Update

  Remember the new addiction I posted about? Here's a recipe I actually like better for the cookie. The Salted Caramel Frosting remains the same. I made the Chocolate and Key Lime Whoopie Pies for a get-together today and they were a big hit.

Chocolate Whoopie Pies

Yield: about 24 sandwich cookies

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

3½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tbsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Combine the flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl; whisk together to blend.  Set aside.  Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition.  Blend in the buttermilk and vanilla extract until incorporated.  Mix in the dry ingredients, blending just until combined.

Using a 1-oz dough scoop, drop the batter onto the prepared baking pans, 12 cookies per pan.  Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.  Allow to cool on the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat with the remaining batter.

Once the cookies are completely cooled, match them up in pairs by size.  Fill a pastry bag fitted with filling.  Pipe a dollop of filling onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair, and sandwich the cookies together, pushing the filling to the edges.  Store in an airtight container.

Salted Caramel Buttercream

• 1/2 cup sugar, divided
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp + 2 tsp (40 mL) cream
• 2 egg whites
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 Put 1/4 cup of sugar and water in saucepan over medium-high heat. Do not stir of you will get sugar crystals, but you can swirl the saucepan gently. It will bubble itself into a deep amber. Remove immediately from heat and add cream (careful – it will bubble up furiously). Stir until smooth and set aside.

 Put the egg whites, salt, and 1/4 cup sugar in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture reaches 140 degrees. Transfer to bowl of standing mixer.

 Beat on high until stiff peaks form. Add butter a bit at a time, and continue beating on medium. Reduce speed to low, add vanilla extract, and then caramel (you may need to gently rewarm the caramel in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time until it is workable but not burning hot). Beat for 4-5 minutes. 

 Frosting may begin to separate and look absolutely terrible. Just keep beating.

 Eventually you will have a fluffy, beautiful buttercream.

   

  I also came up with a recipe for Key Lime Whoopie Pies. What a delicious take on a favorite summer dessert!

 Key Lime Whoopie Pies

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons light-brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated key lime zest
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, 1 cup brown sugar, and lemon zest until light and creamy. Add vanilla and egg and beat to combine, scraping down bowl as needed. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk and ending with flour mixture (scrape bowl as needed). Beat well to combine.
   
2. Drop batter in 2-tablespoon mounds, about 2 inches apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until puffed and pale golden around edges, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cakes cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Fill with key lime filling.
    
   

Key Lime Filling

3/4 c. sugar, divided
4 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tsp. key lime zest
2 Tbsp. key lime juice
2 egg yolks
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. sour cream
1/2 pint heavy cream


  Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Add butter, key lime zest, key lime juice, egg yolks and milk; cook over medium heat until very thick. Stir in sour cream and pour filling into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled.
  Whip cream until stiff peaks begin to form. Add remaining sugar and beat until very stiff. Fold cream into previously chilled filling.
  Spread filling on half the prepared cookies, top with remaining cookies. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
  
  I'm afraid one of my sisters has gotten me on to something that is soon to become a new obsession; Whoopie Pies. I'll have to get her to share her recent recipe discovery of a Vanilla Whoopie Pie with Raspberry Mascarpone Filling. The recipe I decided to try is a Chocolate Whoopie Pie with Salted Caramel Buttercream Filling...DELICIOUS! I have only one complaint; it needs double the filling. So the next time I make these little bites of heaven I will be doubling the filling recipe and making the cookies slightly smaller so you can taste more of the filling. The filling is so good, in fact, I will probably be using it in some other favorite recipes; like sandwiched between layers of chocolate cake that have then been frosted with a chocolate fudge frosting. YUM!

  I made the pies much larger than I should have because I was crunched for time, but here's the end result.

                                                                     Sorry the lighting is so bad.