Flours and Fudge: Lemon Meringue Whoopie Pies

Maybe I should re-title this post to Lemon Meringue Sandwich Cookies. So many things about this recipe didn't go as planned. The end result was still yummy, but not what I expected or was hoping for.

I haven't baked in a little while. It's not easy to find Weight Watchers desserts that sound appealing. As I was sifting through some recipes, I found an old list I had made of "food holidays" in the summer. Today is a special day. It's Lemon Meringue day! Now, I am not a pie baker. I've made a couple pies in my past, and they were very basic. I suck at making a good pie crust. I also don't have a kitchen torch, and didn't want to risk making a decent lemon meringue pie only to have it burn under the broiler when browning the meringue. So what else can you make that's lemon meringue?

Lemon meringue whoopie pies. I've made Swiss meringue buttercream twice. Now, maybe it's because I just haven't made it enough to think it's an easy process, but I almost always use standard buttercream, it's just easier. When making a meringue, you have to place your egg whites and sugar over simmering water and it has to be just the right temperature before you beat it and everything. I've cooked my egg whites, had it not cook enough, etc. Not fun. Today, I did a little research and learned something new.

Italian meringue buttercream and Swiss meringue buttercream are the same thing, just with a different way of preparing it. The Italian meringue buttercream just seemed so much easier and fail-proof to me, so I went with that. I'm glad I did, because it ended up being perfect. It was satiny, smooth, fluffy and the perfect amount of sweet. Meringue buttercreams are great because they're not sugar-packed, they're sweet enough without feeling like you're eating a mouthful of sugar, which a standard buttercream can feel like sometimes.

So what went wrong then today in the kitchen? Well, the buttercream came out great, but I learned that when you slowly add the butter into to, the mixer will "spit up" some buttercream all over your counter...and floor....and shirt. When making this buttercream, throw a clean towel over your mixer so it doesn't splash. Also, my whoopie pies came out flat, flat, flat; they are more like soft cookies. One whole batch just melted together to form a big pan of over-cooked whoopie pie mess. See picture below. And my last lesson learned, and pointer to you, is to make the lemon curd first. It takes FOREVER to cool down, so assembling the pies was put on hold until it cooled down enough. And definitely let it thicken to the right consistency. I should have cooked mine another minute or two, mine was just slightly thinner than I would have liked.

Below, is my adaptation of the original recipe, substituted with Martha Stewart's Italian meringue buttercream.

Lemon Meringue Whoopie Pies
from Lemons for Lulu and Martha Stewart

For the whoopie pies:

2 ¼ cup flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
4 tablespoons shortening
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
½ cup buttermilk
1 lemon, zested
2 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoons vanilla

For the Italian Meringue Buttercream:

1 and 1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
5 egg whites
1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into tablespoon pieces
pinch of cream of tartar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the lemon curd (make first!):

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 lemon, zested
1/2 cup lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Make the curd first so it can cool. Whisk together the sugar and eggs. Add the melted butter and mix until combined. Add the lemon zest and juice and stir to combine. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute at a time, mixture will thicken. Do this for 4-5 minutes until you reach a desired thickness. Place in the fridge to cool.
3. Make the whoopie pies. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, shortening and sugars until smooth on medium. Beat in the eggs and buttermilk until fully combined. It may look grainy, don't worry! Add the lemon zest and juice and mix until combined on medium-high.
5. Add in the flour mixture a little at a time while the mixer is still going on medium-high. Beat until a good soft dough forms.
6. Drop dough by tablespoons 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden around the edges.
7. While the pies cook, make the buttercream. Combine the sugar and 2/3 cup of water in a small saucepan and heat to boiling. Keep at a low boil for about 5 minutes until sugar is dissolved and liquid is clear. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on low speed until they become frothy. Don't over mix.
8. Add a pinch of cream of tartar to the egg white and whisk on medium-high until stiff peaks form, but don't over-mix, you don't want it to be dry.
9. When the sugar syrup is done boiling, slowly add it to the egg whites still mixing in a slow and steady stream. Be careful not to burn yourself on the hot pan or syrup. Continue beating for 3-5 minutes until satiny and smooth.
10. Add in the butter pieces, a tablespoon at a time. Be sure to drape a clean kitchen towel over your mixer to prevent it from splashing everywhere! If the mixture looks curdled just keep mixing it. Once the butter is in, add the vanilla and continue to mix until the thickness become spreadable. This took me about 8-10 minutes.
11. When the pies are done and cooled, top half the pies with a heaping dollop of buttercream and a spoonful of lemon curd and top with another pie.