Monday, December 31, 2012

Cinnamon Roll Whoopie Pies and 2012 in review


Happy New Year!!!  Holy cow another year down.  I can hardly believe it seriously.  This past year has been crazy amazing and I am so thankful for it.  I have been able to do and experience some amazing things that I never thought I would do.  So a quick recap of the year is definitely in order...

January:  Somehow I totally flew an airplane...seriously!  And Stephanie agreed to be my first guest poster with her Peppermint Coconut Macaroons.


February: In the freezing cold...in Birmingham, I finished my first half marathon with one of my very best friends.


March:  I catered my first Scotch tasting with desserts...burning my arm on a tart pan in the process...


But the french pear tart turned out pretty.


April: Real job talk...I ran my first successful "resort" meeting for the oldest and one of the larger groups.

May:  I got a logo, like a for real logo that is awesome and was designed by Mr. Brian Athey!  I also sold my baked goods for the first time at the DC Grey Market...A day and half of baking later and with the awesome help of James at the market...it was a success!


June:  I hit my 100th recipe (a cinnamon roll cake) and I flew to Scotland all by myself...and baked a lot there!


July:  I was talked into going on a bike ride from Philadelphia to Atlantic City....my longest bike ride at the time...ever!


August:  I convinced my mom to do LiveStrong with me and was so proud of her!


September:  I participated in my 3rd triathlon relay...doing the running portion at the Nations Tri in DC.


October:  Once again I was talked into going for a crazy long bike ride...100 miles long this time.


...and into riding a mechanical bull...by the same person.


November:  I got interviewed my first bakery owner...and am so excited to interview others!


December:  Marks two years of doing this blog! Thanks for reading and growing with me!

So, to start another year let talked about these cinnamon roll whoopie pies that turned out exactly the way I wanted them to!  Seriously though, the cake part is light and vanilla"y", the cinnamon roll filling adds great texture and crunch, and the cream cheese filling ties the whole thing together.  The birthday boy was happy and that's all that mattered.  I will definitely be making these again!  So, if you like cinnamon as much as I do, are a fan of cinnamon rolls, or want to try a new twist on a whoopie, give these a try.  They will not disappoint!  Enjoy and Happy New Year!


Getting ready for my trip to London and baking...that's what I call multitasking...


Whisking together the brown sugar and butter with the eggs and vanilla.


Add in the dry ingredients and then scoop making cookie dough sized dollops using a 1/4 cup measuring cup.


Cinnamon roll filling time.


All baked and cooling, then time for the...


Cinnamon bun filling to be spread out.


And then the cream cheese frosting.



Packed up and ready to go to the office.

Cinnamon Bun Whoopie Pies
Whoopie Pie: (recipe from Just Baked)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1-stick)unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Cinnamon Bun Filling:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 box (8 oz block) 1/3 fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 cups powdered sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.  Sift onto a large piece of wax paper.

3.  In the bowl of a mixer with the paddle, beat the butter, shortening and both sugars on medium speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs and buttermilk and beat until combined. Don’t worry if your batter looks curdled. Mine did, but then came together when I added the rest of the ingredients.

4.  Combine the milk, baking soda, and vinegar in a small measuring cup.  With the mixer on low, add the milk mixture to the batter along with the flour mixture.  Beat just until everything is combined.  Add the vanilla and beat on medium for 2 minutes, until completely combined.

5.  Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup , drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between cookies.  Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 10 minutes (start to check at 7 minutes) , or until they are set and just beginning to brown.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.


6.  While cookies are cooling, prepare filling and frosting.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Using a knife or frosting spreader, lightly coat the flat side of each cookie with cinnamon bun filling.

7.  In a medium sized bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese.  Then mix in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Frost one side of each whoopie and then sandwich together and enjoy!
en

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