Chocolate Whoopie Pies made with brown butter and filled with Rosemary Orange Custard. A true taste of the Holidays and wonderfully warming and delicious!
These Chocolate Whoopie Pies go perfectly with hot cup of cocoa or a glass of ice cold milk.
A Whoopie Pie is two halves of a small spongy cookies sandwiched together with frosting or custard in-between the layers.
Fun Fact: The Whoopie Pies, also known as ‘Hucklebucks’ and ‘Creamy Turtles’ are Amish!
Amish women would use cake batter leftovers to bake these tasty miniature cake sandwiches and then slip them into the farmers’ lunch boxes. When the farmers found the treats in their lunch, they would shout “Whoopie” and therefore the name ‘Whoopie Pie’.
What is brown butter or Beurre Noisette?
Unsalted butter is melted over low heat and allowed to separate into butterfat and milk solids. The milk solids naturally sink to the bottom of the pan and, if left over gentle heat, will begin to brown. As the milk solids reach a toasty hazelnut color, the pan is removed from the heat. Beurre noisette may be used in its liquid state, or cooled to a solid form. It has a nutty flavour and is particularly included in the batters for french pastry.
As you all know I am a big fan of edible presents, and my Chocolate Whoopie Pies are totally in that category. Wrap them up with a ribbon, place them in a tin box or wrap them individually as small presents for your co-workers. Happy December everyone!
Recipe: Chocolate Whoopie Pies
Makes 36 halves – 18 large whole Whoopie PiesIngredients
- 2,5 dl (1 cup) Flour
- 1/2 dl (1/4 cup) Cocoa
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 115 g (1 stick) Butter
- 170 g (6 oz) Dark Chocolate (70%)
- 3 Eggs
- 2,5 dl (1 cup) Brown Sugar
- 2 tsp Grand Marnier or Vanilla Essence
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking pan
- Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and keep it over medium/low heat until it starts to brown and smell nutty. Be careful not to burn it.
- Melt the Chocolate over water bath, and then stir in the brown butter
- Whisk eggs, sugar and Grand Marnier together in a bowl, when light and fluffy, add the chocolate butter in a steady stream. Whisk until smooth
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones
- Drop a tablespoon of batter onto the prepared pan and bake for 6-8 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the cakes are spongy
- When the cookies have cooled completely pair them, two and two, by size
- Transfer filling into a pastry bag and pipe a dollop onto the flat side of one cookie from each pair. Sandwich with the remaining cookies - Press slightly so filling gets pushed to the edges
- Store in the fridge for up to 4 days
Recipe: Rosemary & Orange Custard
This Holiday custard is great for Whoopie Pies and Profiteroles (Cream Puffs)Ingredients
- 3 dl (1 1/4 cups) Whole Milk
- Zest from one Orange
- 4 Sprigs Rosemary
- 3 Egg Yolks
- 3,5 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 2,5 tbsp Corn Starch
- 1 tbsp Flour
- 1 tsp Grand Marnier
Directions
- Warm the milk, rosemary and orange zest in a small saucepan until hot and steaming (not boiling). Turn of the heat and let steep for 30 minutes
- Then reheat the milk up to the point of boiling. Sift and discard solids
- Whisk egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and flour light, fluffy and completely smooth
- Temper the eggs by adding a little bit of the warm milk and whisk constantly. Add little at a time until you have added half of the milk
- Then pour the eggs/milk mix into the pan with the remaining hot milk and heat over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture is very thick
- Remove from heat and stir in Grand Marnier
- Chill the custard before piping them onto the whoopie pies
If you like me are in love with these Chocolate Whoopie Pies with a Holiday twist, you will definitely LOVE my Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!
