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While at our sons’ soccer tournament not long ago in Canton, Michigan, my friend, Sonia, and I hit a Trader Joes. (Oh pleeease TJ’s, put one in GR! Same goes for Whole Foods Market!) Wandering around the store I saw some Whoopie Pies, and while they may have been better than a “regular” grocery store-bought cookie (or not), I knew my own homemade Whoopie Pies would be the very best.
Disclaimer:
When I say “best”, I mean as in no trans fats, no high fructose corn syrup, no GMOs, very little white flour, all organic ingredients, real butter, etc. Not “best” as in “good for you” – sweets can’t be labeled that, unfortunately. But they can be labeled “better” than store-bought alternatives.
Marshmallows without HFCS can’t be found!
Instead of the typical whoopie pie middle layer of marshmallows, I made some real whipped cream, and then froze them to make them like ice cream sandwiches – they were a big hit!
Cookies:
- 4 c. flour (original recipe calls for “all-purpose”, I use sprouted organic whole wheat pastry flour (More info on sprouted flours.)
- 2 t. baking soda (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
- 1/2 t. sea salt
- 2/3 c. organic cocoa powder
- 2 c. organic palm sugar (my new favorite natural sweetener for baked goods!)
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 2 pastured eggs
- 1 1/2 c. milk (never use low-fat milks)
- 2/3 c. melted butter or no-flavor coconut oil
Filling:
- Real whipped cream
Mix flour, baking soda, sea salt, cocoa, and sugar together. (I used the Bosch so I could easily double the recipe.) Beat eggs slightly. Add milk and vanilla. Combine with other mixture. Add oil and mix well. Drop onto buttered cookie sheet and try to flatten a bit, it’s sticky so it’s not easy. Bake at 350* for 8-10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, then dollop with whipped cream in between two cookies. Separate on a plate with waxed paper in between the sandwiches and freeze. Enjoy!
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{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Hallee 07.09.09 at 7:54 am
How much vanilla? Extract or bean?
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TeamBettendorf 07.09.09 at 9:07 am
What would happen if you used buttermilk or kefir and soaked the flour overnight?
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Kelly 07.09.09 at 9:36 am
Hallee, I forgot the vanilla but just added it, sorry!
Katie, I’ve never had good luck soaking these kinds of recipes, if you try it, let us know.
Kelly
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Jeanne 07.09.09 at 10:22 am
Once again I was an official taste tester to this recipe. I have to confess that I didn’t even share them with my children or husband. They were my daily treat for a few days!! Yummy!
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Amy 07.09.09 at 10:26 am
ok – those look YUMMY!
Thanks for the recipe. Just when my kids think I’m not strict nutrition mom I like to give them treats like this
Amy’s last blog post..Are We Really Being Honest About our Hunger?
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Brittany 07.09.09 at 1:54 pm
Mmm…these look yummy.
No HFCS-free marshmallows?! **Sigh** I was just thinking over the 4th of July when we had s’mores that I should try to find some healthier alternatives to the mallows, grahams, and Hershey bars.
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Jennifer Twin Mom 07.09.09 at 3:54 pm
They have HFCS free marshmallows at my Co-op. I don’t know how excited I would get about Trader Joe’s. They are the very worst of industrial organic that is out there. Processed food is processed food, whether its organic or not. I know baby steps are good, but I really prefer natural foods Co-ops because they are more conducive to scratch cooking and trying to eat healthy/organic/whole foods on a budget.
My local Co-op has a HUGE bulk section; you can even buy things like maple syrup, olive oil, and dishsoap in bulk. They also have “grind your own” peanut and almond butter stations. I take just about as many containers TO the store with me as I take home!
Anyway, I wish every town had a Co-op. And by the way these ice cream sandwiches look GREAT.
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Local Nourishment 07.09.09 at 6:02 pm
I made marshmallows last Christmas and gave them as gifts. They were still solid white sugar, but at least *I* was in charge of the sugar I used! It’s easier than you’d think and a fun experiment for the kids.
Local Nourishment’s last blog post..Cold stuff for hot days
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Mindy 07.09.09 at 6:39 pm
Those look so much like what my mom used to make – except she kept hers in the fridge and no the freezer. And she used much more “typical” ingredients. So…thank you, thank you, thank you! You’ve helped me reclaim a bit of my childhood to pass on to my kids. Yum!
Mindy’s last blog post..hit the beach!
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CHEESESLAVE 07.09.09 at 11:21 pm
WOOT! Kel, I think this is my favorite recipe of yours EVER. And I’ve loved lots of your recipes. But MAN does this look good. I will definitely give it a go.
Jennifer Twin Mom – I disagree with you about Trader Joe’s. They have so many good things. The WAPF recommends their sourdough breads and their pasteurized cream. They also have stevia, good organic wines, and, in California, Niman Ranch bacon and organic pasteurized milk white-labeled (I believe) from Strauss Dairy. They also have lots of organic fruits and vegetables. Plus, their prices rival the co-ops I’ve checked out. I’m a big fan of TJs.
CHEESESLAVE’s last blog post..How To Render Lard & Tallow
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CHEESESLAVE 07.09.09 at 11:23 pm
Local Nourishment – do you have a recipe for your marshmallows?
CHEESESLAVE’s last blog post..How To Render Lard & Tallow
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CHEESESLAVE 07.09.09 at 11:29 pm
PS: Sorry, Kel. I didn’t mean to go on and on about TJ’s like that. They’re not really that great. If you want to know the truth, they suck. You wouldn’t even want one of their stores. Really you, wouldn’t.
I wish I had taken you to my local TJ’s store when you were here! I guess I was too busy plying you with oysters and foie gras.
CHEESESLAVE’s last blog post..How To Render Lard & Tallow
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emily 07.10.09 at 1:09 am
oh those look so good! i love my baking with the sprouted ww pastry flour, i find it tastes better then white, which i never felt about not-sprouted ww flour.
in regards to TJs i go there occaisionally as ours is 25 minutes away and a local co-op and whole foods are only 10 minutes. but there are things that are a great price at TJs that i would buy no matter where i shopped. and personally i hope that coops can become better at having comprable prices. i would love to only support locally ownded grocery stores but sometimes my pocket book, my husbands hard earned money, speaks more then my ideals.
emily’s last blog post..Eat Local and Frugal for Dinner: beef short ribs, garden-fresh kale, brown rice
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Kelly 07.10.09 at 8:57 am
Jennifer, are those HFCS-free marshmallows at your co-op a certain brand? If so, please share, I’ll hunt them down.
Ann Marie, yeah, gee thanks for sharing your opinion on TJ’s. First you rub it in with your local beautiful produce ALL YEAR LONG, and now this…
I’m cracking up that you love this recipe so much – I’d never have guessed that one. I’d more have thought you’d wait to declare a favorite after I posted some crazy raw organ meat recipe or something, but only if it was fried in tons of butter!
(Readers, don’t hold your breath for that recipe!)
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Christine Kennedy 07.10.09 at 3:03 pm
Kelly,
I am still waiting on my delivery of the Nutrimill, and in the meantime, sprouting and drying wheat to grind when it arrives! In this recipe, you used sprouted pastry flour, did you sprout and grind it yourself, or buy it? When buying whole wheat berries, will it say whole wheat pastry grain?
Thanks!
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Kelly 07.10.09 at 3:55 pm
Christine, yes I did my own flour. The berries for pastry flour (use it for anything that doesn’t need to rise/basically all baking that isn’t a bread) are called, “Soft wheat”, and for bread making, you’ll buy “hard wheat”. Have fun with your new Nutrimill!
(More on that for those who are wondering: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2008/11/nutrimill-for-really-fresh-homemade.html.)
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Christine Kennedy 07.11.09 at 10:04 am
Thanks Kelly,
So, would I use soft wheat for things like muffins, loaves, and cakes? They need to rise, but don’t use yeast. What would happen if I used hard wheat for things like cookies?
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Betsy 07.12.09 at 3:05 pm
Grandma always had these available when we came to visit (we’re talking the 60s here!). I think in later years a neighbor made them for her. Man, they were good. That same neighbor gave me a cookbook with the recipe. No marshmallows! The filling was made with shortening (!), confectioners’ sugar, stiffly beaten egg whites, salt & vanilla.
The cookbook, btw, is “Cooking Down East” published in 1969 by the Maine Sunday Telegram.
Grandma used white flour, but she also used lard, cream and butter. They had a veggie garden that grandpa tended until he died at 93. They lived in their own house, alone, until the end. Not bad at all!
Kelly, no TJs in San Antonio either.
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Kelly 07.12.09 at 11:09 pm
Betsy, SO cool about your grandparents.
Christine, yes, soft berries for that stuff. What would happen with hard? I don’t know, maybe it would just taste heavier…? Does someone else know? I’ve always just done what I was taught!
Kelly
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Christine Kennedy 07.13.09 at 10:26 am
Kelly, have you tried to make yeast bread with your sprouted hard wheat flour?
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Kelly 07.13.09 at 10:39 am
Christine, there’s some info on that at the comments here:
http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2008/11/sprouted-grains-part-2-how-to-sprout.html
Kelly
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Kelly 07.14.09 at 7:13 pm
Christine, I just thought of something I forgot to tell you when you were asking about soft vs. hard wheat: sometimes a recipe calls for “all-purpose flour” – that means it’s half pastry flour (from soft berries, preferably sprouted, unless you’re soaking), and half regular whole wheat flour from hard berries (again, preferably sprouted unless you’re soaking in the recipe).
Kelly
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Christine Kennedy 07.14.09 at 10:05 pm
Ok, thanks Kelly. I was actually just wondering that. When I buy a bag of organic whole wheat flour from the store, it does not specify whether they are from hard or soft wheat berries, but I have always used that flour for everything-including bread, cookies, cakes, muffins, etc. I wonder what type they are using? Maybe it is a mixture of both.
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Kelly 07.14.09 at 10:18 pm
If it doesn’t say “pastry flour”, it is usually bread flour. But if it has worked for you, great!
Maybe it doesn’t matter as much as I thought it did…?
Are you loving your Nutrimill?
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Christine Kennedy 07.15.09 at 10:10 am
The picture on the bag of flour has a loaf of bread on it. On the package it says, “Ideal for breads and other recipes that include yeast as a rising agent.”
But, I have always used it for everything. Unless a recipe specifically calls for soft pastry flour, I just used that. So, it must be from hard wheat berries. I’m going to try to call the company to see if they can tell me for sure.
I just got the mill in the mail yesterday. I’ve got hard wheat berries sprouted and dehydrated-ready for milling into flour, but haven’t yet. I was waiting until I got to the store to pick up some soft berries. I make more muffins and loaves, etc. than I do bread. I can’t wait to try it! Maybe I should try to mill the hard wheat and see if it works for muffins. I would just hate for it to fail and waste good ingredients. I’ll report back!
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