Victoria Sandwich Whoopie Pies

I was suddenly reminded the other day when my British friend told me she had made a Victoria sponge cake that I had forgotten to post these! And really they were one of my favourite Whoopie Pies so I am not sure how I forgot!

I made these awhile ago for a Pride and Prejudice marathon watching day. We watched all of the BBC series in a row one rainy day (6 hours I think?) and I figured we needed a fun sweet for the day. We actually had a huge feast of food… and because it was an all-day event, it allowed for many rounds of eating… which may have been why we all overate.

Victoria  Sandwich (or Sponge) Cake was named by Queen Victoria. Although I first saw this cake on the Food Network somewhere, from Wikipedia, I learned that “a typical Victoria sponge consists of raspberry jam and whipped double cream or vanilla cream. The jam and cream are sandwiched between two sponge cakes; the top of the cake is not iced or decorated apart from a dusting of icing sugar.” Seemed like a great idea for a Whoopie Pie!

These went over quite well! Even though I am a huge fan of some of the more interesting/exciting flavour combos on here, I really loved these and they would rank up there as one of my favourites. I do have to say, I think the homemade raspberry jam from my mom truly made them special. Homemade jam is so much more amazing: I definitely recommend it in this recipe over a store-bought version. The other important ingredient would be the vanilla bean in the vanilla filling – yes, you can just use vanilla instead but vanilla beans offer so much more in the vanilla department! They are in their own league for flavour!

Vanilla Whoopie Pies

adapted from Vanilla Whoopie Pies in Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingley and Amy Treadwell

• 2 1/4 all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 Tb milk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp white vinegar

1.  Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder & salt in a bowl
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter for a minute or so and then add the sugars. Continue beating for another couple of minutes until light & creamy. Add the vanilla and the eggs one at a time.
4. Add the buttermilk slowly with the mixer on low.
5. In a small bowl or measuring cup, add the baking soda and then the vinegar to the milk (it will foam!!)
6. First mix in about half the flour mixture, then the milk mix, then finally the rest of the flour.
7. Drop, scoop or pipe about 1-2 Tb of batter onto the baking sheets.
8. Bake 8-10 min or until the cookies just start to brown. Allow them to cool a few minutes before transferring them to a drying rack.

Very Vanilla Filling

• 3/4 cup butter, room temp
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 2 tsp vanilla)
• 3 cups icing sugar
• 1-2 Tb cream (or milk)

1. Beat butter until light and creamy. Add vanilla bean.
2. Add sugar 1/2 cup at a time.
3. Add cream (or milk) until it is a medium consistency: not too thick but not too thin!

Raspberry Jam (preferably homemade. Sorry I don’t have a recipe to suggest! I usually just go with the one in the package of pectin!) (make sure it isn’t a watery variety)

Assembly:

1. Line up the cookies so that they are beside a matching partner(similar size and shape).
2. Spread half of the whoopie pies with raspberry jam. Add a dallop of very vanilla filling to the top of the jam (use about as much filling as you used for each cookie – about 1-2 Tb).
3. Smoosh the other side of the cookies on top!
4. Eat! yum!

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Almond Roca-Inspired Whoopie Pies

So I, uh… I made these before Christmas – yep over 2 months ago – when all the delicious flavours of Christmas were around. And then I never posted them. No reason. I have no excuse. I have been neglectful. I was told I could use “training for a marathon” as an excuse but it really isn’t one at all. It does take some of my time but I am generally always training for something or if I am not, I am still just as active. And really it has just been the last two weeks that training has ramped up. So the answer is, I have no excuse. Sorry about that.

These didn’t quite capture Almond Roca as I had hoped, then again, I think I must have been dreaming. A good portion of the deliciousness of Almond Roca is the crunch of the toffee. Whoopie Pies are soft. That would be a problem. Hence why I am calling these “Almond Roca Inspired” rather than just Almond Roca Whoopie Pies. I put toffee bits in the batter and chocolate filling inside. Then of course I had to melt a little chocolate for the top and cover them with toasted almond pieces. So that all sort of made them like Almond Roca, with its toffee core and chocolate and almond bits on top! Either way, these were tasty little guys!

Toffee’fied Whoopie Pies

(makes 16 or so depending on size) adapted from Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingley and Amy Treadwell

• 2 1/4 all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 Tb milk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 cup toffee bits (Skor or Heath bits depending on if you are from Canada or USA!)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder & salt in a bowl
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter for a minute or so and then add the sugars. Continue beating for a few minutes until light & fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla.
4. Add the buttermilk slowly with the mixer on low.
5. In a small bowl or measuring cup, add the milk and then the baking soda and vinegar (it will froth up!)
6. First mix in about half the flour mixture, then the milk mix, then finally the rest of the flour. Stir in the toffee bits.
7. Drop  or scoop about 1-2 Tb of batter onto the baking sheets. Space them well as these spread!
8. Bake 8-10 min or until the cookies bounce back when lightly touched. Allow them to cool a few minutes before transferring them to a drying rack.

Chocolate Dream Filling

• 3/4 cup butter, room temp
• 3 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted & cooled
• 2 1/2 cup icing sugar

1. Beat together butter and chocolate.
2. Add icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time.

Other ingredients

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted
• 1/2 cup toasted almond slices
  

  

Assemble by filling two equally sized & shaped Whoopie Pies with 1.5-2Tb filling (generally use as much filling as you used for the batter of each side of the Whoopie). Squish together. Using the back of a spoon or a pastry brush, drizzle or ‘paint’ on a layer of chocolate to the top of each Whoopie Pie and then sprinkle with the toasted almonds. Refrigerate to allow the filling to firm up a little. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Nutella-cream cheese filled Whoopie Pies

Sometimes the recipes for my whoopie pies are inspired by a particular craving, sometimes by a particular seasonal treat, sometimes a suggestion by a friend, and sometimes they are just based on the ingredients I have on hand.

I knew I wanted to make a Nutella-cream cheese filling (and I had both Nutella and cream cheese) but I hadn’t totally decided on what kind of whoopie to stuff it in – vanilla, chocolate, chocolate chunk, something boozy… Well, I went shopping and meant to pick up either milk or buttermilk (I normally just have almond milk at home) but I completely forgot. I got home and realized that the only Whoopie Pies I could make without milk or buttermilk were the oatmeal ones. Besides the necessity to make these based on what I had on hand, I also wanted to try this recipe out since it was one of the few recipes in Whoopie Pies that I hadn’t yet tried!

I actually really liked the texture contrast between the chewier oat-y Whoopie Pies and the smooth Nutella filling. Also, in case you are wondering, the Whoopie Pies are still soft (no crispy cookies here!) and “whoopie-pie-like”! And the filling is not at all lacking in Nutella taste! Yum!

Oatmeal Whoopie Pies – from Whoopie Pies (makes about 18 filled Whoopie pies)

• 1/4 cup butter, at room temp
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a regular bowl and use your hand mixer), cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and pale, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time and add the vanilla.
3. In a food processor, blender, or Magic Bullet (my preference!), process 3/4 cup of oatmeal until it resembles whole grain flour (as can be seen in the picture on the right – in contrast to the unprocessed oats on the left). Transfer to a bowl and add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and remaining oats. Stir together.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat on low until combined.
5. Spoon or scoop 1 to 1.5 Tb of batter onto the baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 11 minutes or until the cookies are set and edges just start to brown.
6. Let cool 3-4 minutes on the on the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.

Nutella Cream Cheese Filling

• 1 cup Nutella
• 4 oz (1/2 a pkg) cream cheese
• 2 to 2 1/2 icing sugar

1. Beat together Nutella and cream cheese.
2. Add icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time until a medium consistency is reached. If you add to much and it becomes stiff, add milk 1 tsp at a time until it is soft and smooth!

Assemble by filling two equally sized & shaped Whoopie Pies with 1 to 1.5 Tb filling (generally use as much filling as you used for the batter of each side of the Whoopie). Squish together and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Filling Chocolate Whoopie Pies

I admit it: part of the reason that I love to bake is that I really love picking away at the dough/batter while I am preparing whatever it is I am baking (I really don’t get those people that NEVER eat the dough). So after seeing people use cookie dough (with no egg and thinned with milk to create the right consistency) to frost cupcakes and cakes, I figured it had to be used to make a filling for Whoopie pies! So that is what I did!

These went over VERY well at the baby shower that I took them to. My friend’s twin nieces seriously went nuts over them and were conspiring as to how to take more without looking too obvious! It was quite hilarious to see them whispering!

I was actually a tiny bit disappointed: although the Whoopie Pies were delicious, once the filling was sandwiched in the middle, the cookie dough ‘flavour’ was lost. The filling was tasty on its own and definitely tasted like cookie dough but in the Whoopie Pie I just couldn’t tell what it was anymore, which made me wonder “what is it that makes cookie dough so tasty???”

By the way, if you want smooth topped Whoopie Pies rather than these ones, which formed cracks over the top but still tasted great, try this recipe (you can replace the Kahlua with ANY liquid – or just more milk). I was out of milk but had buttermilk so I used the below recipe instead! They still tasted great but they weren’t as pretty. (I think if you add 1 or 2Tb more buttermilk, this recipe would produce smooth tops as well!)

Chocolate Whoopie Pies (makes 22 smaller Whoopie Pies)

(adapted from Cookies by Martha Stewart)

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1/2 Tb baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp espresso powder
• 1/2 cup butter, room temp
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and two sugars. Beat until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes).
3. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and espresso powder.
5. Alternatively add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk and beat to combine.
6. Scoop or spoon about 1 Tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheets.
7. Bake until set (they will bounce back when lightly pressed) – about 8-10 minutes. Cool 2-3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Filling

• 1/2 cup butter, room temp
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 2-3 TB milk (or as much as required to create an ‘icing’ like consistency)
• 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Beat together butter and two sugars until light and fluffy. Add salt, vanilla and flour.
2. Add enough milk to create a filling that is fluffy and smooth and light. Stir in chocolate chips.

Assemble by filling two equally sized & shaped Whoopie Pies with 1-1.5Tb filling (generally use as much filling as you used for the batter of each side of the Whoopie plus a little). Press together and refrigerate until about an hour before serving (they can be eater straight from the fridge as well!).

Marbled Whoopie Pies

Although things vary depending on the country, school and program, there are two major hurdles during a science PhD: the comprehensive exam and the thesis defense. The exam (usually just referred to as the ‘comps’) is usually within the first couple years of a PhD while the thesis defense essentially marks the completion of the degree. This past week, Courteney (the long-lost-partner of Let’s Make Whoopie blog) completed her comps and ended the what-seemed-like-endless studying that she had been so focused on for the past 4-5 weeks.

It seems there are two groups of people: those that become so engrossed and focused on studying and the fear of failing that they cannot fathom discussing anything else or planning any activity during the entire study time and those that need to plan other activities to keep sane in an otherwise bleak time! I have never done a PhD but I can only assume I would be the latter. Although I did well in school, I never liked studying and needed to take mental breaks. Either way, I always look forward to when my friends/co-workers finish their comps. And although I am sure the ‘examinee’ is happy just because it is over and they passed and they can move on, I am happy to no longer have to hear about the all-important-mind-consuming exam and to have a normal conversation with the person again!

Anyways, with all of that said, these Whoopie Pies are a congratulatory treat for Courteney! Good Job! (I had meant to actually have these done for her right after the exam but I got sick… and so they provided a nice treat to go with our standard Friday morning coffee the next day!) The flavour is not meant to reflect Courteney in any way! Although it does beg the question of “if Courteney were a Whoopie Pie flavour, which would she be??”

The cakes are pretty good. Moist and tasty. The filling is on the lighter tasting side because of the whipped cream. The ganache filling adds a little richness that enhances every bite!

(adapted from Whoopie Pies) Makes 12 filled Whoopie Pies

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp espresso powder
• 2 Tb cocoa

1. Preheat oven to 350° and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Beat butter and sugar together well until fluffy and light (3-4 minutes). Beat in the egg  and vanilla.
3. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Remove 1-2 Tb of it and reserve. Add to the butter mixture alternatively with the buttermilk.
4. Remove half of the batter and add the reserved flour to it. To the other half, add the cocoa and espresso powder.
5. Put both batters back in the same bowl and swirl. DO NOT OVERMIX! You want them to look marbled!
6. Scoop/spoon or pipe the batter onto the prepared sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until they bounce back when slightly pressed (your finger indent should spring right back up!) Cool 3-4 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Mocha Chocolate Ganache

• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 tsp espresso powder (or more! you can’t really taste 1 tsp)
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Place chocolate chips in a small bowl.
2. Warm the whipping cream in a small saucepan. Once it is slightly warm, add the espresso powder and stir to help it dissolve. Heat until small bubbles form but it does not boil.
3. Pour over the chocolate chips. Allow to sit for 2-3 minutes and then stir for a few minutes until it becomes smooth.
4. Allow to cool until it becomes thick (it takes longer than you expect! Put it in the fridge/freezer to speed it along!)

Whipped Cream

• 3/4 cup cold whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 Tb icing sugar

1. Beat whipping until soft peaks form.
2. Add vanilla and sugar and beat until stiff peaks (don’t make it into butter though!)

First match up your Whoopie pies by finding ones that are equally sized & shaped. Spread ganache on the Whoopie that will be the BOTTOM of your Whoopie Pie. Then top with 1-2 Tb of Whipped Cream. Press together lightly and refrigerate. Eat directly from the fridge.

Inside-Out Peanut Butter Cup Whoopie Pies

I learned something new recently. There are people in the world that really don’t like chocolate and peanut butter together. I can understand that some people don’t like peanut butter and maybe some don’t like chocolate, but for those people that like both and don’t like them together… I am completely stumped! It just makes no sense to me! The good news is, those of us that LOVE the combination far overpower those that hate the flavours together! So I will continue to use the two flavours frequently in baking!

These Whoopie Pies were made for no real reason besides to use up some filling that I had made to fill a wedding cake. Without knowing exactly how much filling I needed for the cake, I totally overdid it and doubled the recipe and had WAAAY too much filling. It was kind of good though because these Whoopie Pies were a HUGE hit and it was mostly because of the filling (although the ‘vessels’ to carry the filling were also amazing!).

Just to warn you, the filling was a bit of a pain to make (I was sort of glad I didn’t have to make it twice to enjoy it twice!). Ok, it is a total pain to make. Especially if you accidentally hit the candy thermometer, sending it flying across the room, splattering sugar syrup that is thick and sticky and 240°F on your arm. Painful. It blistered in fact – almost immediately. It was only 1 bigger (maybe 1/3 the size of a dime) and two tiny spots but it HURT! So yes, the filling can be a pain to make. It also requires 4 bowls/pots. This is also a pain. BUT it is delicious. Truly it is! Once in awhile it is worth it to make something this good!

These Whoopie Pies were great. I used a different Whoopie Pie recipe than I did for the Peanut Butter and Honey Whoopie Pies and these ones are far superior! They are fluffy and soft and flavourful!

I love the chocolate outside with the peanut butter filling (or the vegan version) so figured it was time to reverse the combination! They are like a peanut butter cup inside out: chocolate on the inside, peanut butter on the outside. Delicious!

Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies (from Whoopies!)

makes about 17 filled

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 5 Tb peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and line a couple baking sheets with parchment.
2. Beat together butter, sugar and peanut butter until light and fluffy (a few minutes). Beat in egg and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
4. Alternate between adding the dry or buttermilk to the butter mix, adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the buttermilk in two.
5. Scoop/spoon 1.4 Tb batter onto the baking sheets leaving space between them for spreading.
6. Bake 10-12 minutes or until the whoopies spring back when lightly pressed (they shouldn’t still have a finger mark!)
7. Allow to cool on the baking sheet 2-3 minutes and then transfer to cooling racks.

Chocolate Mousse Filling

This recipe comes from here and is delicious but I warn you that it does require some work!

• 12 oz. dark (bittersweet or semisweet) chocolate, chopped
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 Tablespoons water
• 5 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

1. Melt chocolate and butter in a large bowl in the microwave on medium heat until smooth. Set aside to cool.
2. In a small saucepan, add sugar and water and heat on low until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium and boil syrup without stirring until 240°F (use a candy thermometer).
3. With an mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks are formed. Very slowly add the hot syrup to the egg whites with the beater still on. Beat until medium stiff peaks form (~3min).
4. Fold 1/3 egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture to lighten. Fold in another 1/3, and then finally the remaining egg whites.
5. In yet another bowl (I warned you that this is annoying to make). beat together the whipping cream and the powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into the chocolate mixture.
6. Cover and refrigerate about 4 hours.

Assemble by filling two equally sized & shaped Whoopie Pies with 1.5-2Tb filling (generally I use as much or a little more filling as used for the batter of each side of the Whoopie). Press together and refrigerate. Eat from the fridge as the filling gets soft.

 

Vegan Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Peanut Butter & Toasted Coconut Filling

Finally, back to posting! Sorry for the lack of posts… it seems that I have been making everything except Whoopie Pies lately. I made some recently that had great whoopies, but the filling was super messy. I couldn’t possibly post that! I need to remake those as the taste was great and I love the flavours (Lemon coconut! Yum!)

Anyways, enough daydreaming about those ones and onto the treats I made for this post – which had my absolute favourite flavour combination – Peanut Butter & Chocolate! And a little toasted coconut in there for some extra yum! Apparently I am obsessed with coconut lately. I want it in everything. Especially with chocolate.

So why vegan? Well although I have a lot of friends that are either vegetarian or eat limited meat (like me, many don’t eat red meat or pork), I only have one friend that is vegan. Sure, sometimes she will eat very limited dairy if she doesn’t have much of a choice, but generally she is very conscientious and stays away from any animal product. Well I have been promising her vegan Whoopie Pies for about a year now… and now she is going on a traveling adventure for almost a year and I felt I definitely owed it to her before she left to finally make some! I will have to come up with a great recipe to welcome her home next year too 🙂

I was actually super surprised how well these came out. They puffed up nice and were a good consistency and tasted like any other delicious Whoopie Pie. I don’t like the taste of ‘vegan butter’ so I went with coconut oil instead for the Whoopies and used Tofutti (vegan cream cheese) in the filling with peanut butter to “mask” the tofu flavour if I didn’t like it! I am not sure if it was necessary though as I didn’t taste any of the “weird tofu” flavour that I was afraid would mess up a good dessert!

For those looking to bake vegan or dairy-free, this recipe uses a buttermilk substitute: in the same way that you can add vinegar to regular milk to get a dairy buttermilk substitute, you can do this with rice milk, almond milk and soy milk. It works exactly the same – add one tablespoon to one cup and let it sit for about 10 minutes to “sour” it. Also, another great substitution to know is using ground flax seed with water to make up an egg – 1 Tb of ground flax + 3 Tb of water.

Whether you are vegan or just making some of these for a friend that is, I am sure everyone will love them and not even know that they are for any special diet! You really can’t tell any difference!

Vegan Chocolate Whoopie Pies (makes about 15 medium sized pies)

• 1 cup rice or almond or soy milk
• 1 Tb white vinegar
• 1 Tb flax seed mixed with 3 Tb warm water
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cups cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Measure the milk in a liquid measuring cup and add the vinegar to it. Allow to sit about while you do everything else – it may start to look kind of chunky or curdled but that is good!
3. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
   

   Coconut oil + sugar + “flax-egg”

4. In the bowl of a mixer, mix the coconut oil and brown sugar until well mixed. It will not become fluffy like butter and sugar (or at least mine didn’t) so add the flax seed+ water and continue mixing. Add the vanilla and beat about 2 minutes.
5. Add the flour mixture alternatively with the non-dairy milk mix (start and end with the flour).
6. Spoon or scoop 1.5 Tb of mixture onto prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops will bounce back when touched (i.e. a finger ‘indent’ shouldn’t remain!)
7. Allow cakes to cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a cooling rack.
   

   Ready to bake

Vegan Peanut Butter & Toasted Coconut Filling

• 1/2 pkg of Tofutti (total package is 8oz)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 1/2 cup toasted coconut (it burns quick in the oven so be careful!)

1. Beat the Tofutti with the peanut butter until very smooth. Add the vanilla and then the icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time. 
2. Stir in the toasted coconut

Assemble by filling two equally sized & shaped Whoopie Pies with 1.5-2Tb filling (generally use as much filling as you used for the batter of each side of the Whoopie plus a little). Press together and refrigerate until about an hour before serving.

Mmm…

Vegan Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Peanut Butter & Toasted Coconut Filling

Peanut Butter & Honey Whoopie Pies

Some of my fondest memories of my Grandma (more frequently known as Gramma, or just Grams!) were the afternoons I spent at her house after going to kindergarten in the morning. I don’t really remember doing anything special, I just remember having lunch there and enjoying my time with her. Maybe part of the treasure of this time was that it was some of the only times that it was just Grams and I (as my bro was in grade 1 – full day – and my mom was working). And although I don’t remember how long I was there or what  exactly I did, I know I enjoyed it! And that I would get to eat peanut butter and honey sandwiches & watch The Flinstones! It was amazing! 🙂

I realize most kids love peanut butter and jam but not in my family. I don’t know who started the obsession: my Grandma with my mom when she was little, or my mom with us & then Grandma just did what my mom told her we liked but either way it was delicious. And so even though I don’t normally make peanut butter and honey sandwiches now, I still love my toast with peanut butter and honey and can’t stop eating it almost every day.

So that was the inspiration for these Whoopie Pies. Unfortunately I really wasn’t happy with how the Whoopie Pies came out (they fell flat after coming out of the oven!) but the filling, well that was another story. I loved loved LOVED it! I somehow managed the perfect balance of peanut butter and honey on my first shot of it! Seriously it was so deliciously smooth and creamy and the taste was amazing! So below are some pics but no recipe for the peanut butter Whoopie Pies as I wouldn’t want to steer you wrong with a subpar recipe! But feel free to add this delicious filling to the middle of the vanilla Whoopie Pies or the soon-to-be posted other peanut butter recipe (hopefully I will make it soon!)

Update: Here is a different Peanut Butter Whoopie Pie Recipe that would be AMAZING with this filling!!

Peanut Butter and Honey Filling

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• (milk if necessary)

1. Beat together butter, peanut butter and honey.
2. Add sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Add vanilla and milk if necessary. Enjoy!

written by Becky

The Inverted Whoopie Pie

Classic is considered a compliment normally. Here is one definition: Judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind. Sounds pretty good, right? And yet I am not normally one to make a classic dessert. Sure I love chocolate cake, or chocolate chip cookies, or carrot cake with cream cheese icing (I do love the recipe I have for this!), or whatever you consider a classic dessert but I like to mix it up! Add something special to the recipe. So even though my friend demands a chocolate cake with plain vanilla icing for her birthday, I insist on making chocolate with toasted marshmallow filling (and vanilla icing on the outside). And chocolate chip cookies are delicious but throw some toffee bits in there and they are so much better (actually I just made these cookies again on the weekend but this time I threw in pieces of Mr Big bars! I think they turned out pretty good! A little caramel, a little crisp, and a little more chocolate!)

Anyways, back to Whoopie pies. I have only made the classic flavour of chocolate filled with white (marshmallow) filling once. (I guess it was really twice since I tried two recipes.) It was alright but I really found it kind of unimaginative and thought they would be so much better in about a hundred other flavours. And I will make every one of those flavours and more! But this time, I was making Whoopie pies for a large group of people that I would not be talking to & explaining the brilliance of Whoopie Pies to & wouldn’t be able to discuss the flavour combination with them. So I needed something safe. But not as boring as chocolate with white (uh oh, maybe that is what I don’t like about classic? It seems boring??) What about Vanilla with Chocolate Filling? Yes, ok it is really not that different but it seemed different enough for me to give it a shot! And I thought they turned out pretty good! Then again, I really loved this filling!!

Something I learned this time too: there is a reason why some recipes say not to double them. The Whoopie Pie cookbook specifies this but I couldn’t figure out why. Now I know, doubling means it takes longer to beat in the flour since there is more, which means that the batter gets ‘overbeat’ and the Whoopie Pies are not as soft and fluffy as normal. Now I know. Now you know too!

Vanilla Whoopie Pies

(makes 16 or so depending on size) Vanilla Whoopie Pies in Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingley and Amy Treadwell

• 2 1/4 all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 Tb milk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1.  Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder & salt in a bowl
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter for a minute or so and then add the sugars. Continue beating for a few minutes until light & fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time.
4. Add the buttermilk slowly with the mixer on low.
5. In a small bowl or measuring cup, add the milk and then the baking soda and vinegar. It will froth up! Fun!
6. First mix in about half the flour mixture, then the milk mix, then finally the rest of the flour. Finally add the vanilla.
7. Drop, scoop or pipe about 1-2 Tb of batter onto the baking sheets. Space them well as these spread!
8. Bake 8-10 min or until the cookies bounce back when lightly touched. Allow them to cool a few minutes before transferring them to a drying rack.

Chocolate Filling

(sorry – this makes more  more than you will need but I don’t want to try to adapt it and not have enough for you!)

• 3/4 cup butter, room temp
• 3 oz (6 Tb) cream cheese, room temp
• 2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to room temp
• 1/2 cup cocoa, sifted
• 4 cups icing sugar
• 6-8 tsp milk

1. Beat together the butter & cream cheese until smooth. Add the chocolate and beat well.
2. Add about half of the cocoa and icing sugar slowly with the mixer on low. Add a few teaspoons of milk and then the rest of the cocoa and icing sugar.
3. Add milk slowly until a smooth consistency is reached (a little thinner than toothpaste I would say!)

Assemble by filling two equally sized & shaped Whoopie Pies with 1.5-2Tb filling (generally use as much filling as you used for the batter of each side of the Whoopie). Squish together and refrigerate to allow the filling to firm up a little.

I-wish-I-was-on-a-beach Whoopie Pies

So usually every year in January or February I go somewhere hot to escape the winter for just a short while. It doesn’t take long, only a week of warmth (although longer would be AMAZING), but that is enough to get me through the blahs of the rain in Vancouver. This year it didn’t work out. Between timing & budgets, it just didn’t happen. And now I am feeling it. I just want to feel the warmth of the sun on my back or just sit outside & read a book or even just have a week off to relax (it is WAY too long between Christmas and Easter to not have a break! I look forward to having the new stat holiday in February next year!). We will not miss out next year!

These Whoopie Pies were intended to bring a little sunshine and tropical flavour to the dullness of winter. One friend from Australia commented “these remind me of something at home” so I think I captured the idea of sunshine into the treat! I wasn’t really aiming for any particular drink, just something that you would enjoy in the sun on the beach. I had this tropical dip mix that I got as a ‘mystery purchase’ in a set with a few others and figured it would be great in a filling. Since it would be impossible anyone else to purchase this (apparently it was a fundraiser item), I would recommend throwing in some freeze dried pineapple and toasted coconut (blend it up first so that it becomes a powder). And for the outside I used the coconut Whoopie Pies I had previously made as a template and just enhanced it with some extra tropical fun (i.e. citrus and rum!)

Tropical Whoopie Pies

• 1/2 cup butter, room temp
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp coconut extract
• 1 tsp rum extract
• 1 large  egg
• 2 1/3 cup flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• (optional: 1/3 cup freeze-dried strawberries blended to ‘dust’)
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (fine is best but medium shred should be fine)
• zest from one orange

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat another 2-3 minutes until fluffy and light. Add the egg followed by the extracts.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt & strawberry ‘dust’ (if using).
4. In a measuring cup, measure the two milks together and stir.
5. With the mixer on low add about 1/3 of the flour mix, then 1/2 of the milk mix, another 1/3 of the flour mix, the rest of the milk, and finally the rest of the flour.
6. Mix in the shredded coconut & orange zest.
7. Spoon or scoop batter (about 1.5 tablespoon per cookie) onto the prepared cookie sheets.
8. Bake 10-12 minutes or until they spring back when lightly touched. Allow to cool a few minutes on the sheet and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Tropical Filling

• 1/2 pkg cream cheese (1/2 cup), softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 Tb rum
• 3 Tb Tropical fruit dip mix
• 4 cups icing/confectioner’s sugar
• (2 Tb coconut milk)

1. Beat the cream cheese and butter together. Add in the dip mix and the rum.
2. Add sugar 1/2 cup at a time with mixer on low. Add enough coconut milk if required to make it a medium consistency.

Assemble by filling two equally sized & shaped Whoopie Pies with 1.5-2Tb filling (generally use as much filling as you used for the batter of each side of the Whoopie). Squish together and refrigerate to allow the filling to firm up a little.