Classic Chocolate Whoopie Pies

I love whoopie pies.  I love eating them and making them.  They are a cross between a cookie and a cake.  Like thin little cakes with some filling in between.  I realize the classic whoopie pie filling is a marshmallow type of filling but I used a regular vanilla American buttercream made with butter & hi-ratio shortening. I used a clear vanilla so my filling would remain nice & white.

This whoopie pie recipe is from my only

 Whoopie Pie Book

I've made a few recipes from this book & they have all been good so far. This recipe is just the classic chocolate pies. Easy to make and pretty quick to mix up. I like to decorate the sides with sprinkles after I fill them.  I think it looks cute but it also keeps the pies from sticking to each other when the filling oozes out a little too far.  And if you are packaging the little pies, you don't want the filling sticking to the wrapping.  It just looks neater.  It doesn't have to be sprinkles - you can use coconut, nuts, cookie crumbs or even mini chocolate chips.  Whoopie pies make really cute gifts when you make them large and package them separately in cellophane bags tied with ribbons.  I made mine with a very small cookie scoop so they ended up being about 2 inches in diameter.  Just small enough to pop into your mouth.

Classic Chocolate Whoopie Pies
From the book Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley & Amy Treadwell

1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt onto a sheet of wax paper. In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening and brown sugar on low speed until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes.
Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk to the batter and beat on low until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour mixture and the remaining ½ cup milk and beat until completely combined.
Using a spoon (I used a small cookie scoop so I could get nice uniform rounds), drop about 1 tablespoon of batter onto one of the prepared baking sheets; repeat, spacing the rounds at least 2 inches apart.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until the pies spring back when pressed gently.  Remove from oven & let cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. (I just slid the entire piece of parchment, with cookies still on it, right onto a cooling rack.  They peel from the parchment a lot easier when they have sat for quite awhile)