Everybody knows the feeling of a long week of school; the anticipation for Friday to hurry up and end as the hand of the clock slowly moves toward 2:30pm. Last Friday, that was me, squirming in my chair as I waited for the bell to ring so that I would be freed to enjoy the stress-free weekend. So why was I so excited for school to end?

The answer to that is simple: chocolate marshmallow whoopee pies.

Until a few days ago, I never really knew what whoopee pies were, but it wasn’t until I heard the recipe from a friend of mine did I decide to try it out. If you are like me, then the idea of chocolate cake being held together by fluffy marshmallows is reason enough to make them. Not only that, but after taking the time to whip them up, I found that these pies were relatively easy to make!

Though they are called pies, the name is somewhat deceiving. A mix between a cake and a brownie, the treats are as soft and fluffy as a cake yet small and bite-sized like brownies. Because I wasn’t sure what to expect texture-wise as I made these, it was a pleasant surprise that the desserts turned out relatively light and delicious.

The process is a rather simple one, and if you want to be fancy you could use the oven to melt the butter and chocolate together. I opted for the microwave, and it didn’t make the cakes taste any different. When the batter is all mixed together, it shouldn’t be stiff but should stick together as peanut butter would. This makes it easy to scoop up into mounds and put onto the pan, and I recommend you use a melon baller or ice cream scoop. Note that the size of the cake will expand and stretch out, so spacing would be smart. Unlike most recipes, the baking time specified by the recipe was extremely accurate, and be sure to take them out a little bit before they are due because they will cook a little bit longer on the pan.

Something I’d like to admit, though, was my laziness in not sifting the cocoa powder well enough. Although it may seem like a tedious task, it is the difference between chocolate goodness and biting into bursts of bitter cocoa. Still, when the marshmallows are put in between the cakes, it’s hard to notice.

Other than that, I’m proud to say that this recipe was a hit rather than a miss, and if you want to be festive for the upcoming holiday, break up a peppermint candy cane and either mix that into the batter or insert it into the marshmallows. Either way, enjoy!

Chocolate Marshmallow Whoopee Pies (adapted from www.foodnetwork.co.uk/recipes)

Ingredients

2 1/8 cups chocolate chips or any type of chocolate

½ cup unsalted butter

7/8 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla essence

1 ¼ cups plain flour

¼ cup natural cocoa powder, such as Hershey’s or Scharffen Berger

3/4 tsp fine salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

18 large marshmallows, (not minis)

Method

Preheat oven to 375 °F.

1) Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper or a silicon baking mat.

2) Put the chocolate and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat at 75 percent power until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to microwave until completely melted, about 2 minutes more. (Alternatively, put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 2cm or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching the water, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)

3) Whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla into the chocolate mixture until smooth.

4) Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into another bowl. Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until moistened. Switch to a rubber spatula and finish folding the batter together; take care not to over-mix.

5) Use a small biscuit scoop or spoon to drop a heaping tablespoon of batter onto the prepared pan. Repeat to make 36 biscuits, spacing them about 2.5cm apart. Bake until the biscuits spring back when lightly touched, about 6 minutes.

6) Cool the cookies slightly. Transfer half of the biscuits to a rack. Turn the remaining biscuits on the pan over, so they lay flat side up. Place a marshmallow on top of each biscuit and return pan to the oven. Cook just until the marshmallow begins to soften and puff, about 3 minutes.

7) Cool marshmallow topped biscuits slightly, about 2 minutes. Top with the remaining biscuits, pressing lightly to make sandwiches.

8) Cool whoopee pies completely on wire racks. Serve.

Store in tightly sealed container for up to 1 week.

*Thank you for the recipe!

http://www.foodnetwork.co.uk/recipes/whoopee-pie.html