but now more colleges and universities are offering varying (or temporary) options for the 2021-2022 applicants. These new approaches are untraditional in that they do not interpret a sole standardized test score as the fulcrum of a student’s future academic success.

For students like Will, this means the trend toward de-emphasizing SAT scores is growing. Although most Ivy

League institutions still weigh standardized test scores, a shift has occurred in many accredited four-year universities and colleges. Flexibility in the admission process allows students sway in how to represent their strengths to admissions officers. Test scores become only one component of the larger application history, giving candidates more academic real estate to present themselves on paper.

For test-optional colleges, the buzzword in admissions offices is the “wholistic candidate approach” which is used for an applicant’s academic evaluation. This approach considers the full four-year (high school) profile, weighing extracurricular activities/ interests and academic initiatives along with personal recommendation letters from teachers or employers. By examining “the whole” history of the applicant’s profile, colleges feel they can better determine the overall fit and potential achievements of students on their campuses.

In addition to test-optional, there seem to be two other paths emerging in the admissions process for students. The second option is test-flexible which houses different requirements in place of the SAT. Those options might permit a minimum GPA for a specific program or AP/IB scores instead of the SAT (requirements vary from college to college). Test-blind admissions are the least prevalent among American universities and colleges, but there exist some institutions that are proponents of it. Colleges that have this policy do not consider SAT scores as part of the student’s entrance portfolio: They will not accept SAT/ACT scores as part of the application process. This unconventional approach to admissions could significantly change the way students view their application experience to colleges and universities in the future.

A CAUTIONARY WORD

While schools move to downplay standardized test scores, there are valid reasons to exercise caution when deciding whether to have your child opt out of taking the exams. One reason is with the scenario of two applicants whose extracurriculars, GPAs and letters of recommendation are near identical. If one of the applicants submits a high test score, institutions are apt to accept this candidate over another who does not. In U.S. News and World Report’s article, “How Recent Events Reshaped College Admission,” Clark Brigger, executive director of admissions at the University of Colorado Boulder explains, “Beyond the possible admissions advantage that testing It may be no surprise that decision making in higher education follows a piggy-back pattern. Reporter Jeremy offers, there is also the Bauer-Wolf describes this scenario regarding the test- matter of scholarships, out option for schools in 2020 in his article, “How which may be tied to the National Test Optional Experiment Played Out at Colleges,” for www.highereddive.com: ACT and SAT scores. You can apply without test Decision-making in higher education is often a case of scores, but you’re not follow-the-leader. Shifting to test-flexible admissions during the pandemic was no exception. Almost all of the going to get their best universities in the Ivy League announced they wouldn’t scholarships unless you require test scores within about two weeks of each other in provide them.” (Paragraph June 2020. The same pattern occurred in April of that year 16) (www.usnews.com/with many of the liberal arts schools ranked highest by U.S. News & World Report. Other schools made the same move education/best-colleges/ between the spring and late summer of 2020. (paragraph 9) articles/how-recentevents-reshaped-collegeFor a comprehensive list of test-optional schools for 2022, visit www.collegelifetoday.com and search “College Not admissions) Requiring SAT.” It remains unclear how this trend will play out in the future. In general, admissions officers are skeptical that the standardized exams will go away altogether. But what they are seeing is a present requirement for applicants to be honest and authentic about their broader academic narratives, which may give rising 2022 seniors the opportunity to provide essays on how they have managed and taken advantage of the last year and a half.

FH Aimee Serafin grew up in Atlanta and graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in French. She has worked as a translator and editor of several publications during her career. She and her husband, Scott Thorp, have two children.