It’s become a sort of tradition between my friends John and Crista (and me) that when we get together, we get an Irish Car Bomb. It started quite innocently. One night when we gathered locally so I could show them the charm of my hometown, we decided to check out the new bar in town. It was my old hang out of last summer, reincarnated as something different–that really isn’t any different. Although the bartender was kind of cute.
He recommended we get a round of Irish Car Bombs. Hard to believe but between the collective 60-plus years amongst us, none of us had had one before. We were game! We waited patiently while the cutie behind the counter pulled 3 Guinnesses, then set up 3 shots beside them. With a *sink* then a *chug*, a new tradition was born. (I highly recommend only ordering this in bars that do not use plastic shot glasses, by the way…) Fair warning: some people are offended by the name of this drink. Order it at your own risk.
The internet is full of car bomb cupcake recipes, reappearing at exactly this time of year for St. Patrick’s Day. I actually intended to prepare one of these very recipes after I tweaked my whoopie pie recipe a little for my own St. Patty’s Day post when inspiration struck–why not turn the whoopie pie into a car bomb? Duh, winning!
The Guinness perfectly accents the cake/cookie portion, bringing almost a saltier flavor to the original, plus a real nice moistness. The filling–what can I say? How can you go wrong with butter, sugar, Irish cream, and Irish whiskey? I could sit down and eat it with a spoon. If nothing else, make at least that and use it as you will. Yum!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! The one day a year we can all be “Irish”… or just drink like the stereotype requires. 
Car Bomb Whoopie Pies
adapted from Omnomicon
1 batch makes 16-18 3-inch whoopie pies, or 9 large whoopie pies
For the filling:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/3 cup Spectrum organic shortening, softened
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon Jameson Irish whiskey
- 1/3 cup Irish cream PLUS**
- the remainder of 1/2 cup filled with heavy cream
**When you measure the Irish cream, pour 1/3 cup into your measuring cup, then top it off with the heavy cream until it reaches 1/2 cup.
Cream the butter, shortening, and powdered sugar for 4-5 minutes. Add the flour, whiskey, Irish cream, and heavy cream, beating on medium high until nice and fluffy–up to 8 minutes. You can add more powdered sugar or cream to adjust the consistency to your liking. Set aside.
When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. I prefer to use my 2 dark non-stick pans for this recipe.
For the cookies/cakes:
- 1/4 cup organic shortening, softened (otherwise you get bits of it in the final product)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream the sugar and the shortening. Add the egg and beat until well incorporated. Mix in the vanilla.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the following:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp natural cocoa
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sea salt
With the mixer on medium-low, alternate adding the dry ingredients with:
- 1 cup Guinness Draught, room temperature
Mix until well blended.
Plop batter onto the cookie sheets using a cookie scoop… the smaller the scoop, the smaller the final whoopie pies. This time, I used my big cookie scoop and got about 9 whoopie pies, plus an extra top to smear filling on.
Bake for 8-10 minutes (you can use the toothpick method to check doneness), then remove to a wire rack immediately to cool. Once fully cooled, spread the filling on the flat side of one cookie/cake, apply the flat side of another, and you now have a whoopie pie.
Traditionally, these are to be wrapped individually in plastic wrap. I do that, then add them to a ziplock bag, just to keep them even fresher. They’re best on the day made but you can store them for a few days (preferably in the fridge) or in the freezer for a few months. While I don’t mind eating regular whoopie pies frozen, as they’re sort of devil dog-ish, these are best at room temp.
2 comments
3 pings
Dee D.
12 March, 2011 at 9:01 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Wow, your whoopie pies look so perfect and so delicious
Haha, I love the name of this 
Dee D. recently posted..Daring Bakers Panna Cotta & Florentines
The Poet Herself
16 March, 2011 at 1:52 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Thank you! Be careful not to get bombed on them.
Design Crush » Happy {St. Patrick’s} Day
17 March, 2011 at 11:01 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
[...] Stew 02. Shamrock Cake 03. Homemade Irish Cream 04. Irish Soda Bread 05. Irish Potato Candy 06. Car Bomb Whoopie Pies 07. The Irish Mojito 08. Steak and Guinness Pie 09. Chocolate Stout Cake 10. Guinness Chocolate [...]
Happy {St. Patrick’s} Day
21 October, 2012 at 10:12 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
[...] Stew 02. Shamrock Cake 03. Homemade Irish Cream 04. Irish Soda Bread 05. Irish Potato Candy 06. Car Bomb Whoopie Pies 07. The Irish Mojito 08. Steak and Guinness Pie 09. Chocolate Stout Cake 10. Guinness Chocolate [...]
Cooking with Guinness: Your Guide to Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day – The Daily SouthThe Daily South | Your Hub for Southern Culture
15 March, 2013 at 4:01 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
[...] Photo and Recipe from Poet in the Pantry [...]