Lemon Poppy Seed Whoopie Pie

This week I've been thinking about Spring. What comes to my mind is all tart and tangy taste of Lemons. I've been loving the idea of Lemon and Poppy Seeds together, so I did some research and I came across Woodland Bakery Blog. If you've seen my previous post, I've tested a lot of Woodland Bakery Blog's recipe. Gretchen Price is the pastry chef of Woodland Bakery Blog and I've been watching her ever since her previous channel (which I don't want to name because it was more entertaining than informative).

To continue, Gretchen Price posted a recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Whoopie Pie (<-Click here for the recipe). I made my own adjustment to the recipe, and I like how it came out. I'll explain more after the recipe, but picture first!

Even though I only use a 2 inch in diameter scoop, the batter spread double. They came out to be jumbo 4-inch cookies.

Here is the recipe,

Lemon Poppy Seed Whoopie Pie

yield: 5 4-inch Whoopie Pie Sandwiches

Ingredients:Unsalted Butter 6 Tablespoons (84g)Granulated Sugar ¾ cup (150g)Eggs Large 1 (50g)Lemon Zest 1 lemonLemon Juice from half lemon (1 tablespoon)Buttermilk ½ cup (120ml)All Purpose Flour 1¾ cup (227g)Salt ¼ teaspoonBaking Soda ¼ teaspoonBaking Powder ½ teaspoonPoppy Seeds 2 teaspoons

1. Cream the butter and sugar together for about 3 -4 minutes. It will not get as light and fluffy as we are used to many of our mixes to become due to the ratio of sugar and butter here.
2. Add the egg and mix well
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and add it, all at once to the creamed butter mixture.
4. Mix well and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
5. Add the buttermilk with the lemon juice and zest, slowly while mixing on low- medium speed.
6. Add the poppy seeds last, mix to combine
7. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or overnight) before baking or they will spread too much
8. Preheat oven to 350°F
9. Scoop cookies to desired size I used a 2 ¼ inch scoop.
10. Bake for approximately 15 minutes slightly golden brown and not raw in the centers
11. Cool completely and then fill with your choice of filling.

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The Difference:

There is a slight difference between the original recipe and the one above. I don't like using Extract beside Vanilla. I love the Natural taste of fresh fruit, so I tend not to use any extract especially almond. 

Opinion: 

This recipe is very easy to whip together if you have all the ingredients. There is a substitution for Buttermilk if you can't find it in your country; Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 cup of whole milk, let sit. That's my go to ratio for whenever I feel lazy to go buy Buttermilk, but having leftover buttermilk means Buttermilk Pancakes (from Laura in the Kitchen) the next day or the Red Velvet Cake from WoodlandBakeryBlog. 

You must let this rest; I actually let it rest for over an hour. For the size of my ice cream or cookie scoop, I could only fit 6 onto a half sheet pan; any more and they will touch which alter the classic round shape of a whoopie pie. Bake for 15 minutes until the edges just start to get the golden brown color, the tops will look pale (sorry that's natural for this recipe). While it cools down, the bottoms will continue to get darker. 

As for the filling, I made WoodlandBakery Blog's Swiss Buttercream. This is what I recommend for everything, I've used it in most of my friend's cakes and they like the taste of it. 

I added 1/2 Lemon Zest to the buttercream; I also added Fresh Lemon Juice, a teaspoon at a time, to taste (I ended with 3 teaspoons). It will separate, continue whipping it and will smooth out. Trust me. 

I filled my Jumbo Whoopie Pie with about 4 tablespoons of buttercream. Seems like quite a bit, but I like A LOT of icing. 

Here are more pictures, 

I used an offset spatula to spread the filling, but I could've used a pastry bag for a cleaner look. The crumb is very tender and airy; it is surprisingly light and with the slightly crisp edge creates a good experience. I have to say eating it fresh is much better, but letting the whoopie pie sit will create a softer similar to a cake texture. 

Taste: This has a fresh and light lemon taste, very refreshing like this New York City weather compared to the 5 degree winter weather we've been having for the last 2 weeks. 

I really hope you would try this recipe and let me know how it turns out. 

If you have any question for me, leave a comment down below.
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