Cinnamon Maple Cool Whip Cookie Sandwiches

NOTE: This is a tandem post; Audrey's commentary is left-aligned,  Molly's is right-aligned and italicized.

With two bakers in the house, conversation in our family often veers towards food. And when it does, we come up with our best ideas. This recipe is one of those great ideas- the outcome of our mutual brainstorm during a random conversation that I can't even remember getting started. It just happened. It was meant to be. It was magical.

Some might even say...fate.

It went something like:
"We should put cinnamon in the New York Times chocolate chip cookie dough."
"Oh and why not put some cinnamon chips in it too"
"And let's make them cool whip sandwiches with maple extract in the cool whip." (#definitelyhowithappened)

Things escalate quickly when Audrey and I start brainstorming recipes. You may have noticed.

So maybe that's not exactly what happened. But it was something like that. With a long moment of silence at the end where we basked in the wonder of our combined brain power and sat in anticipation of how they would taste. There might have been a little mourning over our current jean sizes.

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bread

I realized the other day that it is the middle of fall, and pumpkin season would be over soon. I haven't baked half-a-season's worth of pumpkin goodies yet. So I got on it ASAP.

Apple Butter Bread with Cinnamon Glaze

So I was a pretty weird kid. (Yes, in general, but I am talking specifically food-wise here.) That might be surprising to some, seeing as now I run a baking blog and will eat (or try, I should say) literally anything you put in front of me, but back in the day I was a very picky eater. I wouldn't eat pasta until I was about 5, and cheese even later after that. I don't know about you, but pasta and cheese seem like childhood staples. Like Mac & Cheese? That was my nightmare meal. And when we had spaghetti and meatballs, I would just get a bowl of meatballs with no noodles. (I mean, I'm not complaining, I'd still take that now.)

But I did LOVE PB&J sandwiches. Yet I was also weird because guess what I loved more than PB&J? Peanut butter and apple butter sandwiches. I probably ate it everyday for lunch for a straight year. All of kindergarten at least. I was obsessed. I thought I was pretty special too, because everyone had PB&J, but no one had PB&AB. If you have not tried the combination I don't think you have really lived. You have just been in a weird vegetative pre-PB&AB slumber.

So here, my friends, is the sophisticated equivalent of my childhood love: