Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Cherry Filling

For the cakes:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream butter and shortening until smooth. Add sugar and continue mix, scraping downs sides of the bowl as necessary. Add egg and vanilla and mix another 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy.

Add half of the flour and half of the milk and beat gently just until mixed. Add second half of flour and milk and beat well until creamed.

Scoop batter by tablespoons full onto prepared baking sheet spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes or until cakes spring back when touched.

Remove them from the oven and let them stand on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.

Allow cakes to cool completely before filling them. Then using a small cookie scoop, top the bottom of one cake with filling and top thta with another cake. Whoopie pies are best eaten the same day. Store in an airtight container.

For the filling:
In a large bowl beat butter until very creamy. Slowly add in powdered sugar and continue beating. Add vanilla and Marshmallow Fluff and combine. Mix in cherry juice, adding more if desired. Carefully mix in chopped cherries.

Makes about 18 pies.

Whoopie pie recipe adapted from Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell.