Chocolate Whoopie Pies

I had heard of these and that they were the latest craze. Obviously I had to find out what all the fuss was about – I saw a cookbook completely dedicated to them and a had a quick look, the problem with the book was that all the recipes required a baking pan, especially for whoopie pies, but I couldn’t find one anywhere in the German shops and the Naffi prices were far too expensive. So I quit with the whoopie pie idea. However a couple of months ago I found a whoopie pie recipe that didn’t require a special baking pan and naturally I had to give them a try. They weren’t too bad to be honest, I found them a little large for one person, and the dough was dry and crumbly in a good way but it left that tacky feeling in your mouth, like you get when you eat peanut butter. I suspect as usual that it was my baking and not the recipe at fault, unless they are meant to be like that? Regardless though I will be making them again just a little smaller next time.

 

Whoopie Pies

175g/6oz softened unsalted butter

150g/5 ½ oz soft light brown sugar

1 large egg

1tsp vanilla extract

225g/8oz self-raising flour

75g/2 ½ oz cocoa powder

150ml whole milk

2tbsp thick natural yogurt

For the vanilla butter cream

100g/3 ½ oz softened unsalted butter

200g/7oz icing sugar

2tsp vanilla extract

2tsp milk, plus extra if needed

 

White and dark chocolate shavings to decorate

 

1. First turn on your oven and set to 180˚C/350˚F to preheat. Prep your baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
2. Using an electric hand whisk, or a stand mixer, mix the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (creamed) then add the egg and vanilla extract beat into the creamed mixture, the egg needs to be beaten really well into the mixture to prevent curdling. The batter should look nice and smooth in texture.
3. In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together, carefully a spoonful at a time fold the dry ingredients and the milk into the creamed butter mixture until well combined, then fold in the yogurt until thoroughly incorporated.
4. Using a tablespoon drop 20 heaped spoonful’s onto your baking sheets leaving plenty of room for them to spread to about 8cm.
5. Dip a spoon into warm water and using the back of the spoon, smooth out the surface of ten of the mounds. Then place in the oven for 12 minutes or until a cocktail stick comes out clean. While the pies are cooling on a wire rack, make the vanilla cream by mixing  all the ingredients together except the milk, beat the ingredients until light and fluffy, if the mixture is too stiff add a little of the milk to loosen it, you need a spreadable texture.
6.  Spoon a tablespoon of the buttercream onto half of the pies, on the flat side and then sandwich together with the unfrosted half of the pies. Pressing gently together to ensure they’ve adhered to each other. 
7. Make an icing paste, by mixing the icing sugar and 2 tbsp of water, spoon the paste into the top if the pies, spreading about so that you have an even coating and then sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Press those gently too while the paste is still wet to ensure they stick.
   Work this last step quite quickly as it doesn’t take long for the paste to dry.