Free Cider and Bacon Whoopie Pie Recipe

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.