Whoopie Pies revisited.....Baby Boston Cream Pies

 

I just can't get whoopie pies out of my head!! We were invited to a barbecue with some cousins and naturally I would be bringing dessert. The plan was to make cream filled cupcakes. The plan was to listen to my husbands request  and make cream filled cupcakes. At the end of the night I had 21 Boston Cream whoopie pies in my kitchen and a crabby husband. Where did I go wrong? Oh dear, I think I need help.Wait, I know I need help.Ok, lets not discuss this. Well in case you want to make these too, here's the recipe:

Boston Cream Pie Whoopie Pies

Cake-Cookie Part

3 eggs

2 c. sugar
1 c. shortening
1 c. buttermilk*
1/4 c. sweet milk
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vinegar
5 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream sugar, shortening and eggs. Combine the baking soda and vinegar with sweet milk. Stir in the buttermilk. In a seperate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and cream of tartar.  Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to cream mixture, and mix at a low speed until combined. Pour half of milk mixture in, and mix just until combined. Pour in the next third of flour, mix, and add in last of milk. Pour in the last third of the flour, and mix until combined. Scrape sides, and add in vanilla. Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 to 375 degrees for about 12 minutes or until cookies spring back when touched with the finger. Let cool before filling.

* To make buttermilk at home, put 1 tablespoon vinegar into the 1 cup measuring cup. Fill the rest with milk, and let sit for 10 minutes. You can use rice milk or soy milk as well. 

Custard Filling

4 large eggs (yolks only, discard the whites)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

pinch of salt

2 cups milk

1 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 Whisk egg yolks until smooth in bowl. Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Stirring constantly, gradually add milk in a slow steady stream and cook until mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about five mintues. Whisking constantly, slowly pour one third of the milk mixture into the yolks. Mix together. Pour yolk mixture back into the milk mixture in the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly until mixture comes to a full boil and is thick enough to hold its shape when lifted with a spoon. Pour into a bowl and cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap, to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and firm- at least  2 hours, or up to 2 days.

Chocolate Glaze

2 cups powder sugar

4 heaping tablespoons cocoa

2 tablespoons oil

4 tablespoons corn syrup

2 tablespoons milk

Mix everything together. It should be slightly thick, similar to a brownie batter. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well, until smooth. If it is too thick, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. The glaze will thicken as it cools, so if it gets too thick as you dip the pies, you can reheat it for 10 seconds at a time in the microwave. Note: The glaze recipe is really " a little of this and a little of that " kind of recipe. I tried my best to estimate the measurements that I use, but I almost always end up adding some more milk or powder sugar to get it to the right consistency.

To assemble:

I didn't have patience to wait for the custard to cool, so I poured it into a ziploc bag, and laid it flat in the freezer for about 10 minutes, and it seemed to do the job. Lay half of the cookie/cakes in a pan. Snip off a corner of the ziploc bag, and squeeze about 2 tablespoons of custard on the cookie. Now, either you can glaze half of the cookies in advance, and have them ready to cover. Or you can dip each one as you fill the cookie, and put it on top. There are pros and cons to both ways. If you glaze them in advance, they are hard to pick up, but they don't drip on the filling. If you glaze them while you fill, they are easier to pick up, since they are already in your hand, but they will drip. Personally, I like the natural look of the drips, so I dipped them as I filled. Refrigerate after assembling to allow the pies to set. 

Alternate Chocolate Cream Filling

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa
1 pinch salt
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening together until smooth. Blend in confectioners' sugar, cocoa, and pinch of salt. Gradually beat in 3 tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. beat until light and fluffy.