Let's Make Whoopie.

My SIL Danielle and I got all crazy right before Christmas and made Whoopie Pies. Not just any Whoopie Pies, but chocolate ones with mint filling and chocolate ganache to top it off. The recipe estimated 20 pies, so I bought enough ingredients for 3 batches. But, hello! Have you ever made Whoopie Pies? They take F-O-R-E-V-E-R to make and the 5 kids running around our house were starting to get cranky. It was like they wanted attention or something. Needless to say, we stuck to just one batch.

And they were good! Oh, they were so good! I gently wrapped the baking sheet with plastic so they would stay moist and placed them lovingly in the oven so they wouldn't be poked or prodded by little fingers. And then disaster struck. I pre-heated the oven for lunch the next day, completely forgetting about our little love cookies and ruined them. I ruined my baking sheet, too, even though it was on it's last leg anyway and my hair smelled of plastic for the whole day. Awesome.

Here's the recipe, just don't burn them up like I did.

Source: Bon Appetit

Cookies:

•2 cups all purpose flour
•5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
•1 1/8 teaspoons baking powder
•1 teaspoon baking soda
•1/2 cup nonhydrogenated solid vegetable shortening or unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature (I used butter)
•1 cup sugar
•2 large egg yolks
•1 tablespoon vanilla extract
•1 cup whole milk

Mint Filling:

•1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated solid vegetable shortening or unsalted butter, room temperature (I used butter)
•1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
•1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
•2 cups plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
•1/4 cup egg whites (from about 2 large eggs)
•3 to 4 drops green food coloring

Chocolate Ganache:

•3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
•1/2 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

Start with the cookies:

•Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat shortening, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, beating until blended after each addition.

•Drop dough by very rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are slightly puffed and spread but are still soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes. Carefully transfer cookies to racks and cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. DO AHEAD Cookies can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight in single layer at room temperature.

Go for the mint filling

•Using electric mixer, beat shortening, peppermint extract, and vanilla in large metal bowl until blended. Add powdered sugar, egg whites, and pinch of salt; beat until light and fluffy. Add food coloring drop by drop for desired shade of green; beat until well blended. If mixture looks curdled, place bowl over low heat several seconds and beat until smooth. Repeat as necessary until smooth.

Top it off like a pro: make a ganache

•Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring cream to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool until lukewarm but spreadable, about 15 minutes.

•Spoon 1 teaspoon ganache onto bottom (flat side) of half of cookies. Place cookies, ganache side up, on prepared baking sheet.

•Spoon mint filling into pastry bag fitted with medium star tip (or spoon filling into resealable plastic bag, squeezing filling into 1 corner of bag, then cut off 1/4 inch of plastic bag corner to allow for piping). Starting at outer edge of bottom (flat side) of remaining cookies and working toward center, pipe mint filling in spiral. Place 1 mint-filled cookie, mint side down, atop each ganache-topped cookie, pressing slightly to adhere. Store airtight at room temperature.

*And just in case your New Year's Resolutions included weight loss or healthier eating, just one of these cookies has 368 calories. I'd save them for a special occasion, wouldn't you?!