yippie cakes
I know what you’re thinking: those are whoopie pies. But you’d be wrong. Here at the Cat Farm, we call ’em yippie cakes. Because that’s how 2.0 likes it. And I accommodate this request. Mostly because he made up the name himself, and has called them yippie cakes since he was a kid. And I don’t doubt the authenticity of the name. I don’t question it. Not like 2.0. He questions my vocabulary all the time. 2.0 thinks I make up words. For example, 2.0 thinks I have invented the words: methodology, schlep, and druthers.
Last week, when 2.0 was working out of province, he called to tell me I had a typo in my classic cupcakes post. He was pretty sure foisted wasn’t a word. And the week before, he told me I had misspelled dishevelled – that I must have meant dis-shovelled. Not that dis-shovelled is a word. And sometimes, when we’re visiting Bill and Rosie Beaucoup, and they drop some crazy-ass vocabulary word into the middle of a story, he’ll lean over and whisper, “that’s not a real word.”
And you might be thinking, how is it that you and 2.0 have managed to stay together this long, movita? You are worlds apart. And I will tell you that on our second date, I drooled on my pants. And 2.0 seemed just fine with that. So that’s how we manage, people. We’ve struck a balance. We accept each other, drool and all.
So, here’s the deal with these yippie cakes. The chocolate cookies are a-maze-ing. Soft and chocolatey. If pillows were made of cookies, I’d lay my head upon one of these. And here’s the deal when it comes to the filling – it can be varied. If you can handle the sweet, if you fear not the sugar-shakes, you will add the marshmallow fluff. If you are a prissy baby, and can’t handle a sweet, thick filling, you will omit the marshmallow fluff. And you’ll probably go cryin’ to your mother and tell her that I called you a prissy baby. (Cripes.) The decision is yours. I’m not going to foist these cookies on your dis-shovelled ass.
. . .
Yippie Cakes – inspired by Jackie Huskins and Charlene Freeman – print and bake yerself some yippie cakes
Yields approximately 16 yippie cakes.
For the cookies:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 6 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the filling:
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1 cup marshmallow fluff (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla – use imitation clear if you want pure white filling
- pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Begin by making the cookies: in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer and a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). If using a hand mixer, this may take just a couple of minutes more. Beat in the egg yolks, until well combined.
Combine the milk and vanilla in a bowl or glass measuring cup (I find using a glass measuring cup makes pouring easy and allows me to divide my additions evenly). Set aside.
Reduce mixer speed to low, and add in about 1/3 of the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Add half of milk-vanilla mixture, mixing until combined. Then add half of the remaining flour mixture, and then the remainder of milk mixture, mixing well after each addition. Finally, add the last of the flour mixture, mixing until smooth.
Use an ice cream scoop (mine holds about 1.5 tablespoons) to drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each mound.
Bake for about 12 minutes, until slightly firm (they should spring back to the touch). Let cool completely on racks.
To make the filling: mix the shortening, icing sugar, marshmallow fluff, vanilla and salt together in a stand mixer on low speed until combined and smooth (about 3 minutes). The filling will be very, very thick. If you would like a less sweet, less thick filling, omit the marshmallow fluff.
To assemble the Yippie Cakes: if you have included the marshmallow fluff in your filling, roll 1-2 tablespoons full in the palms of your hands, creating a ball. Then press the ball evenly with your fingers, creating a flat disk which is the same diameter as your cookie. Lay the filling onto the flat side of one cookie and then top with a second cookie (flat sides in). If you have omitted the marshmallow fluff, spread 1-2 tablespoons full of filling onto the flat side of one cookie and then top with a second cookie (flat sides in). You could also pipe the filling onto the cookies – if you’re fancy like.
Movita, those Yippee Cakes look delicious. I laughed out loud when I read the words that 2.0 thinks you made up.
One thing I feel an impulse to point out…the word “disheveled” only have ONE “l” in it. (sorry, I’ve always been a typo police)
Actually, my little typo police officer, disheveled/dishevelled can be spelled with one “l” or two. Maybe one is the US spelling, and the other British? I only know this because I looked it up after spell check accepted both versions of the word! Thanks for being my editor – keep up the good work, and let me know if you ever find anything else! Because usually, I’m really, really wrong…
Okay, I meant to write “only HAS one….” There I go—correcting your typo and then making a mistake myself! Oy vay!
Ba hah! This made me laugh!
Also, it’s possible that we’re related as we share the same last name. I guess that makes you an honorary Beaucoup!!
Gorgeous pictures! The first and fourth are my faves. So pretty! When we were in university, we would get whoopie pies from The Goody Shop. I think I need to make some now. YUM. 🙂
Those are my favourites too. This is most likely because we are camera twins. My university had a Tim Hortons. No whoopie pies. Just glazed donuts. Your university sounds way better.
Pillows SHOULD be made of cookies! I never realized how rubbish my pillows were until now. I’ve been a fool all these years Movita, a fool I tell you. Please rustle up a pillow sized yippee for me, if you like you can make one for your room too.
I’m on it. Do you think it will get crushed in the mail?
I love it. I get accused of making up words all the time. But I kinda do so I can’t really argue about it. Well I could but that would be wrong. Not like these yippie cakes which are so right they couldn’t be any righter. Or prettier. Or yummier. I’d keep the fluff cuz I ain’t no stinking prissy baby. But I’d be stubborn and try to pipe and fail miserably. Cuz that’s how I roll.
Um, let me know if you break a hand trying to pipe it… it’s so thick. And yummy. But seriously, thick. Of course, you may be super strong. I bet you are. Because you’re not a prissy baby.
These look so good! And I love the fun rename!
Dis-shovelled is how your driveway gets when the snowplow goes by.
…and it’s spelled oy vey…
Yur right smart like.
Ha-I saw someone’s post and a person called “spelling matters” criticized the bloggers error. Believe me -you would rather it be 2.0!
Anyhow, those fluffy cakes has drawn me in and I have saved the recipe. I think I could enjoy with or without the filling-yum! Great post.
I’ve been thinking about making a batch of the cookies myself. They were so, so good! No filling required…
And let me be clear – I love that both 2.0 and my brother, Adopamop, let me know when they find typos on the blog. There have been many! In fact, I’m grateful to anyone who lets me know about spelling, etc. Because I’m pretty prone to late-night blunders…
I cracked up at this post! and darn, those yippie cakes look good!!
Spelling schmelling, who cares! I do it all of the time and I’m thankful the hubster doesn’t really point out mistakes. Only the embarrassing ones that I quickly correct and cross my fingers in hopes that nobody noticed. In real life though, he is constantly correcting my grammar. That’s when I withhold the baked goods. He learns right quick not ta mess wit ma grammar!
These cookies are heavenly and I would like to have one right now.
Yippie cakes – I love it! I would definitely be saying “yippie” if I had these in front of me right now!
this post made me laugh so incredibly hard!!! 🙂 I’m excited to try my hand at these… they look YUMMY!!!
http://www.cremedelacurves.wordpress.com
Dear Sugar Freaks,
Thanks for the comments. They really do make my day.
(And not in a sad, lonely way. I have real-life friends too.)
Sincerely,
movita beaucoup
These yippie cakes look so good! Best part is how I will be able to use the leftover egg yolks from the macarons! 😉 Gotta try them soon.
Thanks for stopping by my blog
I’m the wimp who might have to skip the marshmallow, but otherwise these look delicious!
As I sit here going through all of the blog posts in my email, and suffering with the flu, it amazes me that I can still think about food. Well, maybe “amaze” is a bit of an exaggeration… I am a true foodie, after all. And skip the marshmallow cream in your Yippie Cake? I’m no prissy baby. And I would probably…no, I KNOW I would definitely take a huge spoonful of it right out of the jar while I was making them. Just for good measure, of course.
You, my friend, are a superstar. Go forth and battle the flu!
Gah – I want to sleep on these and then stuff my face with them when I wake.
You are a genius. I mean, I thought about sleeping on them, but why didn’t I think about eating them for breakfast?
Comments on this post are now closed as it was published in November 2011. Happy baking!