Early on in our marriage, Joey told me he loves Boston cream pie, and I kept that in the back of my mind for a long time as a recipe I should try to make for him.
But then I didn’t.
I think it’s probably because I often balk at making layer cakes, as though they’re somehow supremely more difficult than making one with a single layer.
But then I was gifted a mini muffin tin very recently, and I finally knew how I could give Joey a taste of Boston cream pie without making a large dessert.
I found a recipe for some Boston cream pie cookie bites not long ago on the blog “Practically Homemade.” You can find the post at https://practicallyhomemade.com/boston-cream-pie-cookie-bites/. The only thing I changed was a bit of the procedure, and I highly recommend using dark chocolate chips for the ganache rather than semi-sweet if you have it available.
Boston Cream Pie Cookie Bites
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 2 eggs
- 1 stick butter softened
- 3.25- ounce instant vanilla pudding
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup milk I used skim
- 2 tablespoon chocolate chips I used dark chocolate
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray the cups of a mini muffin tin with cooking spray and set it aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs and butter until smooth.
- Use a small scoop to evenly distribute the batter into all the cups (about a tablespoon or dough or so). Pat each cup down so that it has a smooth, flat top, and then bake for seven to eight minutes or until the edges are browned slightly.
- Set the cookies aside to cool for about five minutes, and then use a tart shaper or a similarly shaped spoon handle to press down the middle of each cookie and create an indentation.
- Let the cookies cool completely before going on to the next step, and remove them from the muffin tin.
- For the filling, beat the pudding mix, cup of heavy cream and milk until the mixture forms stiff peaks.
- Using the same scoop as before, evenly distribute the filling into all of the cups.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and two tablespoons heavy cream and microwave 10 seconds at a time, stirring between each heating, until the mixture is smooth. Spoon a little of the ganache over each of the cookies, and then refrigerate them until the ganache is set.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
These were a huge hit. So much so that when I took the last few cookies over to dinner at my sister and brother-in-law’s house, they announced I wasn’t allowed back without making them another batch (I think they were joking…). And then, when I returned home, Joey was a bit perturbed that his last few cookies ended up disappearing from the fridge.
I guess you can’t win them all.
I probably should still try making a real Boston cream pie, but I’m now obligated to make another batch of cookies for my sister and for Joey, so it still might be awhile before I get that recipe checked off my bucket list.
This piece first appeared in print on Aug. 29, 2019.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas and sponsored by Main Street Co. & Kitchen Corner in Newton, Kan. Visit their website at shopmainstco.com.
