Sweet Treats – Chocolate Nutella Whoopie Pies

Photo republished by kind permission of cookiesonfriday.blogspot.com

Have you had a bad week? Have you endured the boss from hell, or a partner who acted rather too selfishly? Have you had to wrangle ungrateful children or endured a whispered hate-campaign of passive aggression from horrible family members? Have you unfriended people this week?

There are times – unimaginably awful times  – when meeting the battles head on simply becomes too demoralising for the effort you must put in. At these times we turn to the one who will love us and soothe us unconditionally. Chocolate of course. Still, chocolate doesn’t always mitigate the intense feeling of revenge one sometimes lusts after.

So, if you want to kill them, kill them all, I give you the perfect balm: Chocolate Nutella Whoopie Pies.

They are not pies at all, of course. They are little cakey bites of deliciousness. Heaven on a plate. Designed for intense selfishness as you first abandon all pretensions to diet or careful eating and instead race ahead of others to snaffle the last one off the plate. Or to demolish the lot in a single brain snap of self-righteousness.

Savour the moment. Tell everyone how wonderful these beauties are afterwards. Leave a trail of crumbs. And without hesitation, leave the others to do the washing up.

Adapted from Simply Heaven, Vol 3 by Philadelphia and Cadbury

Makes 16

INGREDIENTS

125g butter, softened; ½ cup caster sugar; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 1 tsp vanilla essence or ½ tsp vanilla extract; 1 cup plain flour; ½ tsp baking powder; ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1/3 cup cocoa, sifted; ½ cup buttermilk OR milk with 1 tsp lemon juice added

Chocolate Nutella Filling: 200g milk chocolate melts or cooking chocolate; 75g choc hazelnut spread; 250g cream cheese, softened OR Philadelphia Cream for Desserts; ¾ cup icing sugar, sifted

METHOD

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper and set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light  and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well to combine. Use a large metal spoon to fold in the sifted flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa alternately with the acidulated milk.

Drop one tablespoon of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and repeat with 4-5 cm between each to allow for spreading to make 32 ‘biscuits’.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the ‘biscuits’ are lightly puffed and browned around the edges. Stand them for 5 minutes on the tray before carefully sliding a spatula under them and transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Filling:  Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water or into a microwave and melt until the chocolate is smooth and glossy. Add the choc-hazelnut spread and mix well to combine.

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, or Cream for Desserts and the icing sugar and beat well to combine. Pour or spoon in the chocolate mixture and mix well to combine, then chill until you require it.

To finish: Spoon a heaped teaspoon of the chocolate cream onto 16 of the biscuits and spread the cream evenly across the surface with a small palate or bread and butter knife. Top with the remaining biscuits. Dredge with extra sifted icing sugar for a completely over the top finish. Stand back, think fondly of your nemesis and wish them well before eating.

COST