Whoopie Pies

I must admit I get a Williams - Sonoma magazine in the mail, and it sits on my coffee table for me to look at and drool over. The most recent one had whoopie pies. It looked so yummy that I decided I would make them. After scouring the Internet, I found a recipe that my husband agreed sounded pretty good.

I gave it a shot. I can understand why people enjoy these little cakes.
I used a recipe I found and Omnomicon.com. It honestly seemed to be the tastiest one of all I could find, even with the crisco (other recipes called for marshmallow fluff). 
They are fun to eat and fairly simple to make. But they aren't my favorite. I'll probably try a different recipe before I rule them out entirely, and I apologize if I offend anyone, but they did not "ring my bell." They tasted fine just not special. I took them to work and they didn't last long, so I know they were pretty good. Then I laughed when I saw them in the news.

Here's the recipe:

Blend	Add
1/4 c Crisco	2 c flour
1 c milk	1/4 c + 1 tbsp cocoa
1 c sugar	1.5 tsp baking soda
1 egg	1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Drop by the small tablespoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet—a tablespoon-sized bakery scoop works best. Bake 8 minutes at 375^o, see if a toothpick comes out clean. Upon extraction from the oven, remove from pan immediately to wire rack to cool.

And now the creme filling (reminder: it’s not frosting, guys)
1/2 c margarine or butter (room temp is best)
1/2 c Crisco (my mother is insistent that this MUST be Crisco and CANNOT be generic shortening, nor substituted in any way . . . but if you do get it to work with a substitution, please let me know!)
1 c sugar
1 tbsp  flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c warm whole milk (20 seconds in the microwave should do it)
Beat with a mixer (I say use a stand ) for a long time, 10-15 min. Warning, it will look gross for most of that time, but suddenly it will come together.

Assembly
As soon as the whoopie cookies are cool, match each whoopie with its closest brother in size—even if they aren't all the same size. Spread some filling on the flat side of one, then place the second on top. Repeat.
No need to refrigerate, sealed plastic or plastic wrap will keep them fresh.