Tonight I bring you not a story or explanation. Tonight I bring you a quick message and a delicious recipe.
My message is this:
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
I hope you and yours enjoy the spirit and fun of the Holiday and the New Year. I hope that the next few weeks are full of family, friends, love, and joy.
Thanks for following along my journey this past year. I look for 2013 to be an amazing new year to bring my dreams closer to life, if not to full life. I hope you'll be along for the journey.
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And now to the recipe that you MUST make for any Holiday gathering you attend. I promise you everyone who tries one of these will just LOVE you. ;-) Enjoy!
Dark Chocolate Whoopie Pies
Servings: about 48 cake or 24 pies
Ingredients:
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cup milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375º
1. In a medium bowl mix dry ingredients and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the shortening and brown sugar, beat until fluffy. About 3 minutes.
3. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat another 2 minutes.
4. Add 1/3 the flour mixture and beat until combined. Add half the milk and beat until combined. Continue until all flour mixture is gone.
5. Onto greased cookie sheets drop tablespoons of batter about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes, change shelves halfway through baking.
Traditional Filling
Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
2 cups Marshmallow Fluff
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Directions:
1. In the bowl a mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the shortening and Marshmallow Fluff. Scrap down bowl.
2. Add a 1/2 cup at a time of the powdered sugar.
3. Add vanilla.
4. Put the filling in a large decorating bag or ziploc bag and set aside until ready to fill whoopie pies.
**To make Peppermint Filling simply add 4 drops of a good quality peppermint oil when you add the vanilla. Also, after filling the whoopie pies roll the filling sides in crushed candy canes.
