Chocolate Whoopie Pies

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No cookie round-up would be complete without a little something from pastry chef and cookbook author Joanne Chang. The queen of confections teams up with the folks from Hood in this recipe for chocolate whoopie pies to make this year’s 12 Days of Cookies a Baker’s Dozen. Read on to see how to make these one-of-a-kind treats (a cross between a cookie and a cake but definitely not a pie) and to get the skinny on her “magic frosting.” They’ll be the crowning glory of your holiday baking season.

See more holiday cookie recipes here.

Ingredients

for the whoopie pies
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 cup cocoa
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 8 tablespoons/1 stick unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup Hood® Sour Cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Hood Sour Cream Frosting
for the sour cream frosting
  • 1 large egg white (30 grams)
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 16 tablespoons/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups confectioners sugar
  • 1/2 cup Hood Sour Cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • (1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional)

Directions

for the whoopie pies
  1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and place a rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
  2. Combine sugar, cocoa, water, and butter in a large bowl and whisk well until combined. Whisk in Hood Sour Cream, eggs, and vanilla. Stir together dry ingredients in a small bowl and fold into the wet ingredients using a whisk.
  3. Use a 1/4-cup ice cream scoop or a large rounded spoon and scoop mounds of batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Space the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the tops of the cookies are set and bounce back when you press them in the middle. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
  4. Using the same 1/4-cup scoop, sandwich the cookies with the Hood Sour Cream Frosting. Whoopie pies may be stored in an airtight container for up to a day at room temperature.
for the sour cream frosting
  1. Place the egg white and sugar in a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Remove both the bowl and the whisk from the mixer and place the bowl over low heat on the stove.
  2. Use the whisk attachment to whisk the sugar and egg together to make a slurry. Keep whisking over low heat until the slurry is hot to the touch - poke your finger into the slurry and when you say, “OUCH!” then it is hot enough.
  3. Place the mixing bowl and whisk back on the mixer and whip on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes until the mixture whips up into a stiff meringue and it is cool to the touch. Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter bit by bit until it is all mixed in.
  4. Slowly add the confectioners sugar and the Hood Sour Cream. Keep whipping until smooth. Add the vanilla and salt and cinnamon (if using). Use immediately. Frosting may be stored in an airtight container for up to a week. Bring back to room temperature and rewhip to smooth it out.

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