WHOOPIE PIES WITH MINT FILLING AND CHOCOLATE GANACHE

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY ON MONDAY!!  

Here is one more Valentine's recipe for you.  I found this recipe online the other day and I jumped up and made them immediately.  They were so easy to throw together and they tasted so yummy.  I am a huge mint chocolate fan!  

I changed up the recipe slightly.  The cookie recipe didn't call for any salt?  I wondered if they just forgot to type it in the recipe?  So, I added a little salt to my cookies.  Also, the filling called for egg whites and I was a little scared of eating the raw eggs, so I left that out and I added a little Vanilla Coffee Creamer to make it the right consistency and of course I added more powdered sugar, because I love lots of filling.   My filling turned out so yummy, I was eating it by the spoonful (No Joke)!  All together, they are delicious.  I really really like these cookies.  The cookie is very soft and cakey with a perfectly minty frosting and a creamy ganache.  

Here are some other great ideas for Valentine's Dessert:

Neapolitan Cake    

Red Velvet Bars      

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake

Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes

Whoopie Pies with Mint Filling and Choc. Ganache

adapted from: Climbing Grier Mountain

(Printable Recipe)

Cookies:

2 c. flour

5 Tbl. cocoa

1 1/8 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. shortening or softened butter

1 c. sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 Tbl. vanilla extract

1 c. milk

Mint Filling:

3/4 c. shortening or softened butter

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4-5 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. vanilla coffee creamer or milk

a few drops red food coloring

Chocolate Ganache

3 Tbl. heavy whipping cream

1/2 c. milk chocolate chips

For the Cookies:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.  Using an electric mixer, beat shortening, sugar, eggs yolks and vanilla until well blended.  Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beating until blended.  Drop dough, by tablespoons, onto a greased baking sheet.  Bake until cookies are slightly puffed and spread, but are still soft, 8-10 minutes (mine took 10 min.).  Cool in baking sheet 10 minutes.  Carefully transfer cookies to rack and cool completely.  

For the Mint Filling:  Using an electric mixer, beat shortening, peppermint extract and vanilla extract until blended.  Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time.  If it gets too thick, add vanilla creamer or milk to reach desired consistency and is light and fluffy.  Add a few drops of food coloring, if desired.

For the Chocolate Ganache:  Bring cream to a simmer in small saucepan.  Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips; whisk until smooth.  Cool until lukewarm, but spreadable, about 15 minutes.  

To Assemble the Cookies:  Spread 1 tsp. of ganache onto one side (flat side) of half the cookies and place cookie, ganache side up, on cookie sheet.  Spread a giant spoonful of filling onto the flat side of the remaining cookies.  Place peppermint filling topped cookie atop each ganache topped cookie, pressing slightly to adhere. Yield: 15 whoopie pies (I got about 18 whoopie pies).