Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies

It's a cake, it's a cookie...it's an amazingly yummy Chocolate Chip Whoopie! Let me just start this post by saying, you might as well run to your pantry right now and grab that bag of chocolate chips you have on hand. You know, the bag you keep just in case you get that craving for some chocolate chip cookies in the middle of the week! Doesn't everyone at least keep 1 bag of chocolate chips on hand in case of dire emergencies of cookie cravings, or is that just me? At any given time I have at least 2-3 bags of chips on standby just in case I get that cookie dough craving! I will admit, I am a lover of raw cookie dough by the spoonfuls! So now that you know I have a stockpile of chocolate chips and eat dough with raw eggs...well just go grab your chocolate chips because you are going to want to make this recipe immediately...I'll wait for you to return.

Got your chips? Ok well let's get started. If you have never tried a whoopie pie, well you have been missing out. These are simply some of the most delicious little sandwich sweets I have ever tasted. A whoopie pie resembles both a cake and a cookie and is assembled with some type of filling in between. Whoopie pies are all the rage right now and you can be sure to find some amazing flavor combinations in this popular book Whoopie Pies. There are your standard flavors like the Chocolate, Vanilla or Pumpkin whoopies for those who like traditional flavors. And for those of you who have a little more adventurous palete there are Pistachio-Cardamon or Jalapeno Cornbread whoopies to name a few.

But today we are going to focus on the ever popular Chocolate Chip Whoopie pie! For all you chocolate chip cookie lovers out there, I guarantee that once you sink your teeth into one of these babies you won't want to eat just 1 cookie ever again, but will forever want your cookies sandwiched with a sweet filling in between! These cookies baked up absolutely perfect, so soft and delicate and paired nicely with my favorite vanilla buttercream. I whipped up a batch of these when we had some friends over for dinner and everyone ate at least two whoopies and took some home to! I know it's hard to compete with a layer cake, but these are definitely at the top of my list of all time favorite sweet indulgences!

Chocolate Chip Whoopie (from Whoopie Pies)

Ingredients:
-2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
-4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
-2 large eggs
-1/2 cup buttermilk
-2 tablespoons milk
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon white vinegar
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 cup mini chocolate chips

• Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper.
• In the work bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening, and both sugars and beat until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and the buttermilk and beat until combined.
• In a measuring cup, combine the milk, baking soda, and vinegar. Add the milk mixture to the batter along with the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined. Add the vanilla and beat on medium for about 2 minutes, until completely combined.
• Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips until just incorporated.
• Using a spoon, drop about 1 tablespoon of batter onto one of the prepared baking sheets and repeat, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes each, or until the cakes begin to brown. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
• Makes about 48 two-inch cakes. (Total 24 whoopie pies)
  
• The book pairs this whoopie recipe with a Marshmallow Filling but I opted to use my vanilla buttercream recipe instead!
  
• Fill each whoopie with a spoonful of vanilla buttercream.
  

Vanilla Buttercream (this is my go to recipe!)
-2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
-6 cups confectioner's sugar
-1/4 cup milk
-1 tsp vanilla extract

• Cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Gradually add confectioner's sugar and milk, mixing well after each addition
• Mix in vanilla extract.
  
• Add in more milk as necessary to reach desired consistency.
  

I hope you all enjoy these whoopies as much as I did! What are some of your favorite whoopie pie flavors?