Chocolate Whoopie Pies

Last weekend I braved not just scary ticket prices and the monotony of trains, but real, cold, wet snow to deliver whoopee pies to Cambridge.

I had been flicking through my recipe books, looking for something new which would travel well, when I found a recipe for some mysterious round treats called whoopie pies.  I had never made them, but with a name which doubles as an exclamation of joy, how could they go wrong; besides, they were chocolate.

It was a bit strange working with such a thick dough, and they came out looking almost dangerously large.  The Hummingbird Bakery recipe called for Marshmallow Fluff, which, for those not yet inducted into this particular American treat, is really just the sticky inside of marshmallow mushed up and put into a jar.  It is not exactly widely available, so instead I made a white chocolate ganache to stick the two domed halves together.

My whoopie pies were something of a surprise, since I was expecting something resembling a macaroon but found it was more like sponge cake.  Chocolate sponge cake.  Two domes of thick chocolate sponge cake stuck together with white chocolate ganache.  They may not have looked quite as smooth as the ones in the book, but they were tasty.  I was informed that they needed more ganache, which I can only agree with.  I would also have made them smaller, as I feel they may have overwhelmed those of a less chocolate-loving inclination.

Having survived their frosty journey, the whoopie pies found a warm reception.  While I did not hear any shouts of joy, I am hopeful that this was because people were happily munching on cake-based goodness.