By Tracey
Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies
from Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell
Ingredients:
Cookies
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, shortening and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Mix in the eggs and buttermilk, beating until combined (the mixture may look curdled, don’t worry it’ll come together).
In a small measuring cup, stir together the milk, baking soda and vinegar. Add to the batter along with the dry ingredients (all at once) and beat on low speed just until combined. Mix in the vanilla then beat on medium speed for about a minute, until all ingredients are incorporated and the batter is light. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Use a small cookie scoop (mine is a #50) to drop the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, 12 cookies to a sheet. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 9-10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies begin to brown and they spring back when lightly pressed in the center. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to the wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining slice.
Buttercream
Ingredients:
- 1 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder. Add the butter and beat on low until the mixture is crumbly. Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract and salt and mix on high speed until the buttercream is smooth and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Match the cookies in pairs by size. Transfer the filling to a piping bag and pipe a small amount onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair. Sandwich the cookies together, and press the filling to the edges.
Makes about 24 sandwich cookies (depending on the size of your cookie scoop).
