Thursday, August 25, 2016

Strawberry Shortcake Whoopie Pies (Guest Post)


If you thought she was done for the summer, you're wrong! Jenna is back with her final sweet treat of the summer and it's definitely one you don't want to miss! Want more of Jenna? Check out her other recipes she shared here in June and July. You can also find her on the interwebs here and here

It's been really fun having a re-occurring guest on my blog this summer, especially one who's so SWEET! I plan to make it happen again soon - do I see a holiday special in the future for us, Jenna?



Hi everyone!

I’m back for my third and final summer food post. I’ve been in Vietnam for the past several weeks, and while my time there was incredible, I came home craving rich, sugar-loaded desserts. Where’s all your butter at, Southeast Asia?


My pudgy American fingers could only handle so many fruit spreads and coconut jelly at the end of every meal.


Whoopie pies have always been my personal favorite dessert. They’re the perfect ratio of cake : frosting. In one of my many life fantasies, I own a tiny little bakery that sells exclusively whoopie pies, and there’s always a line wrapped around the block to get in.


Maybe if Sara is feeling generous, I can sneak back onto this blog for the holidays and share the seasonal whoopies I make every year...


There were a few things I would do differently if I made these again:
  1. I liked these, but I’d love to try and make them again with a softer cookie. This one was almost there, but I wanted something a bit cushier
  2. I think I would also blend in strawberries to the filling for an even better taste

Strawberry Shortcake Whoopie Pies
Adapted from Cookies and Cups

Ingredients

Cookies:
  • 1 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 3 eggs
  • 4 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
Filling:
  • 10 tablespoons butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 1/2 - 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 pint strawberries, thinly sliced

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. In your mixer, cream together butter and sugar for 1 minute on medium speed.
  4. Turn mixer to low and add in baking powder, salt, and eggs. Turn mixer back up to medium and mix until smooth.
  5. Mix vanilla into your milk.
  6. With your mixer on low, alternate adding the flour and the milk/vanilla mixture, starting and ending with flour.
  7. Mix until just combined.
  8. Drop dough by the heaping tablespoon onto prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
  9. Flatten dough so it's not so rounded.
  10. Baker for 10-11 minutes, until edges are golden and tops have set.
  11. Meanwhile, make your filling. Cream butter in mixer with vanilla for about 2 minutes.
  12. Slowly add in 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar and mix, beating for 2-3 minutes more.
  13. Add more powdered sugar, as needed, for a thicker consistency. If too thick, slowly add more milk.
  14. Once cakes have cooled, spread about 2 tablespoons of filling on the bottom of a cookie and top with 5-6 strawberry slices.
  15. Spread a teaspoon of filling onto the bottom of another cookie and press the cookies together to form a sandwich.