Whoopie Daisy Cookie by Sehaj Ghuman

Executive Pastry Chef, Academy of Pastry and Culinary Arts, India

Whoopie pies or Choco Pies are pure childhood nostalgia for most of us. One day, I was watching a movie and the phrase whoopsie-daisy stuck with me. I created a fun rendition of the Whoopie Pie – a Whoop(s)ie Daisy – in which the marshmallow becomes more flavorful, and the cookie evolves to showcase more texture.

Yield: 10 Large Cookies

Chocolate Sable Breton

• 220 g unsalted butter
• 165 g granulated sugar
• 100 g egg yolk
• 50 g Madagascar chocolate, melted
• 5 g salt
• 240 g all-purpose flour
• 20 g baking powder
• 20 g cocoa powder

1. Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
2. Once the mixture is light and fluffy, add the egg yolks and melted Madagascar chocolate.
3. Fold in all dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms.
4. Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before sheeting to 4 mm (.15 inches).
5. Freeze the sheet, then cut flower-shaped cookies from the dough.
6. Bake in a convection oven at 300°F (150°C) for 18 minutes.

Espresso Praline

• 125 g hazelnuts
• 125 g almonds
• 30 g coffee beans
• 75 g water
• 250 g granulated sugar
• ½ vanilla pod
• 2 g salt

1. Toast the almonds and hazelnuts in the oven for 20 minutes at 300°F (150°C).
2. Separately, toast the coffee beans in the oven at 300°F (150°C) for 8 mins.
3. Make a wet caramel with the water and sugar, cooking until it reaches a dark brown color.
4. Pour the caramel over the nuts and coffee beans on a silicone baking mat.
5. Once cool, blend all together in a Robot Coupe® Blixer® along with the salt and vanilla pod.
6. Transfer to a piping bag.

Yuzu Mandarin Jam

• 220 g granulated sugar, divided
• 10 g yellow pectin
• 200 g mandarin purée
• 30 g liquid glucose
• 15 g invert sugar
• 1 g citric acid solution
• 20 g yuzu purée

1. Combine 55 g of the sugar with the pectin and set aside.
2. Heat the mandarin purée to 104°F (40°C) in a small pot.
3. Stir in the pectin mixture.
4. Bring the purée to a boil, then slowly add the remaining 165 g of sugar, along with the glucose and invert sugar. Add the sugars gradually so as to maintain the boil.
5. Cook to 217°F (103°C) and remove from the heat.
6. Off-heat, add the citric acid solution and yuzu purée.
7. Allow to cool, then blend to a pipeable consistency.
8. Transfer to a piping bag.

Moist Chocolate Cake

• 90 g almond paste/marzipan
• 45 g egg yolk
• 100 g unsalted butter
• 45 g Madagascar chocolate
• 200 g egg white
• 45 g granulated sugar
• 30 g cocoa powder
• 1 g salt

1. Blend the almond paste with the egg yolk until smooth.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate and stir to combine.
3. Stir the two mixtures together and set aside.
4. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until foamy, then slowly add the sugar to form a meringue.
5. Add the cocoa powder and salt to the chocolate mixture.
6. Fold in the meringue in 2-3 additions.
7. Spread the batter onto a Silicone sheet mold with a height of 1 cm (0.4 inches).
8.  Bake at 356°F (180°C) for 8 mins.
9. Once the cake has cooled, cut rounds that will fit in the center of the sablé.
10. Set aside until ready to assemble the dessert.

Coffee & Citron Marshmallow

• 6 g powdered gelatin
• 105 g water, divided
• 15 g coffee beans, crushed
• 20 g yuzu purée
• 50 g mandarin purée
• 7 g albumin powder
• 189 g granulated sugar
• 22 g glucose
• 75 g Madagascar chocolate (67%), melted

1. Bloom the gelatin in 30 g of the water.
2. Warm the remaining 75 g of water and add the crushed coffee beans.
3. Cover and allow to infuse for 2 hours.
4. Strain the coffee into a saucepan. Discard the coffee beans or reserve them for another use.
5. In a separate bowl, blend the purées with the albumin powder to create an artificial egg white.
6. In a stand mixer, begin whipping the purée mixture until fluffy.
7. Warm the coffee with the sugars until the mixture reaches 266°F (130°C).
8. Remove from the heat and add the bloomed gelatin.
9. Gradually add the coffee syrup to the purée mixture in the mixer.
10. Melt the chocolate and fold it into the whipped purée.
11. Transfer to a piping bag.

Tuile

• 50 g unsalted butter
• 50 g granulated sugar
• 50 g egg white
• 80 g all-purpose flour
• 20 g cocoa powder

1. Cream the butter and sugar until incorporated.
2. Slowly add in the egg white.
3. Once homogenized, fold in the flour and cocoa powder.
4. Spread a thin layer of dough on a Silpat® using a flower stencil.
5. Bake at 356°F (180°C) for 3 minutes.
6. Shape while still warm.

Assembly

• Dehydrated Kumquats
• Glaze (1:1, chocolate: cocoa butter)

1. Spread a thin layer of Espresso Praliné on top of a sablé flower.
2. Top the praliné with a round of the Moist Chocolate Sponge.
3. Remove a small scoop from the center of the sponge.
4. Pipe a generous amount of jam into the hollowed-out center.
5. Pipe a thick layer of marshmallow on top, maintaining the flower shape.
6. Place a second piece of sable on top of the marshmallow to seal the sandwich.
7. Let the dessert set overnight.
8. Dip the desserts in the glaze, setting each one upside down to set. I prefer to have the marshmallow layer toward the bottom of the dessert, but it is easier to pipe it on as the last element. Constructing the cookies upside-down, then flipping them after glazing, is the clear solution.
9. To finish, place a tuile on top of the glazed dessert and garnish with a dab of jam and a dehydrated kumquat.

Photos by Shreshth Malhotra

(This recipe appeared in the Summer 32 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)