Whoopie!

I just made a double batch of these delicious whoopie pies for the employees of the Leader-Herald for tomorrow, Valentine's Day. (It's first come-first served, guys. There might only be about 2 dozen, because I burned one tray of them. So hurry down.)

I'm not going to wax poetic about the awesomeness of the whoopie pie here; I'll just let the picture speak for itself and offer you the recipe, from Epicurious.

Please heed the warnings about rotating the trays in the oven, because you WILL burn the bottoms if you don't.

For cakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup well-shaken buttermilk *

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg

For filling

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar

2 cups marshmallow cream such as Marshmallow Fluff

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

To make cakes: Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl until combined. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a handheld, then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with flour, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, and mixing until smooth.

Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 buttered large baking sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool completely.

Make filling: Beat together butter, confectioners sugar, marshmallow, and vanilla in a bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Assemble pies: Spread a rounded tablespoon filling on flat sides of half of cakes and top with remaining cakes.

*Couldn't find buttermilk at the store, so I put 1 tbsp of white vinegar (can also use lemon juice) in a measuring cup, then fill to 1 cup with milk. Let sit for 5 minutes, then use as directed.

Note: If you use the recommended portion of 1/4 cup of batter for the cakes, they come out HUGE, and you have to keep in mind that you are spackling TWO together with frosting, and that is a lot. I ended up using a heaping tablespoonful, and that was a bit more manageable.