Mocha, Hazelnut Whoopie Pies & The recipe for Chocolate Whoopie Pies is at the end of Mocha Hazelnut Whoopie Pie Recipe!

A Lancaster County Favorite with a GROWN-UP BOOST!  Extra Dark Chocolate with a hint of coffee in the cake & a delightful hazelnut filling !

Whoopie Cookie
4 Cups Heaping Flour
1 Cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
2 TSP Baking Soda
2 TSP Salt
2 Eggs
2 TSP Vanilla
1 Cup Shortening
1 Cup Sour Milk (if you do not have sour milk add 1 TBS Vinegar to milk = sour milk)
1 Cup HOT water  
1/2 Cup Instant Coffee Granulated Powder
Cream Shortening & sugar. Add eggs & beat. Add sour milk & vanilla beat well. Sift flour, cocoa, salt & beat into the batter. Stir instant coffee into the hot water & add baking soda. This will foam up, stir & add to batter & beat well. Chill dough. Make Whoopie Pie filling & chill that too. After dough has chilled (overnight or at least 4 hours) preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drop dough by heaping spoonfuls & bake 8 minutes. Cookie should be raised & spring back to the touch. DO NOT GREASE SHEETS  if you do the dough will spread out .
Remove from cookie sheets & let cool completely before filling ! Makes 5 Dozen Whoopie Pies!

Whoopie Pie Filling:
2 Egg Whites ( must be commercial eggs for health reasons)
1 TBS Vanilla
4 Heaping TBS Flour
4 TBS Milk
8 Cups Powdered Sugar
3 Dashes of Salt
1 Cup Crushed Hazelnuts (if desired)!
2 Cups Shortening
1 Cup Hazelnut Syrup ( found in the coffee aisle of your store)

Cream egg whites, vanilla, flour, milk, hazelnut syrup & 2 cups of the sugar. Beat well. Add shortening, salt & the rest of the sugar a little of the sugar at a time only add enough sugar to make a spreadable soft but stiff filling. Sometimes is takes all of the sugar & sometimes it doesn't. It all depends on the eggs. If you feel filling is to soft add more sugar. The texture should be soft but not RUNNY ! Chill filling it will be firmer once chilled. Place a good dollop between cookie halves. Dip edges in the crushed Hazelnuts if desired! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or a cool place. These FREEZE VERY WELL & I do not like to freeze cookies but these you can. Then you only need to take out as many as you need at a time. Just make sure you have a GOOD airtight container. If you store in refrigerator or a cool place lay a slice of commercial white bread on wax paper on the top layer of whoopie pies. Change bread as it gets hard. These cookies will keep for weeks if you do this !
TO MAKE a Chocolate Whoopie Pie with Vanilla Filling do the above filling with everything the same EXCEPT:
For the cookie part DO NOT ADD COFFEE to the hot water just the baking soda & use regular cocoa !
For the filling do the following :
Use 6 Cups Powdered Sugar
Use 1 Cup Shortening
Do NOT use Hazelnut Syrup ! Use ll of the rest of the filling ingredients like listed above Mix up like the above filling directs !
For edges of Whoopie Pies: Traditionally the edges are left plain but at Christmas time I like to decorate every other Whoopie Pie with Christmas Jimmies or Sprinkles so half are plain & half are decorated!