Whoopie Pies with Salted Dulce de Leche

These superchocolatey, cakelike cookies sandwich a gooey sweet and salty caramel. The result is an uberrich and incredibly decadent dessert that is positively addictive.

Whoopie Pies with Salted Dulce de Leche

For the cookies:

6 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup natural cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

For the filling:

4 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 Tbs. heavy cream
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 cup dulce de leche

Baker’s Note
Most upscale or Latin grocery stores carry jars of dulce de leche, a thick caramel sauce made from evaporated or sweetened milk that is slowly simmered for a long period of time.

To make the cookies, in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until combined. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until blended. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into the bowl and beat just until blended. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough until firm, about 2 hours.

Space 2 racks evenly in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

With dampened hands, shape tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls. Place them firmly on the prepared pans, spacing them slightly apart and squishing them a little. You should have about 20 balls. Bake until the cookies are puffed and slightly firm, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the pans about halfway through. Let the cookies cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling, make the filling: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar on medium-high speed until lightened. Stir in the cream and salt, to taste, on low speed, then stir in the dulce de leche until the filling is smooth.

Spread the flat side of half the cookies with a big dollop of the filling. Top each with a second cookie, placing the flat side on the filling. (You’ll probably have a bit more filling than you need, but if you’re like us, you’ll find a good use for it and will sneak spoonfuls here and there.) Refrigerate until the filling is set, at least 1 hour. Whoopie! Makes 10 whoopie pies.

Posted with permission by Williams-Sonoma.