Whoopie!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Whoopie pies.  The dessert that is somehow a cake, a cookie and a pie all in one.  While their origin is debated between Pennsylvania and Maine, there is no debate in their deliciousness.  In fact, some believe whoopie pies got their name from when Amish wives would pack the treats in their husband's lunchbox he would exclaim "whoopie!"  That, however, did not stop Maine's State Legislature from trying to make the Whoopie Pie the official state dessert, since they believe Maine is the true birthplace of the treat.  Perhaps it's this food feud that has re-sparked America's interest in the whoopie pie and why some say whoopie pies are on their way to becoming the next cupcake.
For a few months now, I feel like whoopie pies are everywhere.  Baking blogs, food magazines, cooking channels, and bakeries have all embraced the dessert.  After a reading a recent Taste of Home magazine, specifically the section on whoopie pies, I figured it was time for me to embrace it.  So this year for Valentine's Day, I treated my co-workers to some red velvet whoopie pies.  And they must've liked them since by lunch time they were all gone, with only a few crumbs remaining. 

The whoopie pies were very easy to make, and since they do not have to be as moist as a cake/cupcake, mixing the ingredients was a breeze.  No alternating between wet and dry ingredients!  To make the cookies all the same size, I used a tablespoon of batter.  This created a nice size cookie, that is big enough to share, but still small enough to eat a whole one.  For the filling, I put the cream cheese frosting in a piping bag with no tip, and piped the frosting right on to the cookie.  For some of the pies, I don't think I used enough frosting, since I was nervous I would run out before I finished all 24 sandwiches.  I ended up with left overs, so do not be afraid of filling them!  Also, the original recipe calls for melted baking chips, chocolate and chopped nuts for toppings, but I did not do this and it didn't taste like I was missing something.  The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients
Cake/Cookie

3/4 c. Butter, softened

1 c. Sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 c. Sour cream

1 tbsp. Red food coloring

1-1/2 tsp. White vinegar

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

2-1/4 c. All-purpose flour

1/4 c. Baking cocoa

2 tsp. Baking powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Baking soda

2 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Filling

8 oz. Cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. Butter, softened

2-1/2 c. Confectioners' sugar

2 tsp. Vanilla extract (clear)

Instructions

Recipe makes approx. 24 whoopie pies

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs, sour cream, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla.  Continue to beat.

4. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl.  Gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. 

5. Melt the chocolate (I use the microwave and check & stir it every 15 seconds).  Stir the melted chocolate into the mixture.

6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Drop tablespoonfuls of batter about 2 inches are apart.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges set (the top of the domes may not be firm, that is OK).

7. Cool for 2 minutes on the sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. While they are baking and cooling, make the filling.  In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.  Beat in the confectioner's sugar and vanilla.

9. Using a piping bag, pipe about 1 tbsp. of filling on the bottom of 1/2 of the cooled cookies.  Top with the remaining cookies.  (Decorate with melted baking chips/chocolate and nuts if desired.)  Enjoy!

The batter before the melted chocolate was added

Finished batter, right before baking

Red, Red Velvet

I rarely pass up an opportunity to bake something, so when our friend Russ told me about his upcoming bake sale*, I immediately offered to donate some baked goods. He accepted my offer and then I began to think about what I should make. I finally decided upon red velvet cupcakes since I was going to be making them for Christmas and have never made them before.

I made mini cupcakes for the bake sale, however I had a slight issue with the wrappers. I bought mini cupcake wax paper wrappers at my grocery store, but they were slightly too big for my Wilton mini cupcake pan. So the first batch came out with the wrapper folding in on itself and some had uneven bottoms. You can see these in the picture, although I tried to take the best ones. The second batch I decided to not use the wrappers and they looked great, unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of these.

Anyway, other than the wrapper issue, the cupcakes were pretty straight forward. The most important part is the alternating between adding the dry and wet ingredients. This well help you get a smoother batter and prevents gluten from forming. When gluten forms it inhibits baked goods from rising and will make it a denser. The gluten will make the cake more like a bread consistency, instead of a moist cake. So to prevent this, you coat your flour and dry ingredients with a fat first (the butter, sugar, eggs) before adding the other liquids. Also note, you shouldn't add the wet ingredients first because it will break the emulsion formed by the butter and eggs. And be careful not to over beat the batter, that could also lead to gluten forming! If you follow the steps correctly, you should have a wonderful, moist cake.

Here's the recipe I used:

Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 1/3 cups of cake flour
• 2 tablespoons of Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of buttermilk*
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer for 3 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
4. In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring.
5. Add a fourth of the dry ingredients and mix, then add a third of the wet. Continue adding in a dry, wet, dry pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.
6. Scoop into cupcake papers, about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes of baking to ensure even baking.
7. Allow to cool for one minute in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
• 2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1. Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
2. Add the vanilla extract and mix.
3. Add the powdered sugar, continually taste to get to desired sweetness. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Here was my final result, I hope yours come out just as tasty!


*The bake sale was a fundraiser for Manhattan College's Lasallian Outreach Volunteer Experience (L.O.V.E.). The group will be heading down to New Orleans to help build houses for those to need. Russ is supervising the trip of students and if you're interested in donating to this great program, leave a comment and we'll be in touch!