Whoop de doo!

After Donna Hay made them on Sunrise last week and then Danni on Masterchef this week, I figured that it must be time to see what was so special about Whoopie Pies.  I picked up a copy of Love Food's Whoopie Pie recipe book which was full of great ideas and taste combinations.  After making the decision that, just for once, I would not opt for the chocolate upon chocolate recipe, what caught my eye was the recipe for Coconut & Raspberry Mallow Whoopie Pies.

What I liked was the idea of using marshmallow as a filling, rather than buttercream and so I thought I'd tweak the recipe a little and create a Toasted Marshmallow Whoopie Pie.  They were devoured pretty quickly this morning, so I think they'll get a repeat in our kitchen, particularly a gingerbread version.  That said, I wasn't a huge fan of the texture of the cake/cookie - I prefer the soft freshness of just plain old ordinary cake.  Still, as always, the TMX made giving them a go super quick & easy and gave me the opportunity to make marshmallow, which is always a good thing!

Toasted Marshmallow Whoopie Pies (altered from Love Food Whoopie Pies)

Ingredients:-

Whoopie Pie:-

*  225g plain flour
*  2tsp baking powder
*  pinch salt
*  115g coconut - shredded or desiccated
*  115g butter
*  150g caster sugar
*  1 large egg
*  100ml milk

Filling:- (courtesy of Recipe Community)

*  220g sugar
*  1tbsp gelatine powder or 5 gelatine sheets soaked in cold water until soft
*  250g boiling water
*  1/4 tsp coconut essence

Method:-

Whoopie Pie:-

*  Preheat oven to 180º.
*  Toast coconut in oven until golden brown.  Allow to cool and then grind in TMX on Speed 7 for 10 seconds until fine.  Set aside.
*  Place butter in TMX and mix on 50º, Speed 4 for 30 seconds.
*  Add all other ingredients, including coconut, and mix for 15 seconds on Speed 5.  Scrape down sides and then mix for a further 20 seconds on Speed 5.
*  Spoon mixture into a piping bag and pipe out 30 rounds. 
*  Bake in oven for approximately 10-12 minutes.  They will rise and be just firm to touch.
*  Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack until completely cool.

Filling:-

*  Insert butterfly, place sugar and gelatine in TMX.  (Make sure all the dry ingredients are below the top of the blades to ensure full coverage with the water.)  Add boiling water and cook for 22 minutes at 100º, speed 1.
*  Remove lid from TMX and dry upper edges of bowl with paper towel.  Allow uncovered liquid to cool to room temperature until it has a very thick syrup consistency and is almost at setting stage.
*  Replace TMX Bowl and lid, but leave MC off.  Whip syrup for 4 minutes at speed 4 until thickened.
*  Add coconut essence and whip to combine.
*  Pour into a jug and place in the fridge to cool - it took almost an hour for it to cool to the consistency I needed for piping.  Every 15 minutes or so I just checked it and gave it a stir.

To Assemble:-

*  Organise the whoopie pies into pairs.
*  Spoon marshmallow into piping bag and pipe onto the base of each pair.
*  Allow to set for a couple of minutes and then gently place the top pie on and sandwich the marshmallow.

Enjoy!