Red Velvet Whoopie Pie

Can you believe it's almost Valentine's Day? That means it's already February. Wow, a whole month has gone by in the year 2011. That was pretty fast. Now moving on to other matters, such as why did these red velvet cookies rise? They were supposed to turn out flat and crinkly, not puffy. They look like whoopie pies!

 Oh well, red velvet whoopie pies are great all the same, right? And they're perfect for valentines day!

To make them even more decadent, why not add a layer of chocolate too? I'm not sure it's very visible, but the whoopie pie below has a layer of chocolate sandwiching the layer of cream cheese frosting. Sounds delicious, right?

Homemade Red Velvet Cookies
adapted from here
Ingredients:  
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon red food coloring
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375˚F.
2. In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add in eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in buttermilk, vanilla and red food coloring.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet.
4. Scoop dough onto a lined cookie sheet using a generous ice cream scooper.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes until centers appear set. Allow to cool before filling.

Cream Cheese Filling
Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Cream together cream cheese and butter
2. Beat in milk and vanilla. Sift powdered sugar over the wet ingredients and beat in until smooth.
3. Spread on the bottom of a red velvet cookie, sandwich between another cookie