Brownie Whoopie Pies with Mascarpone Filling / “Brookie”



Some years ago, there used to be a little lunch place close to work called High Noon. High Noon used to make the most delicious whoopie pies which they called noon pies. They were sort of a brownie cookie with unsweetened mascarpone filling. They were crumbly, creamy, rich, decadent, and delicious.

Of course, High Noon closed leaving me with a craving for those noon pies. I tried several recipes for brownie cookies, but none had the texture I wanted. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon the blog A Baked Creation which featured this recipe for “brookies” from the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook. I made them, and they were just the right texture for the whoopie pies. Firm enough to hold the mascarpone filling between them, but soft and fudgy in the middle.

Adapted from A Baked Creation
From the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook

1 tablespoon of canola oil
1 teaspoon of unsalted butter
2 cups of semisweet chocolate chunks (52-62% cacao)
2 large eggs
¾ cup of light brown sugar
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
½ cup of all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon of baking powder
¼ teaspoon of salt

1. Melt together the canola oil, butter, and chocolate. Set aside to cool
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla.
3. Fold the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.
4. Sift or whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold into the previous mixture.
5. Place batter into a shallow dish and freeze for 8 minutes.
6. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Prepare 2 cookie sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.
7. Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, scoop mixture on the cookie sheets. Press them down slightly with your fingers to an even thickness. Bake, one baking sheet at a time, for 12-15 minutes. Let cool before removing cookies from cookie sheets. Makes about 20 cookies. Store in an airtight container.

Mascarpone Cream Filling
16 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup powdered sugar
¼ heavy cream

1. Place the mascarpone and vanilla extract in the bowl of a mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time alternating each, until you have added all of them.
2. Pipe filling on top of one cookie and top with another. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let the whoopie pies come to room temperature before serving.

If you like brownies and whoopie pies, do give this recipe a try. They are delicious! Next time I make them I will probably make smaller ones, maybe 1 tablespoon of batter instead of two, in order to have smaller whoopie pies. These were pretty much your standard size whoopie pie.

Recipe Source: http://onevanillabean.com/2010/11/18/brownie-whoopie-pies-with-mascarpone-filling/