Lemon Whoopie Pies!

I'll admit it. I was stir crazy this week. I didn't realize how much entertainment Mr. Allan provides. I wasn't really taken with this season's Dancing With the Stars Cast..so there was nothing to watch on tv Monday, I cleared out Tivo, watched more Netflix than I ever have in a weeks time and went to the gym a lot. There are lots of things I do enjoy about being alone..like sleeping smack in the middle of the bed and not having to share the bathroom sink counter and being able to leave my make up spread out for days on end. But, I got bored. So, I decided to test run some recipes I've wanted to try, keep looking at, and have been dying to see what they taste like. So, one night last week, I gave these Lemon Whoopie Pies a whirl. I saw them on the site Joy the Baker. So..my night shaped up to be running, yoga, grocery store to buy lemons, home to watch the Back Up Plan while I made batter, ate dinner while these baked, watched the rest of the Back Up Plan while I made the filling and put them together during the American Idol Results show and then I groaned when the judges used the save on Casey..not my cup of tea and I liked the whole upset of the judges' favorite.

Back to the Lemon Whoopie Pies...Fun to make, the work peeps seemed to really enjoy them..so I'm calling them a grand success...something I'll make again and figure out how to do a mini version of.

Lemon Whoopie Pies

(from http://www.joythebaker.com/)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk.

Lemon Cream Cheese Filling
6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest until smooth, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during the mixing. Add the egg, lemon juice and vanilla, mixing until blended, about 1 minute. The batter may look curdled. On low speed, add half of the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it. Mix in the buttermilk. Mix in the remaining flour mixture just until it is incorporated and the batter looks smooth again.
Drop heaping tablespoons (about 3 level Tablespoons each for a giant cookie) of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops feel firm, about 12 minutes. With the exception of a time line at the edges, the tops of the cookies should not brown. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the filling-
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice until thoroughly blended and smooth, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. If the filling is too soft to hold its shape, chill it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Turn half of the cookies bottom side up. Leaving a 1/4-inch plain edge, use a thin metal spatula to spread each one with about 1/4 up of filling. Gently press the flat bottoms of the remaining cookies onto the fillings.

Wrap each cookie in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve cold. The wrapped cookies can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
 
Just a couple notes from me...
* one lemon was enough to get all the zest and juice I needed. I bought three for some reason, so I figured I'd save you the extra expense of buying too many!
 
*I used my OXO medium cookie scoop for the batter. This made a top and bottom for the whoopie pie that was about the size of my palm. These cookies spread big time, so keep that in mind. I was aiming for smaller whoopie pies so I'd have plenty for people at work and they came out much bigger than I anticipated. Also, on my large Chicago Metallic jellyroll pan, I put batter for 8 cookies and I really cut it close and almost had them bake into one another
 

here's the OXO medium cookie scoop. Love this bad boy! using a cookie scoop = nice uniform sized cookies!

 

*Take the advice and wrap them in plastic wrap. I left some in a tupperware container and they kind of stuck to the bottom a bit. My mom also suggested to dust them with some powdered sugar to get rid of the tackiness and sticky nature of the cookie part.
 
*just be careful when you're removing them from the cookie sheet. I always use my Silpat. I also use a wilton metal cookie spatula. I still had to do it quite gingerly to keep them in one piece.
 

I love this Wilton spatula. It has a somewhat sharp flat metal edge to the spatula. It's awesome for getting under that cookie and sliding the spatula underneath. Just be careful..if you don't use Silpats or parchment, I'd imagine you could really scratch up your cookie sheets

Enjoy!