Your family will be impressed with your culinary skills this holiday season if you serve either of these scrumptious-looking desserts. The whoopie pies have a festive touch with their red coloring, and the Baked Alaska cake is an indulgent dessert from our friends up North that's full of flavor and surprise!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
-Courtesy of BHG.com's 100 Days of Holidays

Makes 60 one-inch or 42 two-inch cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1-oz. bottle red food coloring (2 Tbsp.)

1 recipe Whoopie Pie Filling, recipe below

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2. In large mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high 30 seconds. Beat in brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, beating after each addition just until combined. Stir in food coloring.

3. Spoon batter in 1- or 2-inch diameter rounds, about 1/2-inch high on prepared baking sheets, allowing 1 inch between each round.

4. Bake 7 to 9 minutes for 1-inch cookies or 9 to 11 minutes for 2-inch cookies, or until tops are set. Cool completely on baking sheets on rack. Remove cooled cookies from baking sheets.

5. To fill, dollop Whoopie Pie Filling on flat sides of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies, flat sides down.

6. Whoopie Pie Filling: In medium mixing bowl beat 1/4 cup softened butter and half an 8-ounce package softened cream cheese until smooth. Fold in one 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme.

7. To store: Refrigerate in airtight container up to 4 days. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

Go to the next page for the Baked Alaska Cake recipe...