These Memorial Day Whoopie Pies are just plain fun! They are red velvet on one side, blue velvet on the other side, and creamy, sweet goodness in the middle! Fun, fun, fun!
Welcome to the final day, Day #6 of Kick Off to Summer Week, a multi-blogger event co-host by Lauren of From Gate to Plate and Summer of Summer Scraps. With summer quickly approaching and Memorial Day in a few weeks, we wanted to make sure you had plenty of ideas for your Memorial Day activities. For the past six days we have been serving up a variety of different appetizers, main dishes, desserts, decor, printables and more all centered around the up-coming Memorial Day. We hope you enjoyed all of these wonderful ideas and thank you for tuning in each day. We have great prizes up for grabs and you will not want to miss out on any of the days! Be sure to check out previous days out here. Follow #KickOffToSummerWeek2014 on Twitter to keep up to date with all of our spectacular ideas and giveaways! 
Memorial Day Whoopie Pies
2 1/2 cups Flour
3 tablespoons dark unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
pinch of Salt
1/4 cup Canola Oil
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons Buttermilk
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1 tablespoon Vegetable Shortening, at room temp.
3/4 cup firmly packed Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Sugar
1 large Egg
1 teaspoon VanillaÂ
1 tablespoon Red Gel Food Coloring
1 tablespoon Blue Gel Food Coloring
Filling
3 cups Confectioners’ Sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
1 teaspoon VanillaÂ
pinch of Salt
I made 2 batches of the whoopie pies. One I tinted red, and one blue.
 The recipe above is for 1 batch, so you will need twice the ingredients.
You can just double the filling amounts if you are making that many.
This makes approx 20 whoopie pies made in to stars, with red onÂ
one side and blue on the other.
(This recipe is adapted from Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis.)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together your flour, cocoa powder,
 baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Set aside.
In a separate bowl mix together the canola oil and buttermilk.
Set aside.
Using a big mixer with a paddle attachment,
cream the butter and shortening.
Scrape down the bowl and add the sugars.
Beat until light and fluffy~about 5 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
Scrape down the bowl and add the red (or blue)
food coloring.
Mix on low speed for a few seconds to incorporate.
On low speed, start adding the flour mix. You will add them alternately
with the buttermilk mix. Begin and end with the flour mix andÂ
blend only until combined. Scrape down the sides.
Cover and chill for at least 15 minutes.Â
Make the recipe all over again, only tint the mix blue this time.
Chill this one also. I made both mixes in the evening and chilled
them overnight. They worked great and it broke up the time.
Take a large piece of parchment paper and cut it in half.
It should fit on 2 baking sheets.
Using a star cookie cutter, trace around the cutter.
I put 6 stars on each sheet.
Don’t worry about using a pen, we will flip the
paper over to cook.
Take your cookie batter and place it in a pastry bag.
I used a Wilton #5 tip. I tried several others,
but the #5 worked the best for me.
Make sure to flip your paper over. You will be
able to see through it.
Outline the star on the baking sheet .
Start filling in the star, using the same tip.
I tried all different ways to fill in the stars.
It doesn’t really matter the design, as long as all the
star is filled with batter.
Put in to your oven and bake for 9 minutes.
Yours may take more time, but 9 min. was perfect for my oven.
Do it all over again with the blue batter.
Mix up your cream cheese filling by sifting the confectioners’
sugar into a bowl. In a separate mixer bowl mix together the
 butter and cream cheese. Add the confectioners sugar, vanillaÂ
and salt. Beat until smooth. Don’t over mix. This can be madeÂ
a day ahead of time also. Refrigerate, but let it softenÂ
before using.
Use a pastry bag filled with your frosting. I used aÂ
#10 tip. Pipe the frosting around the star and inside it toÂ
cover the entire bottom.
Gently place the top on the frosting.
Remember that cream cheese should be refrigerated,
and these are great cold!
Enjoy your whoopie pies!
Thanks for joining me today!
Scroll down this page to find theÂ
Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!
Don’t forget to check out the rest of my blogger friends who’ve participated in this great event and show them how much you’ve enjoyed this week… drop them a line and show some love 🙂
Grilled Garlic and Basil Rubbed Pork Chops by From Gate to Plate
Mango Lassi by The Haas Machine
Shrimp and Corn Salsa Shooters by It’s Yummi
15 Barbecue Favorites by Summer Scraps
Greek Pork Kebabs with Tzatziki by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Favorite Popcorn Balls by Forty Eighteen
Making Memorial Day a Family Affair by Bits of Ivory
Sea Breeze Punch by Keep it Simple, Sweetie
Steak Sandwich Stackers by Lady Behind the Curtain
Memorial Day Whoopie Pies by The Freshman Cook
Steak Verde Tacos by Clarks Condensed
Red, White and Blue Sangria by Love in the Kitchen
Sriracha Coleslaw by It’s a Keeper
Lemon Pomegranate Punch by Food Lust People Love
Peanut Butter Cup S’mores by Little Dairy on the Praire
Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetable Kebabs by Like Mother, Like Daughter
Vintage Patriotic Book Craft by We Like to Learn as We Go
We’ve reached the end of our week long journey helping you prep for Memorial Day, but before you go we want to offer you a $150 gift card to Amazon. How awesome is that?! We’re talking a $150 smackaroo’s to buy all of  your Memorial Day necessities. Whether it’s a new grill, grilling utensils, cookbook, new cookware, or decor.. we’ve got you covered! It’s really easy to enter.. just follow along in the Rafflecopter!Â
Good Luck and thank you for partying along with us this week!Â
