Mad About Maida: Whoopies

Whoopies (Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 142.

I had never made whoopie pies before but last week I made some from two different recipes. The other recipe was the one from King Arthur Flour and it uses shortening instead of butter. Both of them turned out well and there wasn't much difference between the two. I gave some of both to my neighbor John who was having a birthday. He and his wife thought that the King Arthur recipe was the best (although they loved both). Michael, on the other hand, liked Maida's better.

Maida's recipe filling seemed a bit complicated (the King Arthur recipe is much simpler) but I didn't encounter any difficulties by following the recipe exactly. Both fillings are heavy and I wondered how a lighter filling (something similar to Cool Whip) might work.

Regardless, these are quite a delicious treat.

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt
6 oz. (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 /2 cup plus 1 TBS. unsweetened cocoa
1 cup plus 2 TBS. milk

Preheat the oven to 375. Fit cookie sheets with foil or a baking mat.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter. Add the vanilla and sugar and mix well.

Add the eggs one at at time, scraping the bowl as necessary.

Add the cocoa.

Add the sifted flour alternately with the milk.

Use a 1/4 cup scoop to form the dough. Shape each mound as round as possible. Place the mounds about 4 inches apart on the baking sheets.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done.

Remove from the oven - slide the foil off the baking sheet and let them stand for a few minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. You should have 27 large cookies to make 13 whoopies.

Creamy White Filling

1/3 cup plus 3 TBS. sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 lb. (3 sticks) butter
Generous pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups strained confectioners sugar

Place the flour in a 1-quart saucepan. Add the milk gradually, stirring with a rubber spatula.

Cook over moderate heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the mixture starts to bubble. Simmer for about 2 minutes.

Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter and set aside to cool to room temperature. Stir ocassionally with a whisk. (The mixture will resemble mashed potatoes.)

Beat the remaining butter until softened. Add the vanilla, salt and sugar gradually. Beat for 2 minutes. Gradually add the cooled flour and milk mixture one tablespoon at a time, then beat on high speed 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.