red velvet whoopie pies

My proclivity for sandwich treats is pretty well known. I tend to bake (and blog about) a lot of macarons. They're pretty, they're satisfying, and they can be made in all sorts of different flavour combinations (bubble gum, meyer lemon, lavender, etc.); they're my go-to treat. 

But this week I was itching to try something new: the whoopie pie.

The texture of a whoopie pie is a tricky thing to describe. It's not quite a cookie, not quite a cake, but it does have an icing filled centre. It's fluffy but firm, and absolutely awesome. 

And pretty easy to make. 

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies:
(recipe yields 18 assembled pies)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cups sugar

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vinegar

3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

3/4 cup butter milk

red food gel

Directions:
Heat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. With electric mixer, beat together sugar and egg until white and fluffy. Add vanilla, food colour and oil. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.  Add buttermilk and dry ingredients, alternating. Combine vinegar and baking soda in small container and stir for 10s; add to mixture. Mix thoroughly for 2 mins then pipe 2 inch circles onto baking sheet. 

Cream Cheese Frosting:

recipe yields 2 cups

Ingredients:  

1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup icing sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix together cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy. Sift in confectioners sugar, beating until smooth. Add vanilla and stir until incorporated. Pipe 1 tbsp of filling per sandwich.

Last step: Try not to eat all of them in one sitting. 

-Danielle