Whoopie Pies

Whoopie Pies

The Loving Spoonful

Ingredients

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup natural cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons fine salt
18 large marshmallows (not minis) or use Marshmallow Fluff (you'll find more Whoopie Pie Recipes there)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet.
Put the unsweetened and semisweet chocolates and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl; heat at 75 percent power until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to microwave until completely melted, about 2 minutes more. (Alternatively, put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching the water, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)
Whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla into the chocolate mixture until smooth.
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into another bowl. Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until moistened. Switch to a rubber spatula and finish folding the batter together; take care not to over-mix.
Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to drop a heaping tablespoon of batter onto the prepared pan. Repeat to make 36 cookies, spacing them about 1-inch apart. Bake until the cookies spring back when lightly touched, about 6 minutes.
Cool the cookies slightly. Transfer half of the cookies to a rack. Turn the remaining cookies on the pan over, so they lay flat side up. Place a marshmallow on top of each flipped cookie and return pan to the oven. Cook just until the marshmallow begins to soften and puff, about 3 minutes. Cool marshmallow topped cookies slightly, about 2 minutes. Top with the remaining cookies, pressing lightly to make sandwiches. Cool whoopie pies completely on wire racks. Serve, or store in tightly sealed container for up to 1 week.

NOTES
If you use a pan designed specifically for Whoopie Pies please follow the manufacturer's baking directions.
If you use Marshmallow Fluff as a filling allow the cakes to cool first.


*Whoopie Pie recipe and image adapted from Food Network Kitchens please visit their website for more recipes.

Key Lime Pie

Eagle Brand

• Servings: 8
• Nutrition: See Below
• Prep Time: 15 Minutes
• Cook Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs, separated
• 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon grated lime peel*
• 2 or 3 drops green food coloring
• 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup sugar

Instructions

• HEAT oven to 350°F. Beat egg yolks in medium bowl on low speed of electric mixer. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk and lime juice until smooth. Blend in cream, lime peel and food coloring, if desired. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven.
• BEAT egg whites and cream of tartar in medium bowl on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar on medium speed. Beat 4 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and stiff glossy peaks form. Spread over hot pie, carefully sealing to edge of crust to prevent meringue from shrinking.
• BAKE an additional 15 minutes or until meringue is lightly browned. Cool 1 hour on wire rack. Chill at least 3 hours before serving. 

Cindy's NOTES

I prefer Whipped Cream on my pie, use a little more grated lime peel, less food coloring and use Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust.


Recipe compliments of Eagle Brand.

Banana Nut Bread

This is an easy and really delicious recipe for Banana Bread.  It's just as good without the nuts and is really tasty made into French Toast.  Have you ever tried that?

1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Sift dry ingredients together and set aside.

2 very ripe bananas - smashed
2 eggs lightly beaten
1/2 softened butter
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup or more of chopped nuts (large or small pieces as desired)
(Walnuts or Pecans are good)

Blend banana, butter, eggs and sugar.
Add flour mixture, mix until blended thoroughly.
Add nuts if desired.

Bake in a greased loaf pan for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Gingerbread Man Cookies

Photo from McCormick.com

Gingerbread Men Cookies
Adapted from a recipe found at the Simply Recipes website.  Posted by Elise.

 3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature, softened)

1/2 cup Butter flavored Crisco
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses (or honey if you don't like molasses)

• Optional raisins, chocolate chips, candy pieces, frosting

Royal Icing
I use Wilton products for Royal Icing.  Instead of just water add 1/2 tsp of Clear Vanilla and 1/2 tsp of No Color Almond Extract after the first two Tbs of water.  The original recipe is HERE.

Method

1 In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.

2 In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Mix in eggs and molasses. Gradually add the flour mixture; combine on low speed. (You may need to work it with your hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.) Divide dough in thirds; wrap each third in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour or overnight. Before rolling out, let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. If after refrigerating the dough feels too soft to roll-out, work in a little more flour.

3 Heat oven to 350°. Place a dough third on a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper or wax paper. Using a rolling pin, roll dough 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate again for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to cut out the cookies. Use either a cookie cutter or place a stencil over the dough and use a knife to cut into desired shapes. Press raisins, chocolate chips, or candy pieces in the center of each cookie if desired for "buttons".
4 Transfer to ungreased baking sheets. Bake until crisp but not darkened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let sit a few minutes and then use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.
Makes 16 5-inch long cookies.

Funnel Cake

 1 Large egg
 2/3 cups milk
 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
 1/4 tsp. salt
 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
 3/4 tsp. baking powder
Also:  
 Vegetable oil and a deep skillet
 Food thermometer
 Medium funnel
 Large ladle
 Metal tongs
 Paper towels
 Powdered sugar

1. Beat egg in a large mixing bowl with a wire whisk. Stir in milk slowly, stirring constantly with the whisk.
 
2. Combine flour, salt, sugar and baking powder in a separate large mixing bowl.
 
3. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture slowly, beating constantly with the wire whisk. Continue beating until the funnel cake batter is smooth.
 
4. Pour vegetable oil into a large, deep skillet to a 1-inch depth. Heat the oil to approximately 375 degrees F, using a food thermometer to check the temperature.
 
5. Place your finger over the hole in the bottom of a medium-sized funnel. Fill the funnel with one large ladle of batter and remove your finger, allowing the batter to run out into the hot oil. Move the funnel from the center of the pan outward in a circular motion to create a round funnel cake.
 
6. Fry the homemade funnel cake for two to three minutes in the oil or until golden brown. Turn the cake over using metal tongs, and fry for two to three minutes on the opposite side, until golden brown.
 
7. Remove the funnel cake from the oil with the tongs, and place on paper towels to drain. Sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar while it's still warm, and serve immediately.

For more by Willow Sidhe, ehow - Homemade Funnel Cake

Caramel Apples

Ingredients
    * 6 Granny Smith apples
    * 6 wooden sticks
    * 1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
    * 2 tablespoons water
    * 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Insert wooden sticks 3/4 of the way into the stem end of each apple. Place apples on a cookie sheet covered with lightly greased aluminum foil. I like to use squares of wax or parchment paper under each apple. Greasing a metal pan does NOT work.
 2. Combine caramels and water in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring often, until caramel melts and is smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Dip each apple into the caramel and gently run apples around insides of saucepan to scrape off some of the caramel. Scrape excess caramel from the apple bottoms using the side of the saucepan. Place on the aluminum foil and chill until ready to serve.
3. If desired, dip apples into chopped nuts, cookies, candies or sprinkles.  Drizzle with chocolate or melted caramel.


Cooking Option: place the the caramels and water in a microwave safe bowl and cook for 1 minute at a time until melted stirring as needed to combine.

Check out Kraft Foods and All Recipes for more ideas.