Whoopie Pies Recipe from Williams Sonoma

On my trip to New York City in March of this year, I bought a whoopie Pie pan from Williams Sonoma. Tonight I used it for the first time. I am helping to raise money for a friend's daughter to take a trip to Washington DC.  So, I have made a batch of whoopie pies to take to work to sell.  I made the recipe that came with the pan, and I also made some strawberry ones.  They are both really good, but my husband liked the strawberry ones the best.  Here is the William Sonoma version.

Whoopie Pies William Sonoma Style

Cookies

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup dutch process cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

23 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

6 TBS unsalted butter, room temp

34 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg, room tep

1 cup buttermilk, room temp

Filling

2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar

5 TBS unsalted butter, room temp

3 TBS milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour the pan.  In a bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, soda and salt together.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat together the brown sugar and butter on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute.  Add the vanilla and egg and beat until fluffy.  Make sure to stop the mixer several times and scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Reduce to low speed and alternately add the flour and buttermilk in 3 additions, ending with the flour.  Beat after each addition just until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Fill each well with 1 1/2 TBS batter.  Tap the pan on the counter to distribute the batter evenly.  If the batter is too thick add 1-2TBS buttermilk to the batter(I should have added more buttermilk, I think mine were a little too thick). Bake 8-10 minutes and then transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cakes cool in teh pan for a few minutes, then invert them to finish cooling.

To prepare the filling, bet the confectioners sugar, butter, milk, vanilla, and salt on low speed until combined, then increase the speed to medium and bat until fluffy, about 1 minute.

Spread about 2 TBS filling on the flat side of the cakes.  Top with one of the remaining cakes, domed side up.  Makes 12 pies.  (mine made exactly 12 pies)

These are the Williams Sonoma version

These are the Strawberry ones.  I used the same filling recipe as the chocolate ones, but I used a strawberry cake mix for the cookies.

I love this plate! It was a Birthday gift from my friend Pam.  Thank you Pam!

TWD: My Best Chocolate Chip Cookie

This is the second time for me to participate in the Tuesdays with Dorie challenge.  I was more than happy to make this recipe as I am always looking for the perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie.  I thought this cookie was very very good.  I used 6 ounces chopped Ghiradelli Chocolate(bittersweet) and 6 ounces of Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips.  Also, I melted the butter prior to mixing in the sugar.  I find this method the easiest and quickest way to make cookies because doing it this way you don't even have to bring out the mixer.  I will definitely make these again.  But I will also continue to be on the look out for great Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes.  As I try new ones, I will share them here.

We Have a Winner!!

Yes I know this is quick-(way quicker than I thought it would be)- but, I promise that this cookie is a KEEPER!  It is a variation of the Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe that can be found here www.neimanmarcus.com/store/service/nm_cookie_recipe.jhtml I have made this recipe before without any changes and it is really good.  But, this time I made a few changes that I believe Makes this cookie perfect.  The following is the original Recipe with my changes in parenthesis:

NM Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
1/2 cup(1stick) butter, softened(melted)
1 cup light brown sugar
3TBS granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour(1 5/8 cups)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp instant espresso coffe powder
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips(2-4oz bars Ghiradelli 60% bittersweet chocolate, 1 4oz bar Ghiradelli semisweet-coarsley chopped.)

Preheat Oven to 300 degrees.  Cream butter (melted) with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy.
Beat in egg and vanilla for another 30 seconds.
In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingrediens and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds.Stir in espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips (chopped chocolate bars).
Using a 1 oz scoop or a 2 TBS measure, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 3" apart. Gently press down with back of a spoon.  Bake about 20 miutes or until lightly browned around the edges.  Bake a little longer for a crisper cookie.(since I melted the butter, I didnt need the mixer)
Yield 2 dozen cookies

This may sound a little crazy to you but if i eat really really good chocolate, it makes my face tingle.  When I bit into this warm cookie, I had a serious face tingle!  This is a delicious cookie, and I took cookies to work and everyone that tried one said the same thing-It is delicious.   I do suggest that you warm it in the microwave a few seconds after they have cooled off so the chocolate is melty when you bite into it.  The only thing I will do different next time is to make a double batch.  Here are the photos.

The finished product! Yum!  I am very satisfied with this cookie, I still may try a few more recipes just for the heck of it.  For example, I still want to try the Jacques Torres recipe on the Martha Stewart Web site.  I will post it here when I do try it.

The Verdict is in and I give the Ghiradelli cookies an "OK"

These cookies were pretty good, but not the recipe that I am searching for.   They were chewy with crisp edges,  but seemed to miss the mark on taste.  So, I will continue the search.  I will take them to work tomorrow and Im sure they will be a hit.

The ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Quest

TaDa! A Blog is born! I am planning to post about my sometimes disastrous kitchen episodes and my love of photography. I hope to combine the two into an interesting Blog. So I will start with episode one: Chocolate chip Cookies.

I have been dreaming about chocolate chip cookies. Not just any cookie, but the perfect cookie. So, I am starting my search today. When I bite into this cookie, I want the center to be a little chewy and full of oozy chocolate. I have had one before, but cannot remember where it came from. So, I am going to bake cookie recipes until I find it. I plan to make the Famous Nieman Marcus Recipes-both versions and any others that I can scrounge up that seem appealing. Also, I recently purchased the Ebelskiver pan from Williams Sonoma and will post about my success or lack there of about it. But for now let's get back to the cookies. Today I baked the Ghiradelli Chocolate Chip Cookies on the back of chocolate chip bag. I made only one change and that was to melt the butter before adding the sugars. I had read that this produces a more chewy cookie. Oh, also I did not use nuts because Im not a big fan of nuts in my cookies. The recipe is as follows:

Ghiradelli Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour 2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda 2 large eggs

1/2 tsp salt 2 cups Ghiradelli Semi Sweet

Chocolat chips

1 cup butter, softened 1 cup chopped walnuts or

1 cup sugar pecans (optional)

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

Preheat oven to 375F. Stir flour with baking soda, and salt; set aside. In large mixer bowl, beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time, mix on low speed until incorporated. Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if used). Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. (If you melt the butter, the creaming process is a breeze. I actually did not have to use my mixer at all. I even used a spoon to add the dry ingredients. I will post pictures of the finished cookies later today as well as my results.