Dark Chocolate Whoopie Pies With Toasted Almond Cream Recipes

DARK CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°. Line crust with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake on a lower oven rack until edge is golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake until bottom is golden brown, 3-6 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in milk and chocolate. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. , Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. , Gently stir in butter and vanilla until butter is melted. Spoon into crust. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. If desired, serve with whipped cream and grated chocolate.

DARK CHOCOLATE WHOOPIE PIES WITH TOASTED ALMOND CREAM

Steps:

• For the whoopee pies: Position 2 oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
• Combine both kinds of chocolate and the butter in a medium heatproof bowl. Fill a medium pot about a third of the way with water and bring to a simmer. Place the over the simmering water and lower the heat. Melt the chocolate and butter gently together, stirring and scraping the sides to avoid scorching, until melted, then remove the bowl from the heat. Cool 2 to 3 minutes.
• Whisk together the sugar, eggs and vanilla in another bowl. Set aside. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder in another bowl. Whisk in the egg and then the chocolate mixture. Do not overmix.
• Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray and drop the batter on them in large spoonfuls about 2 inches in diameter, leaving room between each to allow spreading.
• Bake, rotating and switching the positions of baking sheets halfway through, until the whoopee pies puff up slightly and settle, 6 to 8 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before gingerly lifting them off and transferring to a flat surface.
• For the filling: Heat the milk in a medium saucepan until hot and add 3/4 cup toasted almonds. Turn off the heat. Allow the almonds to steep in the milk 25 to 30 minutes. Strain the milk and pour it back into the same pan.
• Beat together the sugar, cornstarch, flour and egg yolks in an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until thick, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Pour some of the hot milk mixture over the eggs and blend. Pour the egg mixture back into the milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the almond extract and continue to cook until the mixture begins to bubble, then cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring. Transfer to a bowl and cover with a layer of plastic pressed against the surface so the cream doesn't form a skin. Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Sandwich some of the cream and the remaining 1/4 cup toasted almonds between chocolate rounds. Drizzle with melted chocolate if using. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

ORANGE ALMOND CREAM WHOOPIE PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. In another bowl, mix the egg, oil, orange zest and sugar. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, alternating with the buttermilk, until all the ingredients are well combined.
• Drop the dough, a teaspoonful at a time keeping the shape as rounded as possible, onto the prepared baking sheet, taking care to leave enough space between the cookies as they expand while baking.
• Bake about 8 minutes, until slightly golden around the edges, but do not overbake for they will get hard. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• While the cookies are cooling, prepare the filling. In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer, mix the cream cheese and butter until light and well blended. Add the sifted powder sugar, in batches, until the filling is perfectly smooth. Add the almond extract, mix well.
• To fill the cookies, use a pastry bag or spoon to spread the filling onto the the flat side of one cookie and then sandwich another cookie on top.

CHOCOLATE DREAM WHOOPIE PIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, oil and vanilla; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes (mixture will be sticky)., Drop by 2 tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until edges are set. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely., For filling, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, flour and salt. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in chocolate chips until melted. Transfer to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour., In a large bowl, beat the shortening and butter until fluffy. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla., Spread chocolate filling on the bottoms of half of the cookies, about 2 tablespoons on each; top with remaining cookies. Roll sides in miniature chocolate chips for garnish. Store in the refrigerator.