Monday, July 5, 2010

Shabby Tea Room

I was so excited when Debbie asked me to be the Guest Design Team member at The Shabby Tea Room again! I love the challenges on this site and the cards that people create are sooo inspiring. If you haven't gotten the chance to play along, definitely head over there today. Plus, the prize this week is fabulous!

This week's challenge was to use embossing of some kind. I love to emboss and decided to pull out this fun Cuttlebug Embossing Folder. I used it on Paper Trey Ink's Hawaiian Shores cardstock and added some patterned paper from PTI for the background. Then, I used a couple of Bloomers (can't stop using these!)and a couple of little Prima Camelot roses. I punched the leaves with a Martha Stewart punch. It was a quick and easy little card, but I think it packs a lot of punch!






As I'm sitting here typing I'm finishing off one of the Whoopie Pies I got in Lancaster this weekend. OMG, they are so amazingly good. Just wanted to show you what they look like and post a little recipe for you. We are heading back up this week to do some shopping, so I'm going to pick up a couple more. So much for all the exercise I'm doing. LOL!



Here's a little background info. about them:
A whoopie pie is like a sandwich, but made with two soft cookies with a fluffy white filling. Traditional whoopies pies are made with vegetable shortening, not butter. The original and most commonly made whoopie pie is chocolate. but cooks like to experiment, and today pumpkin whoopie pies are a favorite seasonal variation.

The recipe for whoopie pies has its origins with the Amish, and in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, it is not uncommon to find roadside farm stands offering these desserts. Amish cooking is about old recipes that have fed families for generations, with no trendy or cross-cultural fusions or mixtures. These cake-like whoopie pies were considered a special treat because they were originally made from leftover batter. According to Amish legend, when children would find these treats in their lunch bags, they would shout "Whoopie!"

And here's the recipe:
Amish Whoopie Pie Recipe

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
Whoopie Pie Filling (see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.

In a large bowl, cream together shortening, sugar, and egg. In another bowl, combine cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the milk. Add the dry ingredients to the shortening mixture, alternating with the milk mixture; beating until smooth.

Drop batter by the 1/4 cup (to make 18 cakes) onto prepared baking sheets. With the back of a spoon spread batter into 4-inch circles, leaving approximately 2 inches between each cake.

Bake 15 minutes or until they are firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Make Whoopie Pie Filling. When the cakes are completely cool, spread the flat side (bottom) of one chocolate cake with a generous amount of filling. Top with another cake, pressing down gently to distribute the filling evenly. Repeat with all cookies to make 9 pies. Let finished whoopie pies completely cool before wrapping.

Wrap whoopie pies individually in plastic wrap, or place them in a single layer on a platter (do not stack them, as they tend to stick).

To freeze, wrap each whoopie pie in plastic wrap. Loosely pack them in a plastic freezer container and cover. To serve, defrost the wrapped whoopie pies in the refrigerator.

Makes 9 large whoopie pies.


Whoopie Pie Filling:
For this recipe, you are basically making a homemade Marshmallow Fluff/Creme.

3 egg whites, room temperature
2 cups light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sifted powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

In large bowl of an electric mixer, add egg whites, corn syrup, and salt. Using your electric mixer on high speed, mix for approximately 5 minutes or until the mixture is thick and volume has almost doubled.

On low speed, add powdered sugar and mix until well blended. Add vanilla extract just until well blended.

Your homemade marshmallow fluff/cream is now ready to use on your Whoopie Pies or other recipes. Use immediately, or refrigerate in a covered container for up to 2 weeks.

Makes a large quantity.

Well, that's it for today. Thanks so much for stopping by!

13 comments:

Brenda Weaver said...

Your card is so beautiful! I love the colors.
I grew up and still live around the Lancaster County area and am very familiar with whoopie pies and I've made them often myself. They are every bit as delicious as you say!

Angie Tieman said...

Wowza! What a beautiful card! Love the colors and the embossing, and I must get some of that yummy flower ribbon! Very mean of you tempting us with that delicious-looking whoopie pie!

Audrey Pettit said...

This card is absolutely stunning, Anabelle! Made my jaw drop open when I saw it at the Tea Room yesterday! SO classy and elegant, and fabulous use of embossing. Gorgeous, gorgeous!
And oh, my......does that Whoopie Pie ever look delicious!

Debbie said...

Yes, you're right ... a CAS design with much elegance and appeal! Thank you for joining us this week as our wonderful Guest -- looking forward to the opportunity to do it again soooooon!

diane mcvey said...

Thank you for the great recipe! And your card is great, too!!! :D

cnelson said...

Incredible gorgeous card!! LOVE the embossing and the the colors! That whoopie pie looks soooooo yummy!!

Lisa Dorsey said...

Oh wow Anabelle that card is just stunning!!!

Linda Beeson said...

Wow on your card, the colors were a perfect choice as was that embossing folder.

Lin said...

That was a fun post! I live in Ohio, where there is another large population of Amish (Holmes Co)! We, too, love to visit and sample their goodies! Two of my favorites is their raspberry cream pie and their date nut pudding - oh YUMM!
Thanks so much for your kind words on my blog, and for your wonderfully inspirational card today.

Melissa said...

Amazing card! Love the flowers and the polka dot paper leaves! :)

Dana Gustafson said...

Wooohooo! I see another gorgeous Annabelle card! Thanks for the inspiration and congrats on your Shabby Tea Room GD spot!

Unknown said...

Your card is so beautiful I think it has one of my favorite color combos. And now you got me with the pie, wow do I need to get in the kitchen pronto!

Lela said...

I love whoopie pies. Now I can make them anytime I want. Love your creations, too. TFS.
Lela