Name: Whoopie Pies with Mint Filling and Chocolate Ganache
Yield: Makes about 15 sandwich cookies
Ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour; 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 1/8 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 cup nonhydrogenated solid vegetable shortening or unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature; 1 cup sugar; 2 large egg yolks; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 1 cup whole milk; 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated solid vegetable shortening or unsalted butter, room temperature; 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract; 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar; 1/4 cup egg whites (from about 2 large eggs); 3 to 4 drops green food coloring; 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream; 1/2 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips; Pastry bag or resealable plastic bag; Medium-size star pastry tip

Why it works: Vanilla and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Vanilla + milktop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,187 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Vanilla + pepperminttop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together459 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Cocoa powder + vanillatop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,189 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the peppermint

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, milk):

Cinnamonfits better
Nutmegfits better
Clovefits about as well
Peppermintthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, cocoa powder, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, milk. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Chocolate	1 oz (28g) semisweet	155
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Vegetable	1 tbsp (14g)	120
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Peppermint	not in our table	0
Pastry	not in our table	0

Whoopie Pies with Mint Filling and Chocolate Ganache