Butter Pecan Wookie Pies

Yes, that's right I said Wookie.    It is my creation of cake mix turned into a cookie, turned into a whoopie pie.   Make sense?   Here's the set up. A few weeks ago my mom and my sister told me about these cookies my aunt made using butter pecan cake mix.   Interesting.  I was then later to find out that a co-worker's favorite cake is butter pecan. She also happens to love cookies.   Hmmm, could I use this cookie recipe to create something for her birthday which was quickly approaching.    The original recipe from my aunt was 1 box of cake mix, with flour, skor bits and 1 entire pound of butter.  Yikes!   Now I realize in baking,  butter makes the world go round, but this seemed like a little too much for me.   I needed to cut this back.   I did some "googling" and found another recipe that I think would suit my end goal much butter.   Since this was also going to be for a birthday, there is a requirement to incorporate icing.  I mean what is a birthday without icing.  The Wookie was invented. Not quite cake, yet not completely cookie.


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 box Butter Pecan Cake Mix
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (4 oz/1 stick) softened butter
• 1 cup skor/heath bits
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Filling

• 8 oz light cream cheese
• 4 oz butter, unsalted.
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup dulche de leche
• 1 tsp vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Preheat oven to 350F.  Combine cake mix, skor bits and pecans in a large bowl or mixer bowl.

2) Add eggs and butter and mix until combined.  Using a mini scoop, place on to a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet about 1.5 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Let cool on rack a few minutes, then remove to cool completely on a wire rack. 

3) Make the icing.  Beat cream cheese and butter, using a paddle attachment, until whipped. Add sugar and vanilla, mixing on low to start, increasing speed as sugar is incorporated.   Beat until light and fluffy.  Add dulche de lech and beat until blended.

4) Once cookies are cool.  Add cream filling to a piping bag and pipe the icing, in a circular motion starting from the inside on to half of the cookies.  Leave a small gap around the edges as the icing will spread when you press the cookies together.

When my friend walked in I had a little candle sticking up from the Wookie.  Luckily she arrived when she did because the flame was almost at the cookie. The birthday girl was quite happy and was even able to take home one extra.  These cookies were pretty sweet, so I might make them smaller next time to accommodate this or figure out a way to cut it back a little.    These were great though and easy to put together.    Other than the butter pecan flavour, these weren't really cakey and fluffy and had more of a cookie texture. Let the Wookie testing begin.

MEG's RATING : D-EEEF-LICIOUS (Yes that is an F, my way of 3.5 E's)