Nutella Whoopie Pies

I've never really put much thought into whoopie pies, why they're popular, or where they get their name. My trusty source Wikipedia states that these desserts come from New England and are a Pennsylvania Amish tradition. According to food historians, Amish women baked these desserts and put them in farmers' lunchboxes. When farmers would find the treats in their lunch, they would shout "Whoopie!" Makes sense. Who wouldn't shout for joy stumbling on one of these cake sandwiches.

Most of the recipes I've seen for whoopie pies use some sort of marshmallow fluff filling. Being in Paris, it's a bit tough to find marshmallow fluff, unless I want to pay three times the suggested price in the US. I thought, well what other fillings are popular? Peanut butter isn't as widely appreciated here as it is in the states. What do French kids slather on their bread instead? Nutella. Sounded like a perfect whoopie pie filling to me.

I mixed together the batter and spooned it onto a baking sheet. True it would probably be more precise to use a piping bag, but I couldn't be bothered.

Once the pies came out of the oven, I cooled them and then filled them with a generous spoonful of Nutella. I also added some roasted crushed hazelnuts just for texture. The whoopie pies were soft and a bit springy. I think I'd prefer the Nutella filling to marshmallow fluff, as it would probably too cloyingly sweet.

Nutella Whoopie Pies

110g brown sugar
115g unsalted butter
50g egg
5g vanilla extract
6g salt
6g baking soda
250g all purpose flour
50g cocoa powder
245g milk
5g lemon juice

Cream the brown sugar and butter. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Alternately add the sifted dry ingredients and milk/lemon juice. Spoon onto a baking sheet at bake at 175°C for 8-10 minutes until the whoopie pies are springy but cooked through. Cool thoroughly and assemble with Nutella frosting.