Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Salted Caramel Filling

That's a mouthful. And your mouth will be full eating these! Oh why I waited so long to try whoopie pies I'll never know! They're like little mini cakes with endless possibilities! Just delicious! The cake is the perfect platform for the caramel frosting, the frosting is sweet enough to make you mmmmm, but then you get that 'salted' flavor, and you're eating another bite, and before you know it, 1/2 your pies are gone.

Chocolate Whoopie Pies printable
adapted from epicurious

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
1. Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl until combined. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl.

2. Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a handheld, then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with flour, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, and mixing until smooth.

3. Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 buttered large baking sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool completely.

Salted Caramel Frosting printable
adapted from Chow

Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup granulated sugar
* 2 tablespoons water
* 1/4 cup heavy cream
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature
* 1 1/2 teaspoons fleur de sel
* 2-3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Briefly stir together granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking, without stirring, until mixture turns dark amber in color, about 6 to 7 minutes.
2. Combine salt, vanilla and heavy cream.
3. Remove from heat and slowly add in cream mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until completely smooth. Set aside until cool to the touch, about 15 minutes.
4. Combine butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add powdered sugar, and mix until completely incorporated.
5. Turn mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add caramel. Beat frosting on medium-high speed until airy and thoroughly mixed, about 2 minutes.