The Ultimate Whoopie Pies

I’ve been hearing that whoopie pies are the new cupcake. I’m not sure how I feel about that statement. Whoopie pies do have some similar attributes to cupcakes. You can make them with just about any cake and frosting combination you can think of. And they’re portable. You can make thing big or small.

The Ultimate Whoopie Pies

I decided to give whoopie pies a shot. I used my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe for the cake/cookie part. When I started to think about filling options, I kept coming back to the jar of salted caramel sauce I had in the fridge. I whipped up a few batches of the caramel sauce to give for holiday gifts and still had half a jar left for me and Hubby to enjoy.

The Ultimate Whoopie Pies

I knew I could make caramel frosting but I really wanted the caramel to shine on it’s own. Then one morning, it hit me. Marshmallow frosting. But not just any marshmallow frosting. Toasted marshmallow frosting. I mean, marshmallow frosting is great, but when you toast it – WOW.

The Ultimate Whoopie Pies

So there you have it. These Ultimate Whoopie Pies are composed of chocolate cake, toasted marshmallow frosting, and salted caramel sauce. Seriously, these are the best whoopie pies ever. I decided to make these guys in the shape of a football since I was sharing them with friends at a football watching party.

The Ultimate Whoopie Pies

Marshmallow frosting doesn’t hold up very well, so you can make the caramel sauce and the cake parts in advance. Then make the marshmallow frosting and assemble the whoopie pies the day that you plan to serve them.

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The Ultimate Whoopie Pies

These really are the ultimate whoopie pies - with toasted marshmallow frosting and salted caramel sauce sandwiched between chocolate cake.

Yield: 18 whoopie pies

Ingredients:

1 batch chocolate cupcake batter
salted caramel sauce (homemade or store bought)
1 batch marshmallow frosting (recipe below)

For the Marshmallow Frosting
8 egg whites
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

For the Marshmallow Frosting
Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.

Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Use immediately.

Transfer frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a large plain round or French tip. Pipe frosting in a spiral motion on each cupcake. Transfer cupcakes to a baking sheet. Using a kitchen torch, lightly brown the frosting, taking care not to burn the cupcake liners. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, up to 2 days.

For the Whoopie Pies

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place a silicone baking sheet or parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

Once cupcake batter is ready to use, transfer to a piping bag with a medium round tip. Pipe batter into a small circle ~2” in diameter. If making football shaped whoopie pies, pipe into a football shape.

Bake for 8 minutes or until done. Allow to cool on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Pair up the whoopie pies to similar sized and shaped pairs.

Once they have cooled completely, pipe a generous amount of marshmallow frosting onto one of each of the pairs. Toast the marshmallow frosting with a small kitchen torch.

Drizzle with salted caramel sauce. Top with matching whoopie pie pair.

Cake from Joanne Chang. Marshmallow frosting from Martha Stewart. Salted Caramel Sauce from Cooks Illustrated, as seen on Erin's Food Files

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8 Responses to “Chocolate chip cookie bars”

  1. #
    1
    Ingrid — June 25, 2009 at 4:05 pm

    I’m totally with you on liking bars over cookies! MUCH easier.
    ~ingrid

  2. #
    2
    Kerstin — June 25, 2009 at 10:03 pm

    I’m a huge fan of bar cookies, in fact, I rarely make regular ones! They look great!

  3. #
    3
    Hanaâ — June 26, 2009 at 8:00 pm

    I’m with you on the bar thing vs cookies. They look great. I’ve never tried these before. How would you say these choc chip bars are different from blondies?

  4. #
    4
    Joelen — June 26, 2009 at 8:07 pm

    I’m a total sucker for chocolate chip cookies and these in bar form look awesome!

  5. #
    5
    Melissa — June 27, 2009 at 11:18 pm

    Those look delicious! They would make the perfect midnight snack with a glass of milk. 🙂

  6. #
    6
    oneordinaryday — June 28, 2009 at 11:26 pm

    Mmm. Looks good to me too!

  7. #
    7
    Mermaid Sweets — June 29, 2009 at 2:40 am

    I love bars too, same reasons. Sorry I have been MIA, I have been so busy, but it has made me feel so bad not to have time to comment. Happy Birthday, hope the kitchen is going well.

  8. #
    8
    MunchkinMama — October 15, 2010 at 2:38 am

    I found these while surfing around the other day. Made them and LOVED them. Then had a little panic attack when I couldnt find your site. (Do you realize just how many options you get from chocolate chip cookie bars?)
    Anyways, thanks so much! 😀

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