My oh my, I love a good whoopie pie!!

I dont think I ever shared this, but I have a 'unique' way of eating a cupcake. I like to peel off the wrapper, cut the cupcake in half horozontially- right in the middle, and then put one half of the cake right on top of the frosting.

Sound familiar? Sounds like a whoopie-pie to me actually. I guess thats why im so fond of whoopie pies. They're pretty much just like cupcakes to me!


And these beauties are no exception! They're fabulous! The cake is so full of banana flavor, and the filling is silky smooth caramel flavor! What else can you ask for in a whoopie pie?
Theres only one reason you wont like these......and thats if you dont make them!! LOL

All lined up nicely after I used a 1 " cookie scoop to keep them relatively the same size.

See how pretty they are right out of the oven? Uniform little soilders, as my pastry instructor used to say all the time.

I put them next to each other, so you can see the difference in size from before and after they're baked.

All lined up nicely, waited to be topped off :o)

You can certainly use a pastry bag, I just find the scoop so even and easy.

Now how can you resist these beauties?


Ingredients:

Caramel sauce:
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Whoopie Pies:
2 cups AP flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup mashed banana

½ cup sour cream
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:
3 large egg whites
¾ cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1 tbsp. pieces, at room temperature
½ cup caramel sauce (from recipe above)


Directions:
For the caramel:

Pour the sugar into a meduim heavy bottom pot.

When the sugar starts to melt and bubble around the edges, stir it gently towards the center. Use a heat resistant spatula if you have one.

Continue stirring carefully until all of the sugar is melted. When the caramel reaches an amber color, remove it from the heat.

Once off the heat, whisk in half of the heavy cream. Be careful because it will bubble and spit up out of the pot. Stir until the cream is completely combined, then whisk in the rest of the cream.

Return the pot to medium-low heat and continue to whisk gently until everything is melted and smooth once again. Stir in the salt and vanilla. Remove from the heat and let cool.

For the whoopie 'cakes':

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; whisk to blend, and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the mashed banana and sour cream.

In the bowl of aKitchen Aid mixer ( or similiar), beat the butter, granulated and brown sugars on medium high speed until light and fluffy,

about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla. On low speed, add in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the banana mixture,

beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix each addition just until incorporated.

I used a 1 inch cookie scoop to make each whoopie 'cake', but you can pipe them from a bag with a large tip if you choose as well.

Bake until the whoopie 'cakes' are just set and the bottom edges are starting to brown, about 10-12 minutes.

Let cool about 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the filling:

Combine the egg whites and sugar in a large heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. ( I used the bowl from my Kitchen Aid to cut down on too many pots)

Heat the mixture, whisking very frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved and reaches 160° F on an instant read thermometer.

**A little helpful tip: you can test the mixture with your finger instead of a thermometer. When you rub your pointer finger and thumb together and do not feel the sugar granules, the mixture is ready**

Using the whisk attachment, beat on medium-high speed until the mixture holds stiff peaks. The bowl will be cool to the touch when its ready. Make sure you do not start to add the butter if the mixture is still warm.

Reduce the speed to medium low, add in the salt and begin adding the butter one piece at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir in ½ cup of the cooled caramel and mix well.

Once the whoopie 'cakes' are completely cooled, match them up in pairs by size.

To fill the cakes, again I used the same 1inch cookie scoop, but you can use a pastry bag too here.

Store in an airtight container.

MY NOTES:

- these cakes are exception, the banana flavor comes through quite well.

- For my taste, theres too much butter in the SMBC filling and not enough caramel.

So, next time, I will decrease the butter and increase the caramel.

If you have any questions, please dont hesitate to ask. Id love to hear from you even if you just want to say hi!

Thanks for stoppin by!

Jess