As promised, here is a free recipe for cider and bacon whoopie pies to whet your appetite... this recipe is not included in Baking Whoopies: the Seasonal Guide to Whoopie Pies. It's an extra, exclusive free whoopie pie recipe.
"Cider and bacon?!" many people say... to which I reply yes, and why not? They're delicious. Pork and apple are a firm favourite in Britain, and to me cider and bacon is the logical next step. The sweet cider syrup whoopie combines with salty bacon cream cheese beautifully - it tastes like something familiar, but I'm still trying to work out what. Weirdly, it reminds me a little of popcorn. The sweet and salt combination is also reminiscent of salted caramel - another delicious and slightly addictive treat.
Ingredients:
For the whoopie batter
4.5 oz/130g/½ cup (1 stick) butter
7oz/200g/1 cup castor sugar
1 medium egg, beaten
14 oz/395g/3 cups plain flour
1 ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ pt cider syrup (see below for how to make)
For the cider syrup:
½ pt sweet cider (English if you can get it! Merrydown is a good, local to Sussex – where I live - brand)
4oz castor sugar (or light brown sugar)
For the filling
7oz/200g/1 cup cream cheese
3oz (ish – go by eye/taste) bacon bits (I don’t know if they have these in US – little crunchy soya pieces flavoured like bacon, used on salads and things. Vegetarian/Vegan – not actually bacon at all…you could grill up real bacon till totally crisp – streaky would probably work best – and crush it into little crunchy bits)
Method
To make the cider syrup:
Place the cider and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then boil rapidly for at least 5 minutes to reduce. Set ¼ pint of the syrup to one side, to cool and use in the whoopie batter.
To make the whoopie pies
Preheat your oven to 160°c/325°f/GM 3 (fan assisted – slightly higher if your oven is non-fan) and grease a large baking sheet.
Cream together the butter and sugar.
Add the egg, a bit at a time, stirring well to make a smooth, curdle-free mix.
Put the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a sieve.
Get the cider syrup to hand.
Sieve ½ of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Fold in gently.
Add ½ of the syrup and mix well.
Continue until all flour and syrup is folded in, and you have a smooth, thick batter.
Pipe (or dollop) the Whoopie Pie batter into 2” diameter rounds.
Smooth off with the back of a spoon.
Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes (until they spring back when lightly touched).
When cooked, take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tray for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack.
To make the bacon and cream cheese filling
Mix the bacon bits with the cream cheese.
Bringing it all together
Spread a generous dollop of cream cheese on one whoopie half, then put the other whoopie half on top.
