Peppermint whoopie pies

Entry #16: Peppermint whoopie pies Submitted by Karen Harmon of Dayton Fourth-place winner, Dayton Daily News holiday cookie contest 2012 STAFF PHOTO BY LISA POWELL

Credit: Lisa Powell

Credit: Lisa Powell

Entry #16: Peppermint whoopie pies Submitted by Karen Harmon of Dayton Fourth-place winner, Dayton Daily News holiday cookie contest 2012 STAFF PHOTO BY LISA POWELL

This is one of the 15 top entries in the 2012 Dayton Daily News Holiday Cookie contest selected to share with our online and Pinterest readers. Happy baking!

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.

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