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. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
