Valentine’s Treat and a Book Giveaway!

Update: this contest is now over. I would like to thank everyone who participated. I had a lot of fun! I chose a winner using Random.org and that winner is Marilyn Taylor. Congratulations, Marilyn!

Hello, my wonderful readers! Today, before we get into the yummy part of this post, I have a little bit of business to discuss. My book tour for The Scent of Cherry Blossoms starts February 21. Be sure to hop over to my “Appearances” page to look at the details and share them with your friends and family who live in the area.

You might be interested to hear that I am doing something new for this tour. If you have a book club in one of the areas that I’ll visit during my tour and would like to make arrangements for a visit from me while I’m in the area, please send an e-mail to cindy@cindywoodsmall.com with a subject line of “Book Club,” and someone will be in contact with you to see what can be done.

I would also like to announce the winner of last week’s blog. She’s won a one-year subscription to Cooking & Such: Adventures in Plain Living. The winner is Cheryl of WVa! Congratulations, Cheryl!

Okay, now for the yummy part! For today’s post, I would like to celebrate the upcoming Valentine’s Day. Let’s make a tasty treat together that those dearest to you will LOVE! 😉

Although there’s a little debate about this, most historians agree that whoopie pies were originally created in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They were made from leftover cake batter. Legend says that the husbands and children would be so excited upon seeing these treats in their lunch pails that they would yell out, “Whoopie!”

I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know that’s what I wanted to yell out one spring afternoon while staying with Old Order Amish friends. A young mom with two adorable children walked into the home where I was staying, and she had a batch of freshly baked whoopie pies. We put a pot of coffee on the stove and had a lovely time soaking in the beautiful weather, the laughter of children, and delicious whoopie pies.

So, with these pleasant memories in mind, I came across this picture of a whoopie pie and thought the pink frosting was really cute and very appropriate for Valentine’s Day. I hope that you will be able to savor a few moments of peaceful surroundings and good company like I did while enjoying these delicious desserts.

Whoopie Pie

Cakes
2 cups flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Filling
½ cup softened butter
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup marshmallow crème
1 teaspoon vanilla
Red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, mix the buttermilk and vanilla extract. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until evenly blended. Add the egg and blend until creamy.

Combine half of the flour mixture with the butter mixture. Mix in the buttermilk mixture. Add the rest of the flour mixture.

Scoop the batter into evenly sized mounds and place, evenly spaced, onto cookie sheets covered with parchment paper. Be sure to scoop an even number of mounds. Bake the sheets one at a time for ten minutes. The cakes should feel moist and soft. Let them cool on a rack before icing.

To make icing, beat all of the filling ingredients together, except the food coloring. Once ingredients are blended, add red food coloring until you reach your desired tint.

To complete the whoopie pies, spread icing evenly on the top of one cake and then gently press another on top. Continue until all of your cakes have been used!

I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Valentine’s Day together! And if you’d like a chance to win an autographed copy of The Scent of Cherry Blossoms, please leave a comment below.

 

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