Serena’s “Vampire Blood” Whoopie Pies, from Murder Once Removed by S.C. Perkins

Serena’s “Vampire Blood” Whoopie Pies, from Murder Once Removed by S.C. Perkins

Today’s special treat is from the author, S. C. Perkins and she is sharing a recipe for Whoopie Pies.

Hi, there! I’m so happy to be on the Baroness’ Book Trove today!

Since I love food and love to eat, my character, genealogist Lucy Lancaster, does too. I have almost as much fun putting food mentions in my book as I do writing the mystery aspects of it. Lucy, in fact, is pretty much addicted to tacos—specifically those from Big Flaco’s Tacos, which is run by her friend Flaco Medrano. But with the savory, you always have to have some sweet, right? Right.

Well, one of Lucy’s all-time favorite desserts is made by Serena Vogel, her BFF, and officemate. Serena loves—and I mean loves—Halloween and bakes up a storm of spooky-themed recipes each year for her costume parties. But the best, as far as Lucy and their other bestie Josephine are concerned, is Serena’s Vampire-Blood Pies, which are classic whoopie pies tinted with red food coloring and edged with sparkly sanding sugar.

There are many recipes for whoopie pies out there, and mine is adapted from a couple of those I’ve seen. Feel free to use your own recipe, if you have one you like. Some people also prefer a filling that’s more akin to frosting than marshmallow crème, but Lucy and I both go for the marshmallow ones!

I hope you’ll enjoy!

Whoopie Pie Cake Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup dark-brown sugar, firmly packed

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (Note: omit or reduce salt if you prefer to use salted butter, like I do.)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 egg (large)

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

Marshmallow-Cream Filling Ingredients:

1 cup vegetable shortening (such as Crisco)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 1/3 cups marshmallow crème (such as Jet-Puffed or Marshmallow Fluff)

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

For “Vampire Blood” Whoopie Pies:

Once the marshmallow filling is mixed, add:

1. Red food coloring, in drops, to your desired color taste, and/or
2. Red sanding sugar around edges of filling, once pies are made, cooled, and put together.

Directions:

Temperature:  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Bakeware:      You’ll need two baking sheets, either lined with parchment paper or lightly greased.

 

Directions for making the cakes:

1. Beat the first six ingredients together until fully combined. Add the egg and beat until the mixture is smooth.
2. Add the cocoa powder and stir until combined.
3. To this batter, you’ll add the flour and the milk, alternating both in small amounts, until the mixture is once more smooth and fully combined.
4. Onto your baking sheets, add the cake mixture using a ¼ measuring cup or small ice-cream scoop. Be sure to leave room between dollops as the mixture will spread into the classic round shape. For mini-pies, use 2 tablespoons each.
5. Bake for 14 to 17 minutes, keeping an eye on the cakes the whole time. They should be fully cooked, but not hard or crispy. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.

 

Directions for the marshmallow-cream filling:

1. Dissolve the ¼ teaspoon salt with a little bit of water.
2. Beat the first three ingredients together until fully combined.
3. Add the dissolved salt and vanilla to the mixture.
4. If making “Vampire Blood” pies, add the red food coloring now. Start with a couple of drops, and then add more as needed until you reach your desired level of red.

 

Making the whoopie pies:

1. On half of the cooled chocolate cakes, spread the marshmallow-cream filling. Top with another cake to form the whoopie pie.
2. If desired, carefully sprinkle red sanding sugar around the edges of each pie to make a sparkly edging.
3. And there you have it! You’ve made Serena’s Vampire-Blood Whoopie Pies.
4. Enjoy!

About the Author

S.C. Perkins is a fifth-generation Texan who grew up hearing fascinating stories of her ancestry and eating lots of great Tex-Mex, both of which inspired the plot of her debut mystery novel. Murder Once Removed was the winner of the 2017 Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery competition. She resides in Houston and, when she’s not writing or working at her day job, she’s likely outside in the sun, on the beach, or riding horses.

Contact the Author

Thank you for dropping by!

I hope you enjoyed the Serena’s “Vampire Blood” Whoopie Pies, from Murder Once Removed by S.C. Perkins. When you make these put a pic on social media for S.C. Perkins, letting her know how they turned out.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway to win (1) Print Copy of Murder Once Removed (An Ancestor Detective Mystery) by S. C. Perkins plus some swag! And check out my review of Murder Once Removed.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

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