Strawberry-Nutella Whoopie Pie

By davidv

While traditional whoopie pies have soft chocolate cookies and creamy vanilla filling, we figured vanilla cookies and a chocolate-strawberry filling couldn't be bad. What do you think?

Tip: If you allow the cookies to brown, they'll be too crisp. Also, by baking the sheets one at a time, you're ensuring no cookie overcooks.

Ingredients

• Cookie:
• 2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 sticks (6-oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• Filling:
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup shortening
• 2/3 cup Nutella
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 18 –20 strawberries, sliced
• Confectioners’ sugar (for dusting)

Preparation

Step 1

To prepare the cookies, position an oven rack on the lower level and preheat to 350°F. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium-size bowl. Set aside. Stir together the buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed. Add the eggs and mix until fully incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour and buttermilk mixtures, alternating in batches, beginning and ending with the flour.

Spoon 2 tablespoonfuls of batter onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving 2" between each. Bake 1 cookie sheet at a time, for 14–15 minutes, or until the whoopie pie-cookies slightly spring back when touched. (They should NOT be brown.) Let the cookies cool completely and then gently transfer them to cooling racks.
To prepare the filling, cream the butter, shortening, and Nutella in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the vanilla and confectioners’ sugar and beat until light, fluffy, and evenly incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

To assemble the whoopie pies, pipe a thin layer of the Nutella filling on the flat side of all the whoopie pie-cookies. Arrange the strawberries on 11 of the cookies, cover with the remaining cookies, and press together gently. Lightly dust the tops with confectioners’ sugar.