Coconut Whoopie Pies

My husband had a pot luck at work a couple weeks ago and he signed up to make a dessert. Knowing that I love to bake and that he loves coconut I though these would be a no brainier. Needless to say they we a hit at the pot luck!

Ingredients:

For the Whoopies:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• White of 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup lite coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• About 1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

For the Coconut Fluff Filling:

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup marshmallow crème
• 1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 2 tablespoons lite coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract 

Directions: 

For the Whoopies: 

1. Position oven rack in center of oven.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. 
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, shortening, and sugar until fluffy at medium speed of an electric mixer.  Add egg and egg white, and beat until incorporated.  Add half of flour mixture and half of coconut milk to creamed mixture; beat at medium speed just until blended.  Add remaining half of flour and coconut milk and vanilla; beat until blended.
4. Using a 1/4-cup ice cream scoop, drop batter into 12 mounds onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.  Or drop batter into 24 mounds by well-rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle half of the mounds with coconut. Bake, one baking sheet at a time, until cakes begin to crack and are firm to the touch, 12 minutes for large cakes and 10 minutes for small cakes.  Remove from oven and slide the parchment paper, with the cakes, onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Use a thin metal spatula to lift the cookies off the parchment paper.
5. Spread flat side of the plain cakes generously with Coconut Fluff Filling.  Top with remaining coconut-topped cakes, pressing down lightly to seal them together.  

 For the Coconut Fluff Filling:

1. Beat butter and marshmallow crème in a large mixing bowl at medium-high speed of an electric mixer until fluffy, scraping sides of bowl as necessary.  Beat in confectioners’ sugar, coconut, coconut milk, and extracts until smooth.  Makes about 1 3/4 cups.  

Recipe from www.pauladeen.com