Banana Whoopie Pies w/ Dulce de Leche Filling

I made these this afternoon for Teacher Appreciation Day....which ended up being YESTERDAY!! UGH! Think I may take some advise and drop them off on Friday for nibbling on through the day.

I  made a few changes and not major ones. I also made the dulce de leche myself and it was super easy and the "non explosive" kind. I found it here at Our Best Bites. I did add 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla bean paste to the sweetened condensed milk before baking it.

Makes 24

INGREDIENTS
1 lb ripe bananas (I weighed them after the peels were off)
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp table salt
1 cup canola oil
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
Dulce de Leche Filling (recipe follows)

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the bananas and lemon juice in a food processor, and process until pureed.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the oil, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the banana puree and  mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl again. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture for a total mixing time of 30 seconds. Carefully scrape down the bowl. Refrigerate the batter for thirty (30) minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (the hole should be about as large as the tipof your ring finger) (I USED a cookie dough scoop. 1tsp size for 2 bite whoopies, 1 1/2 tsp size for a bit larger). Pipe 2 inch diameter circles onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1 1/2 inches between them. Be careful to keep your pastry bag completely vertical to achieve nice circles. ( If you have to wait between batches of pies, keep the batter refrigerated).
6. Immediately put the baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes without rotating the baking sheet. The whoopie pies are done when they are golden in color and spring back when touched. Let the whoopie pies cool completely.
7. To fill the whoopies, turn half of them over so that they arew bottom face up. Using a pastry bag, pipe a small dollop of the dulce de leche filling onto each whoopie bottom. Top with the remaining whoopies.

DULCE DE LECHE FILLING
Makes 2 cups

INGREDIENTS
4 oz package cream cheese, at room temperature (I used 8oz)
5 Tblsp unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used 8 oz)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup dulce de leche (I added 1/4 cup in addition)
3 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more if needed

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachemnt, beat together the cream cheese & butter on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the vanilla, salt, and dulce de leche, and mix for 30 seconds on low speed.

With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the confectioner's sugar, and then beat for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl. If the filling is too soft to hold its shape, add more confectioners sugar until you reach the desired consistency.

Store in the refrigerator, in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface of the filling, for up to 5 days.

Black Forest Cookies

Yield: 24 cookies

Big NOTE!: These are rich but so good. Great for this holiday season. Also PLEASE remember to lower the temperature of the oven by 25 degrees if you are using a non-stick dark pan!!!! The bottoms will burn by the time the rest of the cookie bakes if you don't. These are yummy and worth the overnight or 6 hour wait for the dough to cool!
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
16 oz dark chocolate (60-72% cacao), coarsely chopped
10 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1" pieces
6 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (6 oz) white chocolate chips
1 cup (6 oz) dried cherries

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl & set aside.

In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the dark chocolate and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugars on high speed until the mixture is pale and thick, about 5 minutes.

Add the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bowl and beat again for 10 seconds.

Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined, about 10 seconds. Do not over mix.

Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and dried cherries. The dough will look very loose, but it will harden in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (or 350 degrees F if using dark or nonstick pans). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the tops of the cookies are set and begin to show a few cracks. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before removing from the pans and serving.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.