Red Velvet Heart-Shaped Whoopie Pies

Ingredients

2 cups flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
.3 fl. oz. bottle red food coloring

Filling:

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups confectioner’s sugar  (measure, then sift to remove any lumps)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups Marshmallow Fluff

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Spray the heart shaped pans with nonstick spray and set aside.

2.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together until fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and mix until blended.  Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, beating after each addition.  Add all of the food coloring and mix until well blended. (You can certainly add more food coloring if you want them more red.)

4.  Place 2 tablespoons of batter into each heart and flatten slightly so the batter takes the shape of the heart.

5. Bake for 7 - 8 minutes or until the cake springs back when tapped.  Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before cutting in half.

To make the filling:

6.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth.  Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, salt, and marshmallow until blended.

7.  To assemble the whoopie pie, cut each cake in half, add the filling to one half, and top with the other half.

*I forgot to write down how many whoopie pies I made with this recipe.  I think there were around 20.