Banana Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies - Eating the Alphabet

This is the best picture I could get, Porky was having a play date and I thought I was going to kill one of them.  So no time for pictures, just eating them!

 So this is going to be a great post.  I am really excited to be part of this blog hop.  I was first introduced to blog hops through the 12 weeks of Christmas cookies.  And it was perfect.  I learned so much and I really enjoyed that there were so many others out there reading and sharing with me.  That awesome blog hop was put together by Brenda over at Meal Planning Magic.   And I loved every minute of it, so when Brenda sent out a note to all of us letting us know about her new years blog hop suggestion I was so excited.  Now mind you I think she meant for most people to put together cooking posts.  I said well I want to play, but it will be sweet, because if there is one thing I love, it's sugar.  

  So here it is, the first instalment of eating the alphabet.  This months letters were A and B.  And I was all set to make something with apples.  Then I thought about it and figured I would have to peal them probably and that is a lot of work.  Then I thought well bananas, so that is what I went with, if you couldn't tell by the title.

  Now baking with bananas means you need really ripe bananas and I didn't have any, so I had to plan ahead.  I got hubby to buy me some bananas, but I had no idea what I really wanted to make, so we may have bought a few extra. They are now safe and sound in the freezer all ripe and ready for when I want to make these again, because you know I totally want to.

So to start off, I was thinking of making banana bread or muffins, but those are not usually cute.  So I thought about cookie, and that just didn't sound right either.  So I found my trusty baking book and picked out a whoopie pie to make.  I changed it up just a tiny bit, but you know it's still going to be good.

See this looks gross, but it smells really good.  Bananas and lemon juice

So here you go, super yummy baking with fruit in it.  Which I may have pointed out before as being wrong, but for this, I will admit I might change my mind.

Banana Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies

Adapted from Whoopies, by Susanna Tee

set oven to 350

-2 ripe bananas

-1 TSP lemon juice

-1/2 cup butter

-1 cup light brown sugar

-1 TSP vanilla 

-1 extra large egg

-2 cups all purpose flour

-1/2 TSP ground cinnamon

-1 TSP baking powder

-1 TSP baking soda

-pinch of salt

-3 TBPS sour cream

-1 cup mini chocolate chips

Start by mashing your banana with the lemon juice.  I used a potato masher and then a fork.  Set it aside.

Blend butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.

I was a little worried because the mix was sort of watery, but it was fine.

Add the egg.

Combine and sift all the dry ingredients, and add them to the butter mixture.  Then add the banana and mix.  

I only got 6 on a tray, and a total of 20 full pies.

Lastly add your chocolate chips and stir until they are distributed.

I would be lying if I said I didn't eat a few of these hot out of the oven,  so good!

Take a small cookie scoop and place the mixture by the scoop full on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake for about 8 minutes, until they are done, but still soft.

Once baked, let them fully cool and make your filling.

Filling

-1 1/2 cups butter

-1 TBSP vanilla

-3 TBSP cocoa powder

-icing sugar

-milk

So this is just like my regular butter cream, just no shortening.  So cream the butter, add your vanilla and cocoa and then alternate adding sugar and milk until you get as much as you want, and as thick as you want.  I made mine with 2 KG of sugar, so I had lots of extra to make other stuff with.

I made way too much, I have like 5 cups left, I would not be opposed to eating it with a spoon for diner.

Place your pies half wrong side up and the other just regular and using a piping bag with a large star tip, pipe as much or as little as you would like.  I like a lot, obviously, so I did more.  But feel free to do less, I won't think any less of you, I would just have to eat more of yours.  

I set them all up, only because I am OCD with some things.

I put a lot of filling, the chocolate and banana was just amazing.

That's it, then just store them in a container in the fridge until ready to eat.  Mine didn't last too long, and one girl at work told me she really liked my "whoopie cushions"  which was hysterical, because she really thought that was the name.  So no matter what you call it, they are good.  And as an added bonus they are healthy.  I think the ratio of banana to sugar and butter is fair, and if not, at least you get a bit of fruit in your diet.

Another view because I think they look so yummy.

Oh and the one on the left is the left over monster one I made.  And I ate it and had to hear my tummy gurgle for hours afterwards.  So only small ones for me from now on.

Chocolate Covered Baby Bananas -My Disney Treat Copy Cat

All fruit should be this cute!

  Have you ever had a treat and wanted to eat it until you were sick?  No?  So really I am the only one?  Okay well I still think I'm normal, at least compared to some.

  So back to something so good you want to eat it until you are sick.  When I was in Disney last year I had a really hard time not eating every darn thing in site.  Huge Mickey Mouse cupcake?  Yep I want it.  Chocolate covered marshmallows?  I'm there.  Sugar free candy of all types?  I ate enough to make myself sick.  I have eating issues, I can admit it.  I am learning, but sometimes I just take one bite too many and really pay for it.

  Okay sorry that was so long and rambly, and what I really wanted to say was that I found something that I really loved, and other than my 12 year old boy mind, I liked eating.  At the ice cream carts I found these frozen bananas that were dipped in chocolate and covered in peanuts.  So like I said amazing, and I giggled and tried to hide while I was eating it.  My sister got a good picture of me eating one, not one of my finest moments.

  So I really liked them but they were still so big I could not eat it all, it was just too much.  I wanted to make them a much smaller treat to have at home.  My first attempt was okay.  I took a large banana and cut it into rounds, froze it and then dipped them in chocolate and sprinkled nuts on top.  It was not bad, but not the same.

   I wanted to get the fun and silliness of a banana on a stick.  And I know that sounds like a dirty joke or something, but you know what I mean.  I hope.

  So I asked Hubby to pick up some baby bananas at the store.  The last time I went they sold them in packs of like six.  He came home with about 20.  20 baby bananas, what the heck am I going to do with 20 baby bananas.  I will be the only one eating these, so lets just say I have been eating plain banana's for a few days

Poor bananas didn't even see it coming!

  So to start I pealed them and put a wooden skewer in almost all the way through. I then put them on a plate and put them in the freezer.

  I left them for a few hours, until they were solid, so they do not fall off the skewer.  Then I melted some chocolate candy melts and ground up some peanuts.  I have to make these things when Hubby is out, so I was careful to get rid of the crumbs.

I just buy the cheap peanuts, and keep them in the freezer until I need them.  My little food processor works great for this.

All set up and ready to go.

I like to think I am funny, but I just don't have anything that funny to say about this.  It's just wrong if you ask me.

  Anyway I worked one at a time, I dipped the bananas and then let the extra drip off a bit, then rolled it in the peanuts.  I let them dry then put them in my Styrofoam bock.  I could have just set them on paper, but you know, I had to make it difficult.

Since they are frozen the chocolate sets really quickly, so roll them fast.  And you could even leave them on the plate to dry.

Tee Hee!

  Once they were dipped I just put a plastic sandwich baggy on and tied them up with ribbon.

I am 12 years old inside, so this just cracks me up!

  Once they were dipped I just put a plastic sandwich baggy on and tied them up with ribbon.

  Then I put them in a container and back into the freezer.  We have so much stuff in our freezer that I had to put them into a container or they would have gotten crushed.

No one wants a crushed banana.

  I know they look weird, and yes I admit my 12 year old boy brain kept thinking of things to say.  So that explains why there is no staged picture, I just had to put them away.  Sigh I hope I mature one of these days, or at least my son gets old enough for me to be able to share my immaturity with.  Either way works for me.

  And I want to point out how healthy these are, what with the fruit and nuts, you are practically burning calories eating them!






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