Whoopie Pies

Have you ever had a whoopie pie? Me neither.  Then good ol' Starbucks came out with some food colouring ones (the red ones? They just look nasty and die your fingers red eating them) and I had to find a recipe and make some.

I love the recipes on www.browneyedbaker.com

She has an awesome recipe for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.  Here is her recipe: (make sure you give her the credit! They are amazing!)

Yield: About 4 dozen assembled whoopie pies (will vary depending on how large you make them)

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 10 to 12 minutes

For the Whoopie Pies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
3 cups chilled pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Maple-Cream Cheese Filling:
3 cups powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, the dark brown sugar, and the oil together. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.

4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.

5. Use a small cookie scoop or a large spoon to drop a rounded, heaping tablespoon of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.

6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, making sure that the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. The cookies should be firm when touched. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack.

7. To make the filling, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth with no visible lumps, about 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth and combined, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, then add the maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth.

8. To assemble the whoopie pies: Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down. Pipe or spoon the filling (about a tablespoon) onto that half. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spread to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Put the whoopie pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm before serving.

So I made them a little large.  Husband? LOVED THEM! Ate them till he was sick the first day.  Here are some photos on how I did it.

Mix dry ingredients

Mix wet ingredients and then mix together with the dry

Grease pan.  This is a muffin top pan

I also used a cookie sheet to see which one I like more.  I think I like this one better.  I also always use parchment paper so I don't have to clean the pans.

Bake

Let them cool

Ice those bad boys! I made the cream cheese frosting but left out the maple

Wow.  No makeup and quite a bit bigger! I can't believe I am posting this.

The finished product! Wow.  I need mascara

Pretties...

I am one of those people where certain visual things can completely change my mood.  Does that sentence even make sense? OK.  Let me try to rephrase that.  Here are a few photos of things in my house that can get a smile out of me even in the worst mood EVER!

When I ask for cuddles, my dog rolls onto her back and looks at me like this! She is too cute

The magic mirror in my room that makes me look so skinny!

The pictures above our bed

Books.  I just have to see them and smell them and I feel more relaxed

The dancing snowmen on my windowsill.  The last gift from my mom

My beautiful Christmas 

poinsettia

The area above my fireplace.  It is huge and looks so pretty at night.

The horrible floor to ceiling wallpaper that smothers my main floor bathroom.  All the way baby.  All the way.  They even left us more to do the ceiling if we wanted!

My Peter Lik picture in another bathroom

The view from my desk.  It is my street and it is kinda pretty! I see a lot of sky, my neighbours, the snow, flowers and grass in summer and my fun lamp.

This has been a challenging month at times.  It is not even over yet! I have to admit though, there are things here that make me happy.  And these are just a few of them.  What makes you happy?

Insurance

WTF!!!!!

Did you know that insurance does not cover theft or damage from renters?

Seriously????


Wow.

Stressing out.

Just saying.

Will be back tomorrow with a more normal post.

Just wanting to scream right now.



Wow.

Noise noise noise!

Oh what wonderful noise!

Tonight we went to see Stomp.  Have you heard of them?

www.stomponline.com

Please go check it out if you can.  The show is amazing.  There are no words.  There is only rhythm.  It is drumming and dancing and just an amazing production.  Stomp was on Husbands list of things he wanted to do.  He was so excited when we booked the tickets.  They do all the music with garbage.  Bags, drums, brooms, even lighters! I have never seen anything like it.

Wow.  That is all I have to say.

Update

So, I am out $14000.  Yup.  That many 0's.  The cops are now involved.  I found out that she has 5 alias and that she has a criminal record.  They are arresting her and she will be charged with grand theft over $5000.  I am pressing charges.  I have to contact my insurance company now to deal with that and see if they will pay replacement on anything.  We will see.  I am not counting on anything.  She did not pay any utility bills so I have to phone them on Monday and get it all transferred back to my name and hope that they go after her and not me for the money she owes.  I also have to figure out if we are going to sell the house or just rent it out again with hopes of finding someone a little better.  I have to get the locks changed on Monday as well and deal with the cops and receipts and lists of missing items.  What a pain.  I am pretty sure I know what is all gone.  The problem is that the house is 5 hours away and I cannot get there to look until later next week if at all right now.  Work is just too insane and it started snowing today so we are officially into winter.  I am feeling pretty used right now.  And pretty stupid.  Why was I so nieve? Why do I trust people so easily?

Sorry if this is just a bummer tonight.  Not feeling too chipper today about anything.  I have company here right now which is nice, but at the same time? I feel like I have the stomach flu to add to the chaos!

But on a happy note?

There is pretty white stuff outside :)

Cry

Have you ever just wanted to cry?

OK.  First things first.  The girlfriend? Awesome.  She is a lovely woman who is kinda nervous and shy but I really like her.  I hope that things work out.  She would be an awesome friend.

Tonight, I got a phone call.  My renter in my house (in another town) decided to not only not pay me, but to clean out my house.  Fridge, stove... you name it.  Lied to me.  Scammed me.  Total liar.

I am not sure how to deal with it.  I am raging inside.  We figure she stole about $10,000 worth of stuff and owes me $4000.  Yup.  There go my trip plans this winter.  The cops are involved.  Found mail with 5 different last names.  Have to call insurance in the morning.

Please pray for me.  Kinda wanting to cry right now.

Feeling very used right now.

Dating

One thing I never thought I would deal with was a parent dating.  I was one of those lucky kids whose parents stayed together.  When my mom died, they had been together for 32 years.

Now she has been gone for almost 4 years and Dad is dating.  He has had one serious girlfriend that did not end well (good riddance!) and another one of 5 dates that just fizzled out.  That one he did not even tell us about.

He has now been talking on the phone to a lady for the last 6 months.  He is visiting her right now to see if there is anything there.  She is actually one of my moms cousins.  Figure that out!

He will be at my house with her tonight.  Yup.  I get to "meet" her.  Not in a "hey! There is yet another relative and I forget your name?!?" way but "hey! You might be dating my dad in the future or you already are (he is talking to her about it tomorrow on the 6 hour drive here) and you could potentially end up in my life in a major way.

I am kinda nervous.

I want my dad to be happy.  I want him to find love again.  I want him to find even more than he had before and that is not in a bad way, just a good thing.  I want him to grow old with someone by his side.  And to tell you the truth? I would not mind a mother figure in my life again.  I want my nieces and nephews to have a grandma.  I want him to be happy.

Why am I so nervous?

I feel kinda selfish to be honest.  I have a very peculiar relationship with my dad.  We are very close and I love it.  I talk to him every day at least once and if there is something wrong? He is the one I phone.  I am worried that our relationship will change.  What if it changes for the worse? What if he completely falls in love and forgets us? I know that this is all irrational, but what if?

My dad and his toy.  Isn't he cute?