#62 - Whoopie Pies with Mint Filling and Chocolate Ganache

You ever heard of whoopie pies? Well, we hadn't until we started watching Top Chef: Just Desserts and they talk about them all the time. Now that the second season has just started, we figured it was about time for us to try and make our own.

Whoopie Pies with Mint Filling and Chocolate Ganache

From Bon Appetit A whoopie pie is basically a big cakey Oreo. This one has got a mint chocolate filling, so you can see all the ingredients for the chocolate cakes, the mint whipped cream, and the chocolate ganache. So all you do is make the cookie cakes, Make the ganache, Make the mint filling, And put it all together. What to say about these? We think they came out as they were supposed to, but we're still not sold on them yet. They were different, they were good, but we wouldn't say they were great. The whole cakey cookie thing was a little weird to us, and since Johnny's not a big mint fan, the mint-chocolate cookie was not his favorite. That may not have been the most glowing recommendation, but if you want to impress Hubert Keller, go ahead and make these.

Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 5 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup nonhydrogenated solid vegetable shortening, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 Tbs vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole milk

Preparation

1. Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat to 375.
2. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda into a medium bowl.
4. Using an electric mixer, beat shortening, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended, about 2 minutes.
5. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, beating until blended after each addition.
6. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between cookies.
7. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are slightly puffed and spread but still soft, about 8 to 10 minutes.
8. Cool on sheets for 10 minutes.

Mint Filling

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated solid vegetable shortening, room temperature.
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups plus 3 Tbs powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup egg whites (from about 2 large eggs)
• Salt
• 3 to 4 drops green food coloring

Preparation

1. Using electric mixer, beat shortening, peppermint extract, and vanilla in a large metal bowl until blended.
2. Add powdered sugar, egg whites, and a pinch of salt, and beat until light and fluffy.
3. Add food coloring drop by drop for desired shade of green, and beat until well-blended.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients

• 3 Tbs heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation

1. Bring cream to a simmer in a small saucepan and remove from heat.
2. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth.
3. Cool until lukewarm but spreadable, about 15 minutes.

Whoopie Pies

Preparation

1. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Spoon 1 tsp ganache onto bottom (flat side) of half of the cookies and place, ganache side up, on prepared baking sheet.
3. Spoon mint filling into pastry bag fitted with medium star tip.
4. Starting at outer edge of bottom (flat side) of remaining cookies and working toward center, pipe mint filling in a spiral.
5. Place 1 mint-filled cookie, mint side down, atop each ganache-topped cookie, pressing slightly to adhere.