FOURTH-PLACE WINNER: PEPPERMINT WHOOPIE PIES

Karen Harmon, Washington Township

Peppermint whoopie pies

Ingredients

For cookie

• 1 cup of sugar
• 4 ounces of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup of milk, any variety except skim
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• ½ cup of cocoa powder
• 1½ teaspoons of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of salt

For filling

• 3 cups of powdered sugar
• 7 ounces of marshmallow creme
• 6 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
• 6 tablespoons of shortening
• 1½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
• Red food coloring to make pink

Directions

• Cream the sugar, butter, vanilla and egg together.
• Add the milk. It will look curdled, but it’s OK.
• Add the dry ingredients until combined. It will look like a thick cake batter or icing mixture. Drop a tablespoon full on a parchment lined sheet pan, spaced about two inches apart.
• Bake at 375 degrees F for seven to nine minutes.
• Cool one minute; then, remove and cool completely on a rack.
• Put the filling in a piping bag, and place on the bottom of one cookie; then, top with another cookie.
• You can roll in crushed candy canes to coat the sides, or leave plain.
• Variations: If filling is too thick, add a bit of milk. Also, you could add peppermint extract to the filling instead of the crushed canes.