Whoopily Delightful Whoopie Pies

I have recently gone on a diet, and that diet is the worst possible diet that you can ever go on. It is called the Paleo Diet, and you can basically eat meat and vegetables (don't ever go on this diet, it is so hard!) and so the main things that I have to avoid and be the most strict about not eating are sugar, gluten (so I can't have anything that has flour in it), and dairy. This means that I can eliminate the idea that I might have dessert after dinner, which is a very hard thing to do for a fourteen year old girl who loves to eat sugar. I went on this diet earlier this year, I think I blogged about it as well, and shared a good Paleo breakfast smoothie. So, now that I am unable to consume the substance called sugar, I am lacking a certain sweetness in my life that used to be there, and let me tell you, I am really missing that sweetness. I have decided that to bring that sweetness back into my life, I have 2 options: I can start eating sugar again, or I can fantasize about eating sugar and therefor not break my diet. I decided to go with option number 2. So, from now on, all of my posts will be full of sugar, and will always be desserts until this diet has finished or my sugar cravings have disappeared (probably never). So, since I am currently greatly craving a Whoopie Pie, y'all are going to get a recipe on how to make whoopie pies from food.com.


Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg white

1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk

3/4 cup marshmallow cream

Method:

Combine the flour,  cocoa, baking soda and slat in a small bowl.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the sugar, shortening and egg white in a medium bowl until fluffy and well blended (about 2 minutes).

Stir in the flour mixture, then the milk until just blended.

Drop the dough by spoonfuls onto large, ungreased baking sheets, making 36 cookies.

Bake until top springs back lightly when touched (5-7 minutes).

Cool completely on the sheets on a rack.

Spoon 2 tsp marshmallow spread on the bottoms of half of the cookies.

Top each with a half cookie that does not have marshmallow spread.

The Finished Whoopie Pie
Image curtesy of Jerry's Nut House

Lovely Lemon-cream Icebox Cookie Sandwiches

So as I was searching for a lovely recipe to post about, my mom said to me "Daisy, how come you aren't eating healthy anymore? I mean, it was so good for you!" It was right about then that I found this recipe, and that was all the reasoning I needed. I turned my computer screen towards her and said "Mom, this is the only reason I need to quit eating healthily is this recipe right here. It is the most delicious thing I think I have ever seen in my entire life.! I mean, when you look at these sandwich cookies, couldn't you just die?!" And so that was what started a big long discussion between me and my mom about healthy eating and whether or not I should make, and eat, these sandwich cookies. In the end, we decided to make them because, ya know, who wouldn't? So anyways, I made the cookies and they were so good! so I suggest that you go check out some of their other recipes as well here.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter-flavor shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons finely shredded lettuce peel
Finely crushed lemon drop candies or decorating sugar (optional)

For the Frosting:

5 ounces cream cheese (not low-fat or whipped), at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons lightly packed, finely grated lemon zest
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces confectioners sugar (1-1/4 cups, spooned and leveled)

Method:

In a large bowl, beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
Add sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Beat until combined, scraping sides of the bowl occasionally.
Beat in egg and vanilla until combined.
Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour and the lemon peel.
Divide dough in half.
Shape each half into a 10-inch roll.
Wrap each roll in plastic wrap or waxed paper.
Chill for 1 to 3 hours or until dough is firm enough to slice.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut rolls into 1/4-inch slices.
Place slices about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set.
Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute.
Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool.
Spread lemon cream frosting on the bottom sides of half of the cookies, using about 1 tablespoon of frosting per cookie.
Top with remaining cookies, bottom sides down.
I desired, roll edges of sandwich cookies in crushed candy.

These lemon-cream icebox cookie sandwiches have not been rolled in crushed candy
Image curtesy of Honeyville Farms