As I’ve mentioned before, one of the hardest parts about quarantine for me is not making weekly trips to my favorite bakeries in town. One of my favorites is Pint Size Bakery in South City.

Pint Size is the kind of place go if you want to get in a good mood. Stepping through the door is a little like entering pastry wonderland. There’s brightly colored floral wallpaper, whimsical, holiday-themed decorations like heart mobiles or Christmas tinsel, retro tables, and my favorite spot, a window seat with high chairs, succulents, and a tiny bird figurine.

The staff is really friendly and they put up with me while I take 10 minutes to make a decision about what I want. Because honestly, I want everything. How can you not? I usually narrow it down to a couple things for there with a coffee, and a couple to go.

One of my favorite items is their oatmeal crème pie. Picture two soft, golden oatmeal cookies with just the right amount of brown sugar and butter, with light, fluffy marshmallow cream in between, and you’ll land somewhere close to these cookies. They’re rich and reassuring, and they take you back to childhood, when snacks were plentiful and life was a little less complicated.

I had no idea until I read the recipe and intro in Feast Magazine that Christy Augustin, owner of Pint Size Bakery, created these cookies for Simone Faure, chef and owner of La Patisserie Chouquette, one of my other favorite bakeries in town. Apparently, Simone was begging for Little Debbie oatmeal crème pies for her birthday, and Christy delivered. I kind of love the fact that these cookies were the product of a conversation between two talented pastry chefs.

These cookies are a project; they take some time, patience, and a little bit of extra effort. After all, you have to first make the cookies, then let them cool, then make the filling, and finally pipe that filling into the middle of a bunch of cookies before sandwiching them together. They’re not as simple as slice-and-bake or your go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe, but they’re so satisfying.

Plus, if you have a little extra time on hand because of quarantine, they’re the perfect thing to make. I’m really into cooking projects lately. If not now, when?

Some tips for making these cookies: One, freeze the balls of dough the night before. The recipe tells you to do this, but I’m reiterating it. It will create cookies that are lighter and have a more uniform consistency.

Two, keep an eye on the cookies as they bake in the oven. If you’re like me and you don’t trust your oven, invest in an oven thermometer. They’re actually very affordable. This is the one I have. It’s a life saver with baked goods. You’d be surprised how much the temperature in your oven fluctuates. Make sure your oven temp is right around 375 degrees F the whole time, or just check your cookies occasionally. You want them golden brown on top and soft in the middle. They’ll harden up a little as they cool.

Finally, wait to make the marshmallow crème until after your cookies have cooled down all the way. Don’t even think about putting on the marshmallow until the cookies are 100% cool. Trust me on this. No one wants a marshmallow river in their kitchen. Or maybe you do…but not for these cookies.

Enjoy baking! Here’s a song to get you started on your journey.