Green Velvet Shamrock Whoopie Pies

Apparently, I am whoopie pie obsessed. You might just be seeing them around here for every holiday. Here's my latest take on the whoopie craze, the green velvet shamrock whoopie pie. These were a little trickier than my red velvet heart shaped whoopie pies, but equally delicous. Or could that be because I used the exact same recipe, why mess with a good thing, right? Keep reading for the recipe and how-to. Plus, you can download the green chevron paper for free at the bottom of the post. 

Happy Saint Patty's Day!!!

Cake Recipe:

2 cups all purpose flour

1.5 tablespoons cocoa powder 

½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg, preferably room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk, preferably room temperature*

lots of green food coloring,I used 2 tubes (use the gel not the liquid)

Cream Cheese Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

* I didn't happen to have buttermilk on hand so you can substitute by making your own with milk and vinegar. Add 1/2 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to 1/2 cup milk, stir and let sit for 5 minutes before using.

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; preheat oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

2. In large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed for 30 seconds, until smooth. Add brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. With mixer at medium speed, add egg and beat until thoroughly combined, then beat in vanilla. Add about one-third of flour mixture followed by half of buttermilk mixture, mixing until incorporated after each addition (about 15 seconds). Repeat using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining buttermilk mixture. Scrape down sides of bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium-low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Add food coloring and continue mixing to incorporate color evenly. Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter a couple times with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour and coloring.

3. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip and pipe your batter into the shamrocks. To make the shamrock, you will be piping the batter into 4 individual small hearts with the points touching. Can you see this in my pictures above? (If you need more guidance making the shamrocks, you could cut out a shamrock and trace it onto your parchment)

4. Bake 7 to 9 minutes, rotating halfway through, until tops are set. Cool cookies on cookie sheets. Make sure to watch them as they do cook pretty quickly.  

5. To make filling: In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy. 

6. To fill, dollop (or pipe) cream cheese filling on flat sides of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies, flat sides down. Do your best to match up similar sized and shaped shamrocks, it just turns out better that way (plus, I'm type A so I have to do crazy things like that)

To store: Refrigerate in airtight container up to 4 days. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. 

Cake recipe from Better Home and Gardens. Filling recipe from Paula Deen here (I cut the recipe in half).

 

Beware of little fingers sneaking into the batter, they lead to messy and sticky faces.

I love how she's looking at it me like, "What Mama? I didn't eat any cookie dough."

Paiges of Style- Green Chevron Paper