Classic Whoopie Pie vs Cannelés de Bordeaux: Caramelized Rum and Vanilla Pastries

Both desserts lean on sugar, milk, butter and egg, yet they use them in very different ways. The Whoopie Pie creams butter with sugar into a cocoa batter, bakes it in spoonfuls and sandwiches the cooled cookies around a smooth, fluffy filling of butter, shortening, powdered sugar and vanilla. The Cannelé instead whisks warm milk into whole egg, extra yolks, flour and sugar, adds melted butter, dark rum and vanilla, and rests the batter for at least 12 hours. Long baking gives it a deep mahogany, crispy crust, a contrast to the chocolatey, cream-filled sandwich.