Recipe: Double Chocolate Mocha Whoopie Pies

This half cookie - half cake takes our favorite flavors (chocolate and coffee, of course) and melds them into a grown up version of the whoopie pie you loved as a kid. We’ll be bringing these sweet, sophisticated sandwiches to our picnics, bbqs and  pool parties all summer long (and savoring a few spoonfuls of  whipped mocha buttercream along the way 😋).

Prep Time: 30 mins  Cook Time: 10 mins  Total Time: 40 mins 

Recipe Yield: 18-20 sandwiched whoopie pies

Recipe by: RosemaryWhisk.com

Ingredients

Cocoa Buttermilk Cookie:

1 ⅔ cup all purpose flour*

⅔ cup Cocoa Powder 

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1 large egg, room temperature 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ¼ cup buttermilk, room temperature

Whipped Mocha Buttercream:

½ cup (3oz) high quality milk chocolate, chopped

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 ¼ cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 oz espresso (1 shot) or extremely strong coffee 

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour*, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat together for another 3 minutes.

4. Add half of the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk to the batter and mix on low until almost combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl. Add the remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk and mix until combined. The batter should be fluffy and look like very thick cake batter. 

5. Using a 1 - 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-11 minutes, or until the cookies spring back slightly when gently pressed. Let cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. 

6. While cooling, make your whipped mocha buttercream: in a medium bowl, melt the chopped chocolate (in the microwave in 30 second increments stirring in between, or over a water bath). Let chocolate cool almost to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Caution: If you use warm chocolate, your buttercream will melt!!

7. In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment), combine the butter with half of the powdered sugar. Beat until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the remaining powdered sugar and beat again. Whip on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until light, smooth and creamy.

8. Add the vanilla, cooled espresso (or strong coffee), salt and melted COOLED chocolate to the buttercream. Mix on high for 4 minutes, scraping sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the chocolate.

9. Assemble your sandwiches: place the buttercream in a piping bag with a star piping tip or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off to pipe in between two cookies. Sandwich together and enjoy. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Notes:

• *For gluten free whoopie pies, use your favorite GF Flour Blend + ½ tsp xanthan gum. After mixing, let the batter rest for 7-10 minutes. This allows the starches to hydrate and helps prevent the cookies from being grainy.

• Pro Tip: Make sure your buttermilk is at room temperature, as adding it into the batter straight from the fridge can cause the smooth batter to become chunky (caused by the cold milk hitting the softened butter). If you’re in a hurry, you can always heat the milk in the microwave for about 30 seconds. 

• Recipes adapted from and with thanks to: Handle the Heat (cookie) and Rosemary Whisk (buttercream)

Recipes and Photos Courtesy of Hannah Councilman at RosemaryWhisk.com (@RosemaryWhisk)