Whoopie!!

So, this summer has been pretty lazy and unproductive so far...except in the kitchen. Since I got back from college I have pretty much been baking or cooking something new every day and I figured I should share some of the more successful recipes with friends! I've already made a ton of things, but I'll start with my favorite recipe I've made so far: Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies! I got the basic recipe from the blog Dinner with Julie, then I tweaked it a bit so I could add some peanut butter to it! So, without further ado...my first posted recipe:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

yield: around 12 pies or 24 cookies

for the cookies:

3 tbsp. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. skim milk

1/2 c. milk chocolate chips (I used ghiradelli)

for the fluffernutter filling:

1 jar marshmallow fluff

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (I used Jiff's)

2 c. confectioner's sugar (approximately)

2 tbsp. skim milk

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until well mixed, then add the egg and vanilla.
3. In another bowl, stir together the flours, cocoa, and salt.
4. In yet another bowl, stir the baking soda into 1/2 cup of very hot water.
5. Add 1/3 of the dry mix, 1/2 of the milk, and 1/2 of the baking soda mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture. Once it is combined, add another third of the dry mix, the rest of the milk, and the rest of the baking soda mixture. Once that is combined, add the rest of the dry mixture.
6. Take the mixer bowl out of the mixer, and fold in the chocolate chips.
7. Drop large round spoonfulls 2" apart onto a greased cookie sheet (I used a silpat) and bake for 12 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed up and spring back when lightly pressed.
8. Let the cookies cool for a couple minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
9. While the cookie are cooling, make the fluffernutter filling. First, mix together the marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, and milk. Then, slowly add the confectioner's sugar until the mixture reaches a frosting-like consistency (basically, so it holds its shape but is not too dry). You can add more peanut butter if you so desire!
10. Once the cookies are cool, sandwich every two cookies together with the fluffernutter filling.

These pies were a HUGE hit with my family! They are really rich, but sooooo tasty! Another idea is to make a coconut marshmallow filling, in which you omit the peanut butter, and replace it with about 1 cup of sweetened coconut flakes.

Bon Appetit!