Shoofly Pie Whoopie Pies ! My Original Pennsylvania Dutch Treat!

     OH Yeah OOEY GOOEY Pa. Dutch WUNDURFUL GOOT cookie treat! To Quote my son "AMAZING!"   I have to agree with him these turned out even better than I dreamed they would! ENJOY!

Cookie Part:
2 Cup Sugar
2 Cup Shortening
2 Cup Molasses
4 Eggs
8 Cups Flour
2 Tsp Baking Soda
2 Tsp Salt
4 Tsp Cinnamon
2 Tsp Ground Ginger
2 Tsp Vanilla
Cream Shortening, add sugar & molasses & beat again. Add eggs & vanilla & beat again. Sift all dry ingredients together & then slowly beat into your creamed mixture. You will end up stirring some of the flour mixture in by hand with a large spoon. It will be a soft dough & you will be able to do this easily. Chill dough overnight. To bake preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover cookie sheets with parchment. One sheet of parchment will last throughout your baking ( no need to use a fresh sheet for each baking).  Scoop at a ball of dough, I used my melon ball maker but a large tablespoon will do the trick. Roll dough into a ball about the size of a walnut. Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Dip the top of your cookie ball in the egg wash. Every other cookie ball you will dip into the crumb topping that will follow the Gooey Filling recipe. Place on parchment cover cookie sheet spread these far apart as they are a large cookie. After you have every other cookie dipped in its' crumb topping bake for 13 to 16 minutes, Cookie should be puffed up, lightly browned on top with browned bottoms. Remove from sheets & let cool COMPLETELY before filling & assembling!

GOOEY FILLING & CRUMB TOPPING:
1 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tbs Shortening
Stir dry ingredients together & cut shortening in to make crumbs. Use a fork & crush the shortening into the flour mixture in it will look like a sandy mixture. Remove 3/4 cup & set aside this is your crumb topping for dipping your cookie dough balls !
Now taking what is left after you removed your 3/4 cup crumb topping & place it in a deep saucepan. Stir in following:
1 Cup Molasses, again I used Grandmas
1 Beaten Egg
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Cup Hot Water with 1 Tsp Baking Soda stirred in till dissolved
Stir all this together over medium heat. Using a whisk continue whisking as this cooks. This will look like foamy brownish water & then all of a sudden MAGIC HAPPENS! This will get thick and clear dark brown & bubble. Whisk  & cook   until  all of the liquid is now thick goo! OH HEAVENLY MOLASSES GOO!
Remove from stove & chill overnight.

WHOOPIE PIE FROSTING:
2 Eggs Whites
1 Tbs Vanilla
4 Tbs Flour
4 Tbs Milk
 4 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Cup Shortening
1/2 Tsp Salt
Cream egg whites, vanilla, flour & milk together.  Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar & beat again. Add 2 more cups of the sugar & the shortening & beat again. Beat until very fluffy. If you need you may add more milk or more sugar to get the desired spreading texture of this filling. I like mine somewhat stiff over soft because the cookie hold together better.
HELPFUL HINTS:
Make the dough, the goo & the frosting all the same day then the next day you can bake let cool & put pies together . Everything is already done & chilled & you only make a mess of your kitchen once!
You will have just enough of the goo I put about 2 tsp of goo on the bottom half of the whoopie pie. Then I put about 2 TBS of frosting on the top half & put the two together. Store in a very cool place or refrigerate until you are ready to serve these FUN COOKIES!  I place mine in a large airtight tin with wax paper between layers & one soft piece of commercial white bread on the top layer. I store these in my garage where it is SUPER COLD or in the refrigerator but these will not last long ! This recipe makes 46 large Whoopie Pies ! You could make these smaller so they are more like a cookie but I wanted FABULOUS WHOOPIE PIES !!!

                                                                     
These Whoopie Pies FREEZE VERY NICELY TOO! Make them ahead for any occasion! I just whipped up a batch to take next week to my family reunion. Freezing them today & thawing them the day of the reunion!