The time I made whoopie….pies.

There is a subscription box for just about everything, and I’m pretty sure we’ve signed up for most of them at one time or another. The hubs is in the gin of the month and cocktail of the month club, the kids get a monthly science experiment, engineering activity and craft kit, and I recently signed up for the Bakedin baking club.

After I signed up, I found out there is an entire Facebook group dedicated to members of the Bakedin club. I’m a sucker for a Facebook group so I joined. Let me tell you, these bakers don’t play. There are some serious baking fanatics, like counting down till the box gets mailed, fanatics. It was hard not to get excited.

Bakedin goes to great lengths to keep the monthly recipe a secret and won’t let anyone spill the beans until the boxes are received.

Aside from a perishable ingredient or two, everything you’ll need comes in the kit, including parchment paper and piping bags.

But they do send out an email letting you know what ingredients you might need to have on hand so the Facebook group blows up with guesses.

My first baking box was carrot cake whoopie pies and I was geeked to get them made.

Making these were as easy as 1 - 2 - 3. Everything is premeasured and bagged up. The directions are clear and there are step by step photos to guide you along. I absolutely recommend joining the baking club. I signed up for a 6 month subscription, which comes out to about £7.80 a month. They also have a a cake mug subscription which I’m considering signing up for the kids. You can gift a subscription, which really seems like a perfect gift.

Wish you were here,

xoxo

Ingredients:

• 90g (1/2cup) light brown sugar

• 80g (1/4 cup + 2 1/2tbsp) sugar

• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 190g ( 1 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup) plain flour

• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (save 1/4 tsp for filling)

• 3/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger (dried)

• 215g (1/2 cup) soft unsalted butter

• 2 medium eggs (1 whole egg + 1 yolk)

• 150g (2-3 large) finely grated carrot

• 200g (2cups) icing sugar

• 40g (1/3cup) white chocolate

• 5g (2 tbsp) pistachios

Preheat oven 180C / 160C fan / 350*F

Greece your baking sheets and line with parchment paper.

Peel & grate carrots. Put grated carrot in sieve (strainer) and press the moisture out of it. Set aside.

Melt 115g (1/2 cup + 1tbsp), add light brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add 1 egg + 1 egg yolk and mix until incorporated.

Mix in grated carrot. Add flour, cinnamon (reserve 1/4 tsp of cinnamon for filling), baking powder, ginger and mix until combined.

Using a piping bag (or ziplock bag) snip the tip and pipe flat rounds no higher that 1 cm (1/4 inch) and no bigger than a 50p piece (or silver dollar). Leave about 3-4 cm gap between the cookies as they will spread. You should be able to pipe 48 cookies.

Bake for 12 minutes, check to see is the tops are set and the edges are golden, Remove from over, leave to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then remove to cooling rack until cooled completely.

While the cooking are cooling, make the buttercream. Beat about 100g (the remaining butter) until softened, then add the icing sugar and remaining cinnamon (1/4tsp). Beat until thick. If the filling is too firm you can loosen it by adding a teaspoon of water until the desired consistency is reached.

Fill a piping bag (ziplock bag) or use a spoon and add enough icing to one side of the cookie that, when it is sandwiched with another cooker the filling spreads to the end.

Crush the pistachios and set aside. Melt the white chocolate and, using a fork, drizzle the whoopie pies with the white chocolate then sprinkle with the crushed pistachios.

Store in an airtight container, in a cool dry place. I think they are better the second day!