Dark Chocolate Whoopie Pies

No, not that Whoopie. And not that one either! These are brownie-style chocolate cookies sandwiched with a cream cheese filling.

INGREDIENTS

For Homemade Crème Fraîche

You definitely don't have to do this, stores sell it premade, but it's really easy. All it takes is knowing you are going to make this bake a day in advance. I realize better than most how absurd that may seem.

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1/8 cup buttermilk

For Cookies

Taken from Joanne Chang's Baking with Less Sugar cookbook, Double Chocolate Whoopie Pies recipe.

• 140 g / 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 6 oz bittersweet chocolate

• 4 oz German chocolate

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 120 g / 1/2 cup crème fraîche

• 2 eggs

• 2 egg yolks

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For Cream Cheese Filling

Based off the New York Times Cooking Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies recipe by Melissa Clark

• 8 oz cream cheese

• 8 tablespoons crème fraîche

• 33 g / 4 tablespoons powdered sugar

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

METHOD

Crème Fraîche

You still don't have to do this! Totally optional!

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Stir the 2 cups heavy cream and 1/8 cup buttermilk together in a small air-tight container. Close the container and store for 12 hours in a dry, warm location. If it hasn't thickened in 12 hours, leave it for another 3. When it comes time to use it, whisk it up into a sour cream consistency.

Cookies

Quick note: you can make the filling before you make the cookies, but the cookies have a 30 minute cool time before the bake that can be a great opportunity to make the filling. Also a great time to clean the kitchen or take a nap! Totally up to you.

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Preheat the oven 325°F (165°C, Gas Mark 3). If you, like me, can't fit 20 cookies on a single sheet, place the one oven rack slightly below the middle and one slightly above. If you have a bag of holding-esque oven and baking sheet, just place a rack directly in the center.

Grab one or two baking sheets/pans that could fit 20ish golf ball-sized cookies all together and line them with parchment paper.

Place the 140 g / 1 cup all-purpose flour into a medium-sized bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt. Set the bowl aside.

Chop up the 10 ounces of chocolate and slice the 6 tablespoons of butter. Joanna Chang suggests finely chopping, but a rough chop will do, it will just take a little longer to melt. Place the cut up chocolate and butter into a glass or metal bowl to double boil.

Fill a saucepan that the chocolate and butter bowl can sit on top of and fill it partway with water. The amount doesn't matter too much, but check to make sure the bottom of the bowl won't be in direct contact with the water. Bring the water to a simmer on the stovetop.

Place the bowl of chocolate and butter atop the heated saucepan and stir regularly, evenly melting the ingredients until well mixed.

Remove the bowl from the heat and turn off the stove.

Whisk 120 g / 1/2 a cup of crème fraîche into the chocolate mixture.

Whisk the 2 eggs, 2 egg yolks and vanilla extract into the chocolate mixture.

Add the flour mixture a small portion at a time into the chocolate mix and fold in with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until fully combined.

Let the batter sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. [This is that good time to make the filling mentioned above]

Lay out the batter into golf ball-sized blobs on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart using a cookie scoop (those mini ice cream scoops) or a rounded table spoon. This should make somewhere between 18 and 24 cookies.

Bake for 12-15 minutes in the preheated over. Make sure to rotate the pan(s) at least once. Take them out when the center of the cookies are barely firm when you press them.

Let the cookies cool completely on the sheets over a wire rack.

Filling

This can be made before, during, or after the cookies. If you make it in advance of the final step just put it in the refrigerator until it's time.

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Set up a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and beat a full 8 oz block of cream cheese until smooth. For best results, slice the block up into 8 or 10 cubes beforehand. To beat, incrementally ramp up the speed until you get to medium-high. Shut off the motor and scrape down the sides as necessary.

Add 8 tablespoons of crème fraîche and mix on low or medium speed until combined.

Add 33 g / 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and mix on at a medium speed until combined.

Remove the filling from the stand mixer and set aside. If you have time before the sandwich preparation step, cover the filling tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Whoopie Pies

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Once cookies are fully cooled, try to match them up into

pairs of similar size. If you'd like, you can pick the uglier of each pair to be the bottom cookie....or the top.

Spread the cream cheese filling generously on each of the bottom cookies and sandwich the top cookie to complete the pie.