Sasha's Kitchen: Eclairs

As I have said in some recent posts, I've been trying out a new French recipe each week.  Before moving on to delve deep into the world of macarons, I decided to try making eclairs, once the darling of the French patisserie, before macarons came on the scene. The key to making delicious eclairs in making pate choux, the basis of the French cream puff, piping out the pate choux, and allowing it to puff up into eclairs in the oven.  Then, the pastries are filled with homemade pastry cream and glazed in a chocolate ganache glaze.  These only stay good for about a day, and are really best if you eat them right away, so I suggest making them for a party, perhaps for a French brunch.  I was really happy with how these came out - they were nice and puffy and filled up easily with the pastry cream.

Eclairs (recipe from Martha Stewart)
Pate Choux
1 stick of butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
four large eggs

Pastry Cream
six egg yolks
1 large egg
3/4 cup plus 2 T sugar
3 T cornstarch
3 T flour
3 cups milk
3 T unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz semisweet chocolate chips

First, to make the pate choux, bring butter, sugar, salt and one cup of water to boil in a medium saucepan.  Remove from heat and quickly stir in the flour.  Continue stirring constantly over medium high heat until mixture pulls away from the sides and a thin film forms on the bottom, about three minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed for a minute, then turn to high speed and add the whole eggs, one at a time.  Beat on high until soft peaks form when you touch with the tip of your finger

Preheat the oven to 425.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or use silpats.  Fill a pastry bag with a 1 inch tip and pipe oblong shapes onto the baking sheets at 2 inch intervals.  Run a wet fork along the top of each to ensure even rising.

Cover one sheet with oiled plastic wrap and put in the fridge, until the first sheet is done.  Bake 10 minutes at 425, then reduce to 350 and bake another 25 minutes.  Turn off oven and prop door with a spoon and allow to cool in the oven for ten minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool and bake the second sheet the same way.

The pastry cream can be made ahead of time.  Prepare an ice bath.  In a medium bowl, combine the yolks and 2 tablespoons of sugar.  Whisk in the cornstarch and flour and whisk until smooth.  Set aside.  In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and remaining sugar.  Stir over medium heat until milk begins to steam.  Then. whisk in the egg mixture, stir until smooth and return to the heat.  Bring the mixture to a boil and stir constantly to prevent scorching until it forms a thick custard.  Strain and place over icebath.  Chill.

Fill the eclairs with the pastry cream using a pastry tip.  To make the glaze, heat the cream in a saucepan, and pour the hot cream over the chocolate.  Let stand until melted and whisk until smooth.  Dip each eclair in the chocolate cream.  Allow glaze to set.

Sasha's Kitchen: Eclairs

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Pudding Bars from the New Baked Cookbook

My parents came to our house for Thanksgiving and my mom brought me the new baking cookbook, Baked, from the famous Brooklyn Bakery, Baked. The book looks to have so many great recipes, that I decided to make a couple as part of our Thanksgiving dinner. These were a delicious indulgence - perhaps not something you should be eating every day, but so decedent and perfect for a holiday meal, especially if you love chocolate pudding like I do. This recipe, termed "Aunt Sabra's Pudding Bars" in the Baked cookbook was enjoyed by our dinner guests over Thanksgiving. The graham crust was the perfect combination. I made a few minor modifications from the original recipe, which are noted in the adaption below (I used a bit less butter in the crust and it worked out just fine, and substituted rum for whiskey).

Baked's Aunt Sabra King's Pudding Bars (makes 24 bars)
Graham Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 T dark brown sugar
8 T (one stick) of melted butter (you could probably use even less and still get a good result)
Chocolate Pudding Filling
4 oz dark chocolate
3 T cornstarch
3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 T rum or whiskey

As the book suggests, you can serve with powdered chocolate or whipped cream, but we served ours plain. To make the crust, combine the brown sugar, melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Press into a 9x13 inch, or appropriate sized prepared pan, to form the crust. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, and then bake at 325 for 10 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool while making the filling.

In a large, heatproof bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar. Add the egg yolks and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and whisk again. In a saucepan, whisk together the remaining sugar, milk and cream. Bring just to a boil. Add the egg mixture, whisking constantly, adding the egg mixture one third at a time. Bring mixture back to a boil over medium heat, and boil for two to three minutes until the pudding is very thick.  Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate and stir until combined into a chocolate pudding. Allow the pudding to cool for 20 minutes, before pouring over the graham crust, spreading evenly with a spatula. Refrigerate for at least four hours before cutting and eating the bars.

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Pudding Bars from the New Baked Cookbook

Sasha's Kitchen: Pretty in Pink Chocolate Cupcakes

Over the weekend, I wanted to make some cupcakes that were girlish and carefree and . . . very, very pink. I made these basic, but delicious chocolate cupcakes with a bright pink frosting, using gel based food coloring to get the vibrant color (since I discovered gel food colorings, their use has totally replaced the conventional grocery store four color box that I had used since I was a kid). I used some pink icing to make flowers and hearts on the surface of the cupcakes after piping the frosting professionally using a frosting bag. I would have fashioned the flowers and hearts out of fondant, like I have sometimes in the past, but I was out of fondant at the moment. I wanted to make something that could be readily eaten without picking off the fondant, as I am not crazy about the taste of fondant. With respect to the gel food colors, New York Cake is the best place to buy them, as well as just about anything else you could ever want for baking.

Chocolate Cupcakes With Pink Buttercream (makes 10-12 cupcakes)
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk

For the Frosting
1 stick of butter, room temperature
3 cups of confectioner's sugar
4 oz cream lowfat cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
several drops of fuchsia gel based food coloring

You don't need a stand mixer for the cupcakes, but I advise using one for the frosting. For the cupcakes, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, vanilla and egg. Slowly add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the sugar/egg mixture, alternating and stirring until combined completely. Fill your silicon cupcake molds 3/4 full. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 for 25 minutes, using a toothpick to check for when the cupcakes are done.

To make the frosting, beat the butter and sugar for several minutes on high in a stand mixer until it forms a frosting - you really can't beat too long or too high, as it just acquires a nicer, smother texture. Beat in the food coloring, vanilla and cream cheese. Pipe on the cupcakes using a frosting bag.

Sasha's Kitchen: Pretty in Pink Chocolate Cupcakes

Sasha's Kitchen: Carrot Cake (Kosher Cookbook Review)

I have been meaning to make a carrot cake for some time. So when I received a copy of Paula Shoyer's The Kosher Baker from the publisher for review on A Kitchen In Brooklyn, and saw a delicious and healthy recipe for carrot cake, I new it was time. Although I am Jewish, I don't keep strictly Kosher. But I certainly do appreciate Kosher cooking and baking. Plus, one of the best aspects of this book is also how healthy the recipes are. Because they are all intended to be parve (non-dairy), none of them us any butter, which makes for some healthier baking. I confess that my carrot cake is not fully non-dairy because I used low-fat cream cheese in the frosting (as I was unable to locate the non-dairy cream cheese that the book recommended). The recipe was so good that maybe I will try that next time using Tofutti or something.

Carrot cake is great for the fall - fresh carrots and all that cinnamon make for a lovely, fall spiced dessert. The book recommends making two cakes, trimming them, slicing them in half and making a four layer carrot cake. I confess that even though I bake extensively, I am not skilled at cake trimming. I always mean to try it out, but in the end, every time, I just make two cakes and it tastes the same anyhow. So, my adaption of the recipe from the book is for two separate carrot cakes. But if you're in the mood, feel free to trim them into a layer cake!

Paula Shoyer's Kosher Carrot Cake
Cake(s)
PAM spray
4 large egfs
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tsps vanilla exract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsps ground cinnimon
3 cups peeled and thinly grated carrots

Cinnamon Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
12 oz parve cream cheese (I used regular low-fat cream cheese this time)
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
2 1/4 tsps ground cinnamon
3 T of hney
7 cups of confectioner's sugar (I always cut down this ingredient in frosting so I used 4 cups and it was still great!)
1 1/2 T soy milk

To make this recipe, first preheat the oven to 350. Grease 2 8 or 9 inch round pans with PAM spray. In your mixer (or in a bowl using an egg beater), beat the eggs and sugars for a few minutes until thickened. Add the oil, orange juice and vanilla and mix on low speed to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the flours, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add half of the dry ingredients to the bowl with the eggs and sugar and mix on low speed gently to combine. Then, do the same with the rest of the dry ingredients. 

Grate and measure the carrots into  small threads and add to the batter, mixing well.  Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for about 40 minutes until a skewer or toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out clean. Personally, I think it is probably best to bake the cakes one at a time in the oven.

Allow the cakes to cool completely. If you are going to trim the cakes and slice in half to make a four layer cake, now would be the time! if you are not going to trim the cakes like this, you may need less frosting, so it would likely be okay to cut the frosting recipe in half (if you are making two separate cakes  like I did).

To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese, vanilla, cinnamon and honey well to combine. Add in about 4 cups of confectioner's sugar and beat until it forms a frosting (much the same was as cupcake icing). The book also makes a good point - wrap plastic wrap around the top of the mixer when you do this so you do not get sprayed in a white snowfall of confectioner's sugar! Add the soy milk and beat for 30 seconds until the frosting looks creamy. 

Last, frost the cakes accordingly - either in layers or separately. If you are trimming, you will want to trim the sides of the cake as well. I simply frosted two separate cakes using a spatula.

This cake tasted great - the cake was delicious with the cinnamon and carrots, and nice and moist! And the frosting was sweet, cinnamony and delicious! I will certainly be trying more healthy, Kosher recipes from this great cookbook soon, so stay tuned!

Sasha's Kitchen: Carrot Cake (Kosher Cookbook Review)

Sasha's Kitchen: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Buttercream

I've been waiting to make pumpkin whoopie pies ever since I picked up my copy of Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell's Whoopie Pies. Like summer, fall is such a great time for cooking and baking but in totally different ways. My two favorite ingredients for fall are New York State apples and pumpkins. I make a mean oatmeal-pumpkin chocolate chip cookie that I can't wait to share with you, and tomorrow night I am trying out a new apple parsnip soup using some of those famous New York fall apples.  But tonight is all about the whoopie pies that I made yesterday which feature two ingredients that go so well - pumpkins and Vermont maple syrup that I bought over the summer when we were in Vermont.  The combination was spot-on, and just ad good as all of the other Whoopie Pie recipes that I tried from the book. I improvised a bit on the frosting, and it was still delicious, just a bit more maple-flavored than the original recipe called for.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies With Maple Buttercream (from Whoopie Pies)
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 (1 stick) cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Maple Buttercream
1 stick of unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons of heavy cream
2 tablespoons Vermont maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

To prepare the whoopies, combine the fry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Beat the butter and brown sugar for a few minutes on medium high using a stand mixer. Add the pumpkin, then the egg, beating well. Add the vanilla and beat until combined.   Add the flour mixture until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon, drop one heaping tablespoon for each whoopie, a couple inches apart. Bake each sheet, one at a time, for about 15 minutes.  Allow to cool completely.

Beat the ingredients for the maple buttercream on high speed with the stand mixer.  Place a large dollop of the buttercream between two whoopie cookies to make the whoopie pie.

These whoopies were delicious and perfect for fall. They had just the right combination of pumpkin and spices, while the maple was a stellar combination. If you want an even stronger maple flavor, you can use some maple extract.

Sasha's Kitchen: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Buttercream

Sasha's Kitchen: Raspberry Linzer Cookies

Linzer cookies have long been my favorite European cookies. The have their origin in the Austrian Linzer Torte, which is traditionally made with flour ground nuts and spices into a tore filled with currant jam and topped with a lattice. I've always loved the American-style linzer cookie variation, using a similar pastry, often cut into heart shapes, filled with raspberry jam.

My blog is going to be featured on the upcoming ShopRite blog panel, and I received an introductory basket of goodies from ShopRite that got my creative cooking juices flowing. One of the items in the shipment was a jar of ShopRite raspberry preserves, made with fresh raspberries. I decided to sample the jam by making my own linzer cookies, using a set of heart shaped cookie cutters that I borrowed from a coworker.

The recipe for these cookies is adapted from a recipe that I found online from Joy of Baking. The main modification that I made to this recipe is that I used Bob's Red Mill blanched almond meal rather than grinding my own almonds. In addition, I didn't remember to dust the cookies with confectioner's sugar, but you can go ahead and do that if you like.

Cookies were delicious and lived up to expectations. Seconds after the last cookie was complete, my husband game running into the kitchen, eager to try one! The quality of the jam from ShopRite was also great - fresh and delicious!

Linzer Cookies (adapted from Joy of Baking)
1 cup almond meal
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
zest of one lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup Shop-Rite raspberry preserves
confectioner's sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. Whisk together the almond meal, flour, cinnamon and salt. In the basin of your stand mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar for about three minutes, until smooth and combined. Beat in the vanilla extract, egg yolks and lemon zest. Add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated into a dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 1/2 hours (and up to three days). If you don't refrigerate first, the dough will stick to the surface when you roll it out.

Roll out the dough. Cut into cookies using a medium sized heart shape cookie cutter. In half of the hearts, cut out a smaller heart using one of the smaller sized heart shaped cookie cutters. Bake each tray (bake one at a time) for 12 minutes until just lightly browned.  Allow the cookies to cool completely.

Dust with confectioner's sugar. Place a heaping teaspoon of raspberry jam on the solid hearts (without the smaller hearts cut out in the middle). Top with the cut out heart cookie to form a sandwich. If you use the confectioner's sugar, sandwich carefully so not the disturb the sugar.

Sasha's Kitchen: Raspberry Linzer Cookies

Sasha's Kitchen: Apple Strudel and Apple Picking At Hurd Orchards

Ever since I was a kid, I have made regular visits, often annual visits to Hurd Orchards, wonderful pick your own orchard in Holley, New York, just near my Mom's house in Rochester.  I have picked everything from peaches to apples to strawberries at Hurd Orchards over the years and it truly is one of my favorite family-owned Orchards. Plus, you can't beat the famous Western New York apples.  Last year when we went apple picking, I posted a recipe for my apple pie that I made with the Hurd Orchard apples. One of my favorite parts of a visit to Hurd Orchards is their store - they carry their own extensive line of in-house made jellies, jams and marmalades that are the best jams I have ever had, as well as wonderful other products from caramel to soap to cheese from small, family owned businesses.

This year, I went apple picking with my Mom last weekend, once again. This time, I made a delicious apple strudel with some of the apples, inspired by the great apple strudels that my husband and I had on our trip to Prague in August.

Sasha's Apple Strudel (loosely based on Paula Deen's Apple strudel)
1/4 cup amaretto (I used my homemade amaretto liquor)
1/2 cup dates, pitted and diced
4 medium apples (I used a combination of Gala and an experimental variety that tastes similar to Honeycrisp)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup crushed shortbread cookies
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 T unsalted butter, softened in the microwave
6 sheets of phyllo dough
2 T unsalted butter, melted, for brushing phyllo sheets
1 T granulated sugar
1 cup confectioner's sugar (for the glaze)
3 T of milk (for the glaze)

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. To make the filling, first soak the dates in the amaretto (microwave on high for 40 seconds) for about 10 minutes. I used my homemade amaretto. Then combine the dates with the apples (peeled and diced), lemon juice, cinnamon, brown sugar, cookie crumbs, pecans and 2 T of butter in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

Remove the phyllo dough from the box and lay out 6 sheets. Brush the butter between the sheets (which is a bit tricky to do without ripping the sheets). Stack the six sheets using this technique. You could obviously make another apple strudel recipe where you make your own dough but I do not recommend this. Phyllo is the best for achieving the thin and crisp way that apple strudel is supposed to look and taste to be an authentic dish.

The next step in the process reminded me of rolling sushi. Basically, treat the phyllo sheets like your sushi nori and place the apple mixture on the nearest third of the phyllo stack, spread over that region of the phyllo. Be sure to leave a two inch border, at least. Gently lift the bottom edge of the phyllo stack to cover the filling and roll over - to roll into a strudel. Continue to roll the stack away until the filling is completely sealed in and the seam is on the bottom. Brush with the remaining melted butter and top with granulated sugar.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Glaze with the mixture of confectioner's sugar and milk. Slice into rounds as you are ready to eat, using a bread knife. You can top with caramel sauce, which I forgot to do - it really isn't needed. The result was sweet and delicious. The jams from Hurd Orchards that I brought home with me are pictured below.

Sasha's Kitchen: Apple Strudel and Apple Picking At Hurd Orchards

Sasha's Kitchen: True Blood Vampire Bite Cupcakes

When you stake a vampire on HBO's show True Blood, the vampire explodes and blood and guts go everywhere. When a vampire bites on the neck, it makes a pronged red bite. I decided to take these two images from True Blood, one of my favorite TV shows, and turn it into a cupcake.

These cupcakes are almond cupcakes with an almond-vanilla buttercream. They are filled with vampire guts - a homemade cherry filling. You can see below that I "staked" one of the cupcakes to reveal the cherry inside. The top of the cupcake is simple - a vampire love bite! I really enjoyed the Season Three finale last weekend and am going to miss this show until it returns. But these cupcakes are pretty fangtastic, I'd say.

Sasha's Almond-Vanilla True Blood Vampire Bite Cupcakes (makes 11/12)
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup coconut milk
3/4 cups granulated sugar

Cherry "Vampire Guts" Filling
1 cup frozen sweet cherries, thawed, or fresh sweet cherries, pitted
2T granulated sugar
2 T pomegranate juice
1 T water
1 T cornstarch

Almond Buttercream
1 1/2 sticks of butter
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
[Note: I used store bought red frosting to make the vampire bites]

To prepare these cupcakes, first combine the dry ingredients for the cupcakes.  Mix the vanilla, canola oil, coconut milk and extracts in a separate bowl. Combine well. Fill cupcake molds 3/4 of the way full. I used silicon cupcake molds with liners.  Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, until toothpick done. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before filling.

To prepare the filling, combine the cherries, juice, water and sugar in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and stir for a few minutes. Mix the cornstarch and water and add the mixture. Reduce the heat and stir until thick.  Cool in the fridge for about 10 minutes before using.

Cut a whole in the top of the cupcake and fill with the cherry filling. Replace the top. It will look a bit patchwork, but the frosting will cover this up.  To make the frosting, combine the butter, confectioner's sugar and extracts in a mixer on high speed for several minutes. Frost with a frosting bag, and paint on the vampire bites with red icing.

Sasha's Kitchen: True Blood Vampire Bite Cupcakes

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Chip Cookie Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

For my next experiment making whoopie pies from my new cookbook, Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell,  I decided to try making a chocolate chip cookie-cake type whoopie pie and prepared a peanut butter filling to go with it. The recipe makes so many of these little whoopies that it's important to have some friends to share them with - my whoopies have been quite well received at my husband's office. I plan on making another batch of whoopie pies later this week (red velvet with marshmallow filling) when we host dinner at our house for Rosh Hashanah.

Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 T unsalted butter
4 T vegetable shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 T milk
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. In your mixer, beat the butter, shortening and both sugars until the mixture is light and creamy, for three minutes. Add the eggs and buttermilk and beat until combined. In a measuring cup, combine the milk, baking soda and vinegar.  Add to the mixture, along with the dry ingredients and beat on low until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spoon (not with the mixer, or they will go to the bottom).

Drop 1 T of batter onto the parchment paper lined baking sheets, spaced at least two inches apart. Bake each sheet, one at a time, for 10 minutes. This made 30 whoopies for me, which translates to 15 whoopie pies when they are combined with the filling.

Peanut Butter Buttercream
3/4 cup peanut butter
6 T butter
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp salt

To make the buttercream, beat together the ingredients for the frosting in the mixer. Spread between two of the whoopie cookie-cakes.

Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Chip Cookie Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

Sasha's Kitchen: S'mores Whoopie Pies

First off, I apologize for my prolonged absence. I have been on vacation for the last two weeks in Europe (new travel-food posts coming soon!) and my computer was having some issues for the week before that. But I am back!

Just before we left for vacation, I got a new cookbook that I have only begun to explore, Whoopie Pies, by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell.  This cookbook has fun and fantastic recipes for whoopie pies of every flavor imaginable.  Whoopie pies are something like an inverse cupcake and they seem to have the same fun-loving, cute appeal. I have made toasted s'mores cupcakes, which were  big hit, so this time I figured I'd follow Amy and Sarah's directions in putting together a s'mores whoopie pie. The result was equally delicious and reminiscent of the cupcakes, although I didn't actually use my creme brulee torch to toast the whoopie filling, the way I did with the cupcake frosting.

This recipe requires three components: whoopie cakes made using graham flour, a marshmallow whoopie filling, and chocolate ganache.  These whoopies are made the traditional way, using crisco shortnening and butter together in the cakes to get the texture and consistency just right.

Sarah & Amy's Graham Cracker Whoopie
1 1/4 cups graham flour
3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons milk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sarah & Amy's Classic Marshmallow Buttercream
1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff
1 1/4 cups vegetable shortening
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache
8 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (use good quality chocolate)
1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Line several baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375. First prepare the  cakes. Mix the flours  and salt in a mixing bowl.  Using a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, shortening and brown sugar for about three minutes until light and creamy.  Add the eggs and buttermilk and beat until combined. Combine the milk, baking soda and vinegar in a cup and add to the batter along with the flour mixture. Beat at medium speed until combined, for about two minutes.  Add the vanilla and beat for two minutes until combined.

Using a spoon, drop 1 tablespoon of batter onto the prepared sheets, and repeat. Make sure to space them at least two inches apart so the whoopie cakes do not run together.  The recipe is supposed to make 48 cakes (for a total of 24 whoopies when paired together) but I made just 40 out of it when I prepared this. Bake each sheet one at a time for 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 375 degrees, just until the cakes begin to brown.  It is important to bake  one sheet at a time to make sure they bake evenly an don't get burnt.  Allow the cakes to cook completely before frosting and adding the ganache to make the full campfire s'mores.

To make the marshmallow filling, beat the fluff, vegetable shortening, confectioner's sugar and vanilla on medium speed for several minutes until fluffy using the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

To make the chocolate ganache, put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Heat the whipping cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to bubble.  Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow to sit for 10 minutes until the chocolate is melted. Stir with a spatula until smooth and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until firm.

To prepare the whoppie pies, you can spoon the marshmallow frosting (or use a frosting bag)  onto half of the whoopie cakes. Top with the ganache and with a second whoopie cake.  This tastes just like the s'mores I had as a kid, only a million times better!

Sasha's Kitchen: S'mores Whoopie Pies