Makin' Whoopie(s)...

Recently, a friend of mine asked if I could make 150 cupcakes for his upcoming wedding. 

Heck, yeah!

After a little Facebook back and forth, he and his bride-to-be decided they wanted a low key dessert and asked if I'd make some whoopie pies.

Double heck yeah! 

I'd never made them before but have been bookmarking recipes to try for ages.

All he gave me to work with were their wedding colors and the flavors they wanted. 

Blue and white, and straight up chocolate and vanilla.

This first batch is the classic chocolate whoopie cake with a vanilla bean buttercream icing that I split in half and tinted blue. 

I rolled some whoopies in blue sugar pearls, some in sugar crystals, left some plain, and rolled the rest in white sugar crystals. 

I've got a batch of vanilla whoopies cooling that I'll fill with the same icing, some chocolate ganache, and I'll tint a vanilla batch blue tomorrow.

These are as most recipes promise, moist, decadent, and addictive. 

Chocolate Whoopie Pies
Slightly adapted from Whoopie Pies


1 C All-Purpose Flour
2/3 C Cake and Pastry Flour
2/3 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
4 Tablespoons Salted Butter, Room Temperature
4 Tablespoons Vegetable Shortening
1 Cup Packed Dark Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Cup Milk

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, sift together your flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat butter, shortening and sugar on low speed until just combined.  Increase your speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes.  It will be light and fluffy.

Add in the 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 well incorporated.

Repeat with remaining flour and milk and beat until combined.

Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, drop batter on baking sheet about two inches apart.  The batter will spread so you don't want them touching.  

Bake for about 10 minutes each or until pies spring back when gently pressed.

Remove from oven and cool for about five minutes on parchment lined sheets before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

After they've cooled, you can fill them with whatever you'd like; buttercream, ganache, marshmallow creme, cream cheese icing. 

I used my standard buttercream recipe and piped the filling on one half of the pie, sandwiching it with another, pressing down gently until the frosting reaches the edge.

I then rolled the edges in the sprinkles and pearls.

Buttercream

1 Cup Butter, Softened (I use salted to cut some of the sweetness.)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste (Or vanilla, I'm still hooked on my paste..)
1/3 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream (Optional.)
6-8 Cups Icing Sugar
Food Coloring (Optional, I use Wilton Gels.)

Beat butter in your stand mixer (Or by hand, work with what you've got...) until light and fluffy. 

Add vanilla and whipping cream and beat about 1 more minute.

Slowly add your icing sugar until you've reached desired icing consistency; nobody likes inhaling that stuff or covering your floor with it. 

It's at this point that you can add your color, mixing until combined.

I shared this trial wedding batch with the neighborhood.  Good thing too or we would have eaten them all here. 

I'm pretty sure my boys will have permanent chocolate and icing mustaches. 

Long live the whoopie!