Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies

I've had requests for several recipes lately. I hope to share them with you over the next couple weeks. My gal pal, Julie, requested the following cookies for her birthday this year. I made these for my girls last year on their second birthday and everyone loved them, including Julie. Some people never forget a face, some foodies never forget a cookie. Here's the recipe.

Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies
for the cookie:
2 sticks butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar (I usually substitute muscavado or sucanat in place of the sugars)
1/2 cup cocoa
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
16 ounces chocolate chips

Cream butter, sugars and cocoa, add eggs one at a time. Leave mixer running while adding remaining ingredients, add chocolate chips last and mix them just till they are incorporated into the dough. Chill the dough if you have time, no big deal if you don't. Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes. A tip about the size, I would make these on the small side because they are extremely filling when sandwiched with the filling listed below. Do not overbake these bad boys, you will regret it.

For the wonderful filling recipe, go here. This is a frosting recipe that the Pioneer Woman discovered via her recipe site and I've been in love with it ever since. Here's the deal people, you can make this frosting WITHOUT white sugar. That's right, y'all. You can substitute muscavado or sucanat, which are sugars that are processed very little, unbleached and they actually contain a little nutrition, and you can still have a great frosting. My little fam loves this frosting and I've not once heard, "Gee, Mom, I really miss powdered-sugar laden frosting that makes my teeth rot out of my head. Could you please make some more?" (Please note that I still occasionally make powdered-sugar frosting especially when I'm in a hurry or need to make chocolate frosting. I've not yet found a good white-sugar-less chocolate frosting.)

To assemble the whoopie pies, let your baked cookies cool on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes or so, then put a generous dollop of frosting on the underside of one cookie and top it with another cookie. See, cookie sandwiches! This cookie is what I call the good girl's oreo. Enjoy it and be sure to share! The pic below is the only one I have of these delicious treats. Feel free to color the filling bright blue or pink. :)