Recipe: Martha Stewart's Mini Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Whipped Ganache

MINI CHOCOLATE WHOOPIE PIES

"There are a lot of stories about where the whoopie pie first came into being: from Maine to Massachusetts to Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Whatever its origins, this sandwich of fluffy cake with creamy filling has taken its place in the hearts (and lunch boxes) of cookie and cake lovers everywhere, in myriad forms. Here, we've made them small in size and big in chocolate flavor."



FOR THE COOKIES:
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE WHIPPED GANACHE:
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt

TO MAKE THE COOKIES:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, beat butter and both sugars with an electric mixer on high until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add egg and beat until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with milk and vanilla, beginning and ending with flour; mix until just combined.

Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip (such as Ateco #806). Pipe dough (about 2 teaspoons per cookie) onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2-inches apart.

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies spring back when lightly pressed , 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool completely.

TO MAKE THE WHIPPED GANACHE:
Coarsely chop chocolate with a serrated knife and place in a large heatproof bowl . In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil over medium-high heat.

Pour over chocolate and add salt. Let stand for 10 minutes then stir. Let ganache cool, 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. With an electric mixer on medium-high, beat ganache until pale and fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes.

Transfer whipped ganache to a pastry bag fitted with the 1/2-inch tip. Pipe ganache (2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons per cookie) onto flat sides of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing gently. Whoopie pies can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Makes about 32
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Source: Martha Stewart's Cookie Perfection: 100+ Recipes to Take Your Sweet Treats to the Next Level by Editors of Martha Stewart Living, Oct 15, 2019