Fire and Whoopie

So let’s talk about things that make me want to scream. Fires in my oven. Ok, thank you. Bye.

Oh… you want to know more? Oh I guess…

So… long ago and far away we had a really busy weekend planned. Oh wait… that’s just about every weekend. Well, this one was particularly insane. I knew I wanted to try out a Whoopie Pie recipe but had little time to do it. So… Saturday morning I woke up early, made sure to measure everything perfectly and double check – it was morning after all. The first batch came out of the oven; well… they wanted to stay in the oven. The parchment paper was so slick, all 12 slid off the cookie sheet and flipped whoopie side down in the oven, on the door, in the crack between the door and the oven, and some even went down the hole where the heating element is… then… fire. I believe my first reaction was a deep heavy sigh. Not grabbing them, not lunging, no. No fast movements here… just plain defeat. So I let the fire die out, saved only 4, then scraped the rest into the trash. Thankfully I have a Rusty and he was most helpful in cleaning up the floor after this debacle.

The filling was the next morning – early. Guess who wasn’t thinking when she took a finger and tasted… the Crisco! Yuck. I can still taste it. What can I say? Baking is therapy for me, but it shouldn’t be done early in the morning.

So bottom line – enjoy this recipe… I know lots of our friends sure did. I hope to make more Whoopies – I have a whole book about them – can’t wait to experiment, when I’m fully awake and not rushing to get them done. Perhaps when I retire.

Chocolate Whoopie
What you need!
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk

What to do!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a bowl, sift together, flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
In another bowl, beat butter, shortening and sugar with a mixer on low until just combined. Increase speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes.
Add egg and vanilla and beat for two more minutes.
Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk and beat on low until incorporated. Repeat with remaining flour and milk and beat until combined.
Using a cookie scoop, drop batter on baking sheet two inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes each or until pies spring back when pressed gently.
Remove from oven (tilting the pan towards you and not the oven) and cool for about five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

Cookies ‘n Cream Marshmallow Filling
What you need!
1 ½ cups marshmallow fluff
1 ¼ cups vegetable shortening
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup crushed chocolate sandwich cookies

What to do!
Beat marshmallow fluff and vegetable shortening on low until creamy using a mixer. Increase speed until mixture is smooth and fluffy – about 3 minutes.
Add sugar and vanilla and beat on low to incorporate. Increase speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes until the filling is light and fluffy.
Add crushed cookies and mix well.
Using cookie scoop, dish out one scoop of filling on flat side on one cooled cake. Top it with a second cake and press gently.
Store whoopie pies in an airtight container.