Making Whoopie...Pies that is!!

WARNING: Copious amounts of hand pictures to follow and a cameo from my dog....


Everyone is in a Valentine-sy kind of mood in my house! Not to mention all of the hearts, flowered and red, pink and purple things lining the aisles at stores. So  I suppose I should post at least ONE Valentines recipe... 


I have 2 words for you: Cherry. Garcia. What comes to mind? Heaven you say... I agree. Then I thought... why not make Cherry Garcia filled Whoopie Pies! Genius if I do say so myself!!!! This is my first time making them and I was obviously oblivious  unaware of how delicate they are! Trial and error. Anyways, here's the recipe, hope you give it a try!


For the Whoopie Pies:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl until combined. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl. I didn't have buttermilk on hand but a trick to homemade buttermilk is:

Place 4 1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Fill the rest with milk to equal one cup! Let sit for 10 minutes (until curdles form) and mix. Voila! Buttermilk!

Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a handheld, then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with flour, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, and mixing until smooth.

Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 buttered large baking sheets. I made hearts by piping the shape, free-hand, onto the cookie sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool completely.

Cherry Garcia Filling: 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

4 cups powdered sugar

4 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice

1/4 cup finely chopped maraschino cherries

1/4 cup large chocolate chips

Directions~

With a large bowl and a hand mixer beat butter until smooth. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add4 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice.  Continue beating and add the remaining 2 cups powdered sugar,chopped maraschino cherries and large chocolate chips.  Stir by hand to combine.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Slather the filling onto one whoopie pie and top with a second. Sandwich together and enjoy! It's completely up to you how much or how little filling to add. Side note: the cakes are very fragile so be careful when topping! (I had to learn this the hard way!)

I gave my husband my heart and he ate it... Typical. Happy Valentines Day everyone!

More on the Whoopie Pie recipe at: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Whoopie-Pies-107615