Sweetheart Whoopie Pies
Ingredients ~
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 teaspoons raspberry extract
For the filling:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 7-oz jar marshmallow creme
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon raspberry extract
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
Preparation ~
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two cookie sheets. Cream sugar and shortening in an electric mixer. Add eggs and mix well.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to the sugar-egg mixture, along with the buttermilk, vanilla and raspberry extracts. Mix well.
Drop rounded tablespoons of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes, until a toothpick tester comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool completely on wire racks.
In the meantime, beat all the filling ingredients until light, fluffy and smooth.
Spread a rounded tablespoon of the filling onto the flat side of one cookie and sandwich it together with a second cookie.
Serve immediately and store leftovers in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator, separating layers with sheets of wax paper.
Makes 16 whoopie pies (about 3-inch diameter)
Recipe Notes:
You could easily switch to a strawberry filling, if you prefer. Just be sure you find seedless preserves or jams to retain the smooth, fluffy texture of the filling.
