Recipe: Orange-Zested Buttercream

Full disclosure: I got the base buttercream recipe from the book Whoopie Pies: Dozens of Mix 'em, Match 'em, Eat 'em Up Recipes by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell; my original contribution is the orange zest. I promise it makes a huge difference. Zesting a whole orange will perfume your kitchen and if you love the combination of dark chocolate and citrus like I do, using this buttercream to fill your chocolate whoopie pies will really hit the spot.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 stick room temperature salted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange

Directions
You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, a hand mixer, or—if you are hardcore like me— a regular metal spoon. Beat together the sugar and the butter; the mixture will be crumbly. Add the milk and the vanilla. Beat everything together until the mixture is fluffy and creamy. Mix in the orange zest. If the moisture from the zest throws off the texture of the buttercream, add another tablespoon of confectioner's sugar. You can't over-stir the buttercream, so keep beating it until your arm gets too tired or you achieve the desired fluffiness and creaminess.

With this recipe, I generously filled 12 2-inch whoopie pies and still had a little bit left over, so I would say there is enough for 15 whoopie pies here.

| Photo Credit: Me. |