I can be absent-minded on occasion (okay… many occasions). Please tell me I am completely normal. I’m not exactly sure when it started, but I have a feeling it coincides with the initial stages of motherhood. Not too long ago, my mom loaned me a book that she loved. It’s called Still Alice. I am a book finisher. If I start a book, I almost always finish it; this was one of the exceptions. See, about one hundred pages into it, maybe less, I completely freaked myself out and was convinced that I, like the main character, was experiencing the early onset of Alzheimer’s. I’m not exaggerating. My anxiety sky-rocketed with every episode Alice had. I’m hopeful that I will eventually find the courage to finish this story that everyone has raved about.

My boy and his pup are used to my forgetfulness. I think they even find it a bit entertaining at times. They’ll watch me go on a search and rescue for my sunglasses, wait until I’m completely frazzled, and then tell me they’re on my head. My missing keys regularly turn up, of all places,  in the front door. And when it comes to people’s names, I am the worst. It’s embarassing. I know all the tricks, repeating it in my head, saying the name back to the person, associating the name with something. Doesn’t matter… I still forget. Tell me you’ve had those uncomfortable moments when you run into someone, who calls you by name, and you draw a complete blank on their name. It’s always so obvious that you are clueless and have no idea what to call the person.

These cream-filled treats, I baked a few days ago, were yet another example of this common state of mind. I had to bake something for a cookie exchange at work, and had a novel idea… peppermint whoopie pies. My idea was fabulous until I realized it was not original at all. I had made these back in March, and posted about them here. Long story short, this is a repeat, same chocolate cookie, same peppermint buttercream, and same amazing taste! (only difference ~ tint of the icing, see photo below)

One of the ladies I work with said to a co-worker, “Those are worth the calories.”, which this time of year I think is a big thumbs up. If I only eat what’s really worth the calories, I still might fit into my jeans on January 1st. Dessert and cocktails, that’s my holiday diet!

Round Two of this recipe, I added crushed peppermint to a few, and made a few with a two-toned, candy-cane like frosting. (Here’s a previous post on how to pipe two-toned frosting. The colors blended together a bit this time around because of the consistency of the frosting. If I go for Round Three, I will make the frosting firmer to make the candy cane look stand out.)

Chocolate Mint Whoopie Pies

Chocolate Cake-Cookie Rounds

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch-process 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

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

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.

Spoon  mounds of batter (I used one rounded tablespoon) about 2 inches apart onto 2 buttered large baking sheets. Bake 11 to 13 minutes. Cookies will be done when they spring back when gently touched. Be careful not to over-cook. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool completely.

Mint Flavored Buttercream Frosting (Chockylit)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
4-5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp all natural peppermint extract (You may use more or less depending on your taste preference.)

Beat butter until creamy, scrape bowl. Add 4 cups of sifted powdered sugar, milk, and peppermint extract, beat until combined.Add more powdered sugar as needed to get piping consistency.

To Assemble

Fill a pastry cone or plastic bag with the icing and attach your desired pastry tip. Pipe generously onto a cake round, covering the entire surface, and top with another cake round. Alternately, you can pile on the frosting with a spoon and smooth out with a knife. Continuing this process until all the pies are assembled.