Classic Chocolate Whoopie Pies

I have been craving whoopie pies. I was in dire need of one. Everywhere I turned I was reminded of whoopie pies. I would see macarons in the grocery stores and wished they were whoopie pies. I would look at my sandwich during lunch and really wished that it was a delicious cake with sweet filling. I would see this book and this pan in Crate & Barrel. Then today, Marthe Stewart's Cookie of the Day alert popped in my inbox - Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

Okay! It is time for me to whip something up. Luckily, I was able to find the classic chocolate whoopie pie recipe online and watched a cute little video about making them. I felt ready to bake! Here we go, my first whoopie pies:

Here is my little batter scoop!

I was pretty nervous about leaving enough space in between all the batter, but it turned out fine! Only two of them decided to touch once they were baked. But it was a tiny bridge that I easily separated.

Here they are baked, let them cool before peeling them from the parchment paper. The tops aren't as smooth as I hoped they wood be, but that was okay with me. As long as they had the right cakey texture, I was over the moon!

Flipped! I would advise you to let them rest on a cooling tray/rack. Otherwise you might ruin the tops as crumbs from the parchment paper will stick to it! In other words, don't do what I did. =P

Mmmm, you can use a piping bag to fill the whoopie pies. Spatulas or knives work as well! That was the hardest photo to take today. With only two hands, I had to hold the piping bag and work the camera with my left hand - not ideal!

Place your other cake half on top of the filling.

Gently press down so that the filling squeezes outwards. Enjoy!

Classic Chocolate Whoopie Pies
From Whoopie Pies
(Makes about 12 medium-large whoopie pies)

1 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour
2/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
4 tablespoons of vegetable shortening
1 cup of brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of milk

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and have all ingredients at room temperature. Lay out your parchment paper on your baking trays (I used two trays).
2. Using your mixer, beat the butter, shortening, and sugar together.
3. Add in the egg and vanilla extract.
4. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt (as I am typing this, I just realized I forgot to add in the salt this morning!).
5. Add half of the dry mixture and half of the milk to the wet ingredients. Mix until combined.
6. Add in the remaining half of the dry mixture and the milk. Mix until completely combined.
7. Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, drop 1 (mini) or 2 (medium-large, what I made) tablespoons of the batter onto your parchment paper. Remember to evenly space the batter. I was able to fit twelve of the 2 tablespoons on one tray.
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cakes spring back when lightly tapped. Remove from the oven and let it cool on the tray for 10-15 minutes.
9. Gently remove the cakes from the parchment paper and allow it to cool.
10. Make your favourite frosting to fill the whoopie pies!

My mom and I were the first to try them. We broke one in half and ate it after lunch. She liked it! I wasn't expecting her to, but since the chocolate cake wasn't very sweet, I heard praises! I used a simple vanilla buttercream for the filling and coloured it pink. Yummy yummy! =)