This post is dedicated to my loyal follower, Erika, who makes me feel guilty for not posting more often.
I'm on break from school right now and I must say it's fabulous and very much needed. I'm nearing the end of this two week break--I start school again on Monday. :( This whole week so far has felt like a Sunday night. You know, that feeling when you try everything to stretch out a Sunday night because you know the weekend is about over and it's back to school again tomorrow. A whole week long Sunday night is no fun--I need to get out of this mindset and enjoy the last few days of this amazing, very, very, much-needed. break.
I'm almost done with school. Can you believe it? One year ago I was starting school, and now I'm almost done--only 3 quarters to go. I will be finished in March of 2011. This quarter (Summer quarter), I don't have a lab. That should be sort of nice, to only have regular classes, but it will be kind of weird to not be in the kitchen everyday. I will, however, be doing my internship. I'll be working for Juleps Catering, which is the catering business at school, and hopefully I'll have some cool events to work at--I hope.
During school, I don't really cook much. Ask my husband. It's a lot of Kraft Mac'n'Cheese, hot dogs, and frozen pizza for dinner. Between cooking all day at school and cooking all evening at work, going home and cooking is the very, complete, absolute, last desire on my list. I have been able to find some time, and enjoy it, cooking & baking over this break.
A yummy treat that I enjoying making in the past couple of days were Whoopie Pies. Wikipedia says Whoopie Pies are a Pennsylvania Amish tradition--to me they are a lot like Oreo Cakesters. They are very simple, and quite tasty and sweet/chocolatey satisfying.
Whoopie Pies
Cookie recipe from Martha Stewart
First, you need butter. You always need butter. Let it sit out a while so it's room temperature. Make sure it's unsalted. Always get unsalted butter so you can control the salt content in your food. Always use butter because butter is better--none of that margarine stuff around these parts. Woof.
While your butter is coming to room temperature, get some flour.
Some cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, & salt...
And, some sugar.
Hi!
Sift your dry ingredients. Look at all those clumps from the cocoa powder--we want none of that! Be-gone clumps.
When your butter if softened, mix that and the sugar...
Until light and fluffy. (This could have been lighter and fluffier...)
Then, grab some eggs.
And beat them. Beat your eggs before adding, that way you don't have to wait for them to break up on their own when mixing, thus mixing faster. You kinda want to do the least mixing you can when baking, especially after adding the flour (except when making bread).
[Insert picture of room temperature buttermilk & vanilla]
[Insert picture of buttermilk being added to butter and flour and being mixed well]
What can I say, I forgot to take pictures here.
Then my batter curdled.
It curdled badly.
(I blame this on either the fact that my buttermilk wasn't room temperature like the directions said, or the fact that it was buttermilk and buttermilk curdles.)
It's okay though! It all came together fine after I added the dry ingredients a scoopful at a time.
Then I mixed until just incorporated.
No more.
No over-mixing.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
I didn't have parchment paper, so I used foil and sprayed it with a little Pam.
Actually, I lied. It wasn't Pam.
It was Butter Flavored Cooking Spray.
Same difference.
Why do some people insist on using name brand products? I don't get it. It's a waste of money. I know, I know, some things are better in name brand (i.e., Heinz Ketchup, and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese*), but other things are just the same. Pam, and Kroger brand Butter Flavored Cooking Spray work just the same!
*Heinz & Kraft are not paying me to advertise their products.
Sorry, sorry. I got distracted by a peeve.
This is the part where I post pictures of me scooping the batter with a 1 oz cookie scoop onto the tray and baking them for approximately 11 minutes until they are done and cake-like...but I forgot to photograph that as well...oops.
Next,
Have a photo-shoot with the Whoopies while they are cooling on racks.
Then, stuff them with yummy, marshmallow filling (recipe following) and take more pictures.
This one's for my boo, he had a long day.
This one's mine. Mine was longer.
Just kidding.
You can wrap these sucker's up in plastic wrap and they'll be good for a week...
If they last...
Whoopie Pies
Makes 2 dozen sandwiches
Makes 2 dozen sandwiches
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift together flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. Line two baking pans with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats) or parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Slowly add dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
2. Using a 1-ounce ice-cream scoop, place cookies onto lined baking pans, twelve per pan. Bake for 11 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining batter.
3. Spread 2 tablespoons of frosting onto each of twenty-four of cookies. Sandwich together with remaining twenty-four cookies. Store in an airtight container.
Filling:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup marshmallow fluff
1/2 cup butter1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup marshmallow fluff
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup marshmallow fluff
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a medium bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and remaining ingredients until light and fluffy.
Ps. You can substitute peanut butter for the marshmallow fluff and make peanut butter Whoopies!
