Chocolate Whoopie Pies

Inspired by the Whoopie Pie cookies now being sold at Starbucks, I decided to see if I could make a better version. This recipe is adapted from another recipe Grandma Mo sent me; she got it from a Penzeys Spices catalog. (Until recently, I used to think Penzeys Spices was a Milwaukee thing. There’s a Penzeys right down the street from me in Clackamas.)

cookie ingredients.

2 eggs
2/3 c. canola oil
2 1/3 c. sugar
5 c. flour
1 1/2 c. cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

filling ingredients.

1 c. butter (2 sticks), room temperature
2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
2 7-oz containers of marshmallow creme
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

directions.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease two large cookie sheets and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the egg and vegetable oil. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until pale yellow in color.
In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and vanilla. While mixing, alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the egg and sugar, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
Drop the batter by tablespoons onto the cookie sheets. These will spread a lot, so make 6 cookies per sheet at a time.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly touched. Remove to wire racks and cool. When cool, spread filling between two cookies to make sandwiches.
For filling, in a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and beat until light and fluffy.

I made the cookies ahead of time and froze them, which I found helpful during the assemblage. I was pretty pleased that I had just enough filling — when I made Oatmeal Creme Pies I had a ton of creme filling left over — though I’ll admit I have a heavy hand when filling these pies.

I made mine bigger than the ones they sell at Starbucks. The cookies seemed to double in size when I baked them! Oh well. If you want a small Whoopie Pie, use a teaspoon to scoop the dough onto the cookie sheet. I used a tablespoon and the cookies turned out pretty big.

I bit into one of the finished product intending to take only a bite. Yeah. That didn’t happen.

Recipe rating: 