What's better than one cookie? Two cookies, of course. And what's better than two cookies? Cookies with frosting smack dab in the middle of them, obvs. So it kind of makes sense that whoopie pies would be such a popular little cookie. Although is it really a cookie? The pie name always throws me off. And the fact that it tastes like a mini cake makes me think 'whoopie cake' would somehow have made a better suited name (not 'gob' or 'bob', as Wikipedia would like to say). Regardless of what it's called, I will never say no to anything with frosting in the middle. To sweeten these babies up for a Valentine's Day treat, I made just a few simple tweaks (a dash of pink food coloring in the cookie batter, a splash of rosewater in the frosting), making these easy cookies an extra-special treat for your extra-special someone.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE COOKIES

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 a tablespoon of vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup milk (I use 2%)
• Food coloring (optional; I like the gel type, which can be seen in the 'Kitchen Necessities' below)

FOR THE ROSEWATER CREAM

• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 a teaspoon of cream of tartar
• 1/2 a teaspoon of rosewater

INSTRUCTIONS

TO MAKE THE COOKIES

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet (or two if you have them) with either parchment paper or silpat mats.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the sugar and butter until creamy. Continue mixing while you add in the baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Then add in the egg, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you mix.
3. Finally, add in the milk and flour alternately. Start with a little flour, then a little milk, and repeat until you have added the entire amount. If you are using food coloring, you can also add the desired amount at this time. Mix until everything is well combined. The batter at this point will be thick and fluffy.
4. Scoop the batter by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, making sure to leave about 1" in between each cookie.
5. Bake for 6-7 minutes, or until they are springy to the touch. Transfer to a cooling rack.

TO MAKE THE ROSEWATER CREAM

1. Place the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the water doesn't directly touch the bowl. Whisk vigorously for 3-4 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites have turned white and started to grow in size.
2. Remove the bowl from the hot water and place on the mixer stand. With the whisk attachment on, begin beating the egg whites on low. Gradually continue to increase the speed, until it's on high. Continue whisking until the volume has doubled and the egg whites are stiff. Add the rosewater and mix well. In total, you will mix your egg whites for about 10-12 minutes.

TO ASSEMBLE THE COOKIES

1. Once the cookies have cooled, lay out your cookie halves. Place a generous teaspoon of frosting on half the cookies. Place the other half of the cookies on top. Let set for at least an hour before serving.

NOTES

• Store in an airtight container. These taste best on the first day, but will stay fresh up to two days.
• I also tried these with several other fillings (a rosewater buttercream, which can be seen in some of the pictures above, and a rosewater cream cheese frosting). The rosewater marshmallow/seven minute frosting was my favorite (hence why it is the one I chose to gave you the recipe for), but feel free to change the filling based on your taste preferences.