Recipe - Whoopie Pies

As you may or may not be aware, my girlfriend just happens to have a food blog (www.shecookssheeats.co.uk). This of course means not only do I get to eat lots fantastic food, but it's usually all cooked for me too. What people don't know is I'm not actually that bad in the kitchen myself. Not only am I a washer upper extraordinaire and an excellent coffee & tea boy but I can cook and, dare I say it, even bake.

I've been baking this week and it turned out so well I thought I'd share a recipe with you all for the best Whoopie Pies you're ever likely to try. It's based on a Simon Rimmer recipe but I've adapted it slightly to make it even more tasty.

Ingredients

125g butter
150g Chocolate, at least 70% cocoa solids (recommend Green & Blacks)
225g sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g flour
30g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder

For buttercream icing

125g butter, softened
260g icing sugar
3-4 tbsp milk

First of all I'd recommend having three separate mixing bowls ready before you start or you'll end up running around and having to wash up whilst cooking. Once you're all prepared, preheat your oven to 180C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Break your chocolate into squares and place it in a bowl, along with your butter, over a pan of boiling water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn't touch the surface of the water.

 
While your chocolate and butter is melting whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in another bowl. Make sure you keep an eye on the chocolate so it doesn't burn.

Once your chocolate and butter are melted fold into the egg mix a little at a time.

With a sieve, sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder and then fold this, again a little at a time, into the chocolate mixture. It should thicken quite quickly at this point so just keep folding until you have a sticky brown mix.

Using a tablespoon place the mixture onto your baking tray, making sure not to put them too close together or they will become one giant chocolate mess as they bake. Put them in the oven for 7-9 minutes depending on their size. At this point you may wish to take some time out to lick your bowl.

While your pies are in the oven prepare your buttercream by beating the remains of your stick of butter in a bowl with half of your icing sugar. I find using a large metal spoon works best as the mixture tends to stick to wood. Once your mixture starts to become smooth add the remaining icing sugar and your milk until you achieve your desired consistency.

 

Once your pies are cooked place them on a wire rack to cool before spreading them with the buttercream and sticking them together.

Once you've sandwiched them together you should end up with a whoopie pie that looks something like this.

This recipe should realistically make twelve or thirteen pies of a medium to large size, all you have to do is try not to eat them all yourself.