Chocolate Whoopie Pies

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (Gas 4) and line a large flat baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

Make the cakes first by gently melting the butter and dark chocolate together. They need to be a smooth liquid but don't let them overheat and bubble. Then let them cool.

Whisk the egg until it's frothy and then beat in the brown sugar a bit at a time until the egg/sugar mixture is well-mixed, thick and glossy. To this you then beat in the butter/chocolate mixture, the soured cream, milk and vanilla extract.

Sift the bicarb of soda and the flour together and add them a bit at a time to the mixtured folding in gently. Be patient, the results are worth it.

If you have a wide piping nozzle, you can now pipe walnut-sized neat portions on to your paper-lined baking tray about 3-4 cm apart (to allow them to spread as they cook). For my first attempt (pictured) I just spooned the mixture out which is less neat but tastes just as good.

There'll probably be too much mixture for one tray so you may need to bake them in batches.

They need about 12-14 minutes....but keep an eye on them towards the end. Let them cool on a baking rack while you bake the rest and then make the filling.

For the filling, heat the marshmallows and milk together in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring all the time.

Once the mixture's smooth, let it cool a bit while you beat the softened butter until it's creamy.

Next, gradually beat the butter into the marshmallow mixture until it's smooth again.

Sandwich the pies together in paris using the cream.

For the final touch, make up chocolate icing and add to the top of the pies with chocolate sprinkles to finish.

They're only really good to eat the same day once they are filled and iced.