Chocolate Whoopie Pies
Hooray! You just found the BEST chocolate whoopie pie recipe! Decadent buttercream sandwiched between two amazingly cakey chocolate cookies.
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Whoopie Pie Recipe
If you’re from New England, you likely grew up on whoopie pies. While the rest of America might call chocolate whoopie pies homemade oreos, whoopie pies are really an iconic, traditional cakey sandwich cookie from Maine / Pennsylvania (the juries still out on that one). But no matter where they technically originated, whoopie pies are dang good.
A traditional whoopie pie recipe takes two chocolate cake rounds and fills them with a buttercream/marshmallow fluff mixture to create a hand-held dessert sandwich. This recipe for chocolate whoopie pies absolutely nails the textbook cake-like cookie and is filled with a decadent, bright-white vanilla buttercream. From the first to last bite, you’re going to be in a state of euphoric bliss.
Ingredients in Chocolate Whoopie Pies
- Salted butter, partially melted – I always use salted butter! You can sub unsalted – just add a pinch of salt to the dough.
- Brown sugar – Just brown sugar in this recipe because that keeps things nice and soft compared to granulated sugar.
- Eggs
- vanilla extract – It’s a lot of vanilla but trust me, it really enhances the cocoa!
- All-purpose flour
- Dutch processed cocoa powder – I like Ghirardelli brand dutch processed cocoa but you can use whatever cocoa you have on hand.
- Cornstarch – The cornstarch will help the whoopie pies stay nice and cakey.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Buttermilk – The buttermilk will react with the baking soda to raise the cookies while baking and make it fluffy and cakelike. #science.
Vanilla Buttercream Filling
- Salted butter, softened – Again, salted.
- Powdered sugar
- Clear vanilla extract – You could use vanilla that isn’t clear in the frosting but the frosting will have an off white look instead of a bright white.
- Heavy whipping cream
How to Make Chocolate Whoopie Pies
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, combine the partially melted butter and brown sugar until combined.
- Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing well.
- Next, add the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda and salt to the bowl. Slowly start mixing.
- As the dry ingredients are mixing in, slowly add in the buttermilk.
- Mix until a thick batter forms.
- Add the batter to a piping bag. Pipe round circles equal in size onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving room for the cookies to bake and spread. Alternatively you can scoop the batter onto the pan.
- Bake at 375° F for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies have spread and no longer look wet and underbaked in the center of the cookie.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan.
- While the cookies are cooling, make the filling.
- To make the filling, slowly cream the softened butter until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add a splash of heavy cream to the bowl to help incorporate the powdered sugar into the butter.
- Repeat this process until all 3 cups of powdered sugar have been added.
- Next, add in the clear vanilla extract.
- Add more heavy cream to thin the filling, if needed.
- Add the filling to a piping bag. Pipe the filling onto the bottom of a cooled chocolate cookie and top it with another cookie cookie to create the whoopie pie. Repeat with remaining cookies.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 1 week in the fridge.
- Enjoy!
How do I make neat whoopie pies?
A piping bag is your best friend here! Instead of scooping the batter onto the pan, Add your batter to a piping bag. Pipe round circles equal in size onto your prepared baking sheet, leaving room for the cookies to bake and spread.
Then, once your cookies are cooled, add your filling to a piping bag and pipe it onto the bottom of one chocolate cookie. Press a second cookie on top to make your whoopie pie!
What’s the best way to store leftover chocolate whoopie pies?
Once assembled, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or on the counter for 3 days! These cookies also freeze well and can be stored in a resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months. I have a post all about how to freeze cookies if you’d like more guidance!
What fillings can I use for chocolate whoopie pies?
A double chocolate whoopie pie would be absolutely to die for! If that sounds like your kind of heaven, try making this brownie frosting instead of vanilla buttercream. Cookie dough frosting would also be unreal!
If you love Whoopie Pies, you’ll love these!
Chocolate Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
Vanilla Buttercream Filling
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp clear vanilla extract
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer combine the partially melted butter and brown sugar until combined.
- Add the egg and vanilla, mixing well.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, soda and salt to the bowl. Slowly start mixing. As the dry ingredients are mixing in, slowly add in the buttermilk.
- Mix until a thick batter forms.
- Add the batter to a piping bag. Pipe round circles equal in size onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving room for the cookies to bake and spread. Alternatively you can scoop the batter onto the pan.
- Bake at 375° F for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies have spread and no longer look wet and underbaked in the center of the cookie. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan.
- While the cookies are cooling, make the filling.
- To make the filling, slowly cream the butter until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add a splash of heavy cream to the bowl to help incorporate the powdered sugar into the butter.
- Repeat the last step until all 3 cups of powdered sugar has been added.
- Add in the clear vanilla extract.
- Add more heavy cream to thin the filling, if needed.
- Add the filling to a piping bag. Pipe the filling onto the bottom of a cooled chocolate cookie and top it with another cookie to create the whoopie pie. Repeat with remaining cookies.
- Store in an air tight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 1 week in the fridge.
