Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies

I got a new cookbook for Mother's Day!! Yeah! My husband picked it out and he chose wisely. I love it. The whole book is about whoopie pies. I'm kind of obsessed with them. You don't see them often around the Northwest. They seem like such an old fashion kind of dessert. If you haven't had the privilege of enjoying a whoopie pie, it's like a sandwich cookie but the cookie part is actually 2 soft cake like cookies. There are hundreds of combinations you can make and this book has it all. Vanilla, red velvet, classic chocolate, peanut butter, pumpkin, pistachio, mocha, oatmeal, carrot cake and the book even includes a few vegan recipes and gluten free recipe. The cake/cookie recipes are separate from the filling recipes in the book. First you choose what kind of cake you want, then you turn to the filling section and choose that. I just went with a very basic vanilla butter cream filling. I think next I will try the oatmeal whoopie pies. These are really fun and quite easy to make. They are a little time consuming but it's easy work. To get the filling onto the cookie, it's easiest to pipe it on with a pastry bag with wide opening tip. Then you top the filling with another cookie. I put sprinkles on a few of my cookies but that got pretty messy. Now I have little sugar balls all over my kitchen floor.

But these chocolate chip whoopie pies are delicious and make a wonderful gift. They package so nicely. I definitely recommend this recipe AND the book!

I used my scoopers to get all the cookie even sized and shaped. Two different sizes. The little cookies spread to about 2 1/2 inches and the large were a hefty 4 inches across.

Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pie
from Whoopie Pies
By Sarah Billingsley & Amy Treadwell

INGREDIENTS

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 brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening, and both sugars and beat until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and buttermilk and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup, combine the milk, baking soda, and vinegar. Add the milk mixture to the batter along with the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined. Add the vanilla and beat on medium for about 3 minutes, until completely combined.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips until just incorporated.

Using a spoon, drop about 1 tablespoon of batter onto one of the prepared baking sheets and repeat, spacing them out at least 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes each or until the cakes begin to brown. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet for at least 3 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.