Whoopie pies are chocolate cake-like cookies filled with a whipped buttercream filling. These sandwich cookies are rich, decadent, and a crowd favorite chocolate cookie recipe.
Have you heard of whoopie pies before? How about gobs, or “big fat oreos”? No matter what you call them, these cookies are a delicious cross between chocolate cake and sandwich cookie.
These soft cookies are essentially round chocolate cakes, sandwiched around a whipped buttercream filling. If you haven’t had one before, and you’re a fan of either (1) chocolate cake, or (2) chocolate cookies, you are sure to love whoopie pies.
Plus, who doesn’t love a whipped buttercream filling?
Whoopie pies are an American cookie, mostly popular in northeast states like Maine and Pennsylvania. The name “gob” is native to Pittsburgh, PA and surrounding areas.
How to Make Whoopie Pies
How to Make Whoopie PiesWhoopie pies take several steps to make and assemble, but it’s worth it – I promise! Plus, these cookies are surprisingly simple to make.
First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Next, gather your ingredients. For this recipe, you’ll need milk, brown sugar, butter, eggs, flour, vanilla extract, dutch process cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
It’s important that dutch process cocoa powder is used for this recipe, rather than regular cocoa powder. Dutch process gives these cookies their rich color and flavor.
This recipe accounts for the use of dutch process cocoa, which is not acidic like regular cocoa. This is why baking powder is the main leaving agent in this recipe, with less baking soda called for. Read more about Natural VS Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder.
First, add your butter and sugar to a bowl and mix until creamy, about a minute.
Then, add your egg and vanilla extract, again beating until creamy and fully incorporated.
Next, you’ll want to grab your milk and dry ingredients.
If you haven’t already, sift all of your dry ingredients together into a single bowl. This includes your flour, dutch process cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Next, alternate adding half of your dry ingredients, mixing, then adding half of your milk, until all ingredients have been incorporated into your dough/batter.
Next, scoop your cookie dough onto a baking sheet. I like to use a medium OXO cookie scoop to make perfectly sized cookies. This is especially important when making sandwich cookies, so they’ll match up with each other.
Scoop your cookies 2 inches apart onto your prepared baking sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until the cookies have puffed up and the tops have cracked.
Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before adding your filling.
Whipped Buttercream Filling
Whipped Buttercream FillingMaking your buttercream filling is a simple process. First, you’ll need to gather your ingredients – confectioner’s sugar, butter, heavy cream, and vanilla extract.
Next, cream your butter in a large bowl. Then, add your confectioner’s sugar and mix until incorporated. Once incorporated, turn up your mixer and whip for another 2-3 minutes – your frosting should be fluffy.
Next, add your vanilla extract and heavy cream. Starting slowly and increasing speed once incorporated, beat for another 2-3 minutes, or until fluffy.
Filling Your Whoopie Pies
Filling Your Whoopie PiesNow is time to fill your whoopie pies. I like to spoon my frosting into a gallon sized bag or pastry bag, then cut off the tip for quick and easy piping. You can also use a knife or spoon to add frosting to your cookies.
If you want, go through your cookies and pair them up with other like-sized cookies. If you used a cookie scoop to measure your dough out, this should be an easy task.
Fill each cookie with a generous amount of frosting, then top with another cookie.
Customizing Your Whoopie Pies
Customizing Your Whoopie PiesYour whoopie pies are complete! If you’re feeling festive, try rolling the edges of the frosting in colorful sprinkles. Try red and green sprinkles for Christmas, red and pink for Valentine’s Day, or match with your favorite sports team.
You can also add food coloring to your frosting before piping it onto your cookies. Pink and blue colors for a baby shower, or orange frosting for Halloween.
Or, use rainbow sprinkles for your next birthday party!
Did you use a custom color in your whoopie pies? Tell us about it in the comments below.
More Chocolate Cookie Recipes
Looking for chocolate cookies? Here are a few more of my favorite recipes:
- Dutch Cocoa Cookies
- Mint Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Sprinkle Monster Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa Cookies
- Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder *
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Whipped Buttercream Filling
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Beat until creamy, about a minute.
- In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients: flour, dutch cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix until just combined. Add half of milk and mix until combined. Repeat once more until add ingredients are incorporated.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (or a heaping tablespoon), spoon cookie dough 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet. Recipe should make 32 individual cookies.
- Bake 9-10 minutes, or until cookies are puffy and tops have cracked.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Whipped Buttercream Filling
- In a bowl, add room temperature butter, beat until creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add confectioner's sugar and slowly mix until ingredients are fully combined. Then, whip at high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla extract and heavy cream, then whip for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Pipe or spread frosting generously with a knife onto the bottoms of half of the cookies, then top with remaining unfrosted cookies, making a sandwich.
Notes
- *It's important that dutch process cocoa powder is used for this recipe, rather than regular cocoa powder. Dutch process gives these cookies their rich color and flavor. The leavening agents in this recipe also rely in the proper amount (or lack) of acidity in this recipe to bake and rise properly.
- This recipe makes 32 chocolate cookies, or 16 sandwich cookies when assembled.
- Your cookies will keep for 4-5 days in a sealed container. To help keep cookies fresh, you can place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. Replace the bread slice as needed.
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