Chocolate Whoopie Pies

This isn't a picture of the ones I made but they looked exactly like this. I have been reading on some blogs lately about these cookies and thought I would give them a whirl. They turned out pretty tasty. There are all sorts of varieties of them - pumpkin, chocolate, plain cake. These are chocolate ones. They taste kind of like a big, homemade oreo.

1 cup shortening 2 cups white sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup sour milk 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 cup hot water 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups shortening 4 cups confectioners' sugar 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup milk 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract 2 egg whites, beaten

	Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
	In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup of shortening and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time then stir in the vanilla and sour milk. Combine the flour, cocoa and salt, stir into the creamed mixture. Stir together the baking soda and hot water then mix them into the batter last. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.
	Bake for 8 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm but not overbaked. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
	To make the filling: In a medium bowl, cream together the 1 1/2 cups shortening with the confectioners' sugar and 1/4 cup of flour until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the milk and vanilla until well mixed, then fold in the egg whites. Sandwich at least 1 tablespoon of filling between the flat sides of two cookies.