Inspired by the already acclaimed, much awaited film- Julie & Julia- I though I'd embark on a baking bonanza this past weekend and try to bring out my inner chef...buried somewhere inside of me. With all of the Food Network watching and lusting over delicious looking specimens in my various home-y magazines you would think I'd at least be halfway decent- but I think when it comes to cooking, I should just stick to my staples for now (eggs, morningstar tacos, and scallops- well at least those are mildly fancy!).
When I spotted a recipe (accompanied by a mouthwatering photo) for red velvet whoopie pies (basically a giant oreo), I knew I wanted to try it out on Brian, my boyfriend. Brian's mom- the Martha Stewart of Mission Viejo-bakes him (from scratch) a red velvet cake every year on his birthday- which is pretty much the one thing he looks forward to most of Sept. 17. Because food is the way to a man's heart (don't let anyone try to convice you otherwise) I wanted to show that I could make it like his momma does.
Of course, with people like Brian around (aka perfectionist virgo's who have to be right- and usually are) I am not allowed to do the baking by myself. The recipe was simple and easy to follow, and for the most part the cookie part of the whoopie was ok (he ate 6 of them before bed the next evening so they must have been pretty damn good!). However, the filling left much to be desired with it's overwhelmingly cream cheesy taste- it felt like I was eating a bagel! Now, I don't know if it was our fault or the recipe's, but because I am no baking buff, I am going to suck it up and take the blame. I now think of our cookie concoction as a "whoopsie" pie, but at the very least it was a lovely bonding experience!
Next time- if we do decide to attepmt it a next time- we are going to take a tip from Momma Johnson and switch out Better Homes and Gardens's recipe for the whoopie filling with her red velvet cake frosting...mmmm sounds delectable already! Maybe this upcoming weekend I'll brave the baking again because, afer all, practice makes perfect- or in my case practice makes halfway decent. I'm going to scout out the next victim to my virgin baking hands on foodgawker.com- will keep you posted on the progress :)
P.S. want to tack a whack at whoopie as well? Here is the recipe- let me know how it goes!
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/red-velvet-whoopie-pie/ (and here are the pretty pics from the article!)
- Jana Schreiber
- After six years, my fiancé Brian, popped the question - at an eye-barely-opening 7am on a Sunday morning - but we've been planning the wedding in our heads for well over two years. I'm not just excited because it's my wedding, I love any and all weddings. I am a big bridal devotee and read wedding blogs and watch wedding shows pretty much everyday. I can't wait to take all of the things that have inspired me over the past couple years and turn it into an event that we will talk about for the rest of our lives!
