Our first try at whoopie pies turned out good but not like the ones we’re used to. This time we used one of Shayne’s old family recipes and they turned out perfectly! Get the recipe below.

Whoopie Pies

Cookies:
1 cup Crisco
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour milk (stir in 2 tsp. baking soda)
1 cup hot water (stir in tsp. baking powder)
4 cups flour
1 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt

Filling:
2 unbeaten egg whites
2 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. milk
1 1/2 cups Crisco
1 lb. confectioners sugar

Steps:
1. Combine all ingredients for cookies in large bowl or stand mixer. Drop by teaspoon on greased and floured cookie sheet. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

2. Combine egg whites, vanilla, flour and Crisco. Beat until smooth. Beat in confectioners sugar. Spread half inch of filling between two cookies. Wrap individually with plastic wrap.

Last week I came home from the farmer’s market with two of my favorite fruits…blueberries and peaches. I love them on their own so I thought together they would be even better. I found a recipe and baked my first Peach and Blueberry Crisp. See the recipe below.

Peach + Blueberry Crisp

Fruit Mixture:
3-4 peaches, sliced
1 pint blueberries
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup sugar

Topping:
2/3 cup flour
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oats
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 stick cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup crushed pretzels

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients for fruit mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, combine all ingredients for topping, adding the butter in last with a fork or your hands.
4. Pour the fruit mixture into a baking dish, spread the topping on, and bake for about 45 minutes.

I baked these delicious red velvet cupcakes yesterday while I was impatiently waiting for Mad Men to come on. That makes two weekend in a row spent in the kitchen baking my heart out. Last week was whoopie pies in case you missed them.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. red food coloring (two bottles)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.  In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go.  Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.

4. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda.  Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Fill cupcake cups with cake batter 2/3 – 3/4 full.  Bake for approximately 18-20 minutes. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Cool cupcakes in tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting :

3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup butter

1. Blend into a small saucepan the 3 tablespoons of flour and the cup of milk. Add the milk to the flour slowly, avoiding lumps.

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture resembles glue.

3. Cool completely.

4. Cream together sugar, butter, and vanilla until fluffy.

5. Add to cooked mixture. Beat, high speed, until very fluffy. Frost cooled cupcakes.

Today was a long day. I had a doctor’s appointment (diagnosis TMJ) and many errands to run. After dinner we went on a much needed ice cream date. This place is so cute and filled with vintage decor. They have lots of formica tables as seating and the one we sat at had adorable apples printed on it!

I’m off to relax (doctor’s orders) and veg out to Bethenny Getting Married? I can’t help it I love that show!

In Friday’s post I mentioned something about making a peach pie from scratch. Let’s just say that didn’t happen but we did make whoopie pies instead. The recipe we used ended up being a little different than the whoopie pies we’re used to here in central PA but they were still pretty good. In my search for recipes I found a few articles online calling whoopie pies the next cupcake. It made me laugh because I’ve lived in Pennsylvania my whole life, and here they are so common you can buy them at any gas station or farmer’s market. No need to go to the bakery.

On Wednesday we went to the local farmer’s market. We came home with lots of yummy produce, including a giant watermelon and peaches. I’m going to try my hand at baking a peach pie from scratch this weekend. I’ll let you know how it turns out. If it’s any good I can cross one item off of my 27 before 27 list which is successfully bake a pie from scratch.

The day started off rainy and muddy but later the sun decided to make a bright appearance.