Chocolate Marshmallow Whoopie Pies

From time to time, I’ll be asked for recipe recommendations by friends or family members and I love being able to make a suggestion; it’s one of the major benefits of having tried so many recipes for my blog.  It’s rare that I can’t come up with something to pass along.  Recently, though, a friend wanted a whoopie pie recommendation and I confess I was a bit stumped.  My mind went immediately to the pumpkin whoopie pies I made last fall, which were amazing.  I like to bake with pumpkin year-round, but I figure not everyone shares my passion for pumpkin, so I also wanted to offer an alternative suggestion.  As I dug through my archives I was pretty surprised to discover I’d never made another whoopie pie variation!  I knew I had to remedy that quickly, so I made this recipe a few weeks later.

This is a traditional whoopie pie – a marshmallow creme center sandwiched between two chocolate cookies – and, I’m glad to say, it does not disappoint.  The cookies themselves are rich and chocolaty, but not too sweet, making them a perfect match for the marshmallow filling.  If your mind works like mine, you might be worried about the texture of the filling, given that it contains fluff, a notoriously sticky, messy ingredient to work with.  I can assure you the filling is great once it comes together – neither overly sticky nor sickly sweet.  My biggest tip for this recipe – make sure you sift your cocoa powder before adding it to the batter.  I rarely sift anything anymore as I find whisking generally does the job but I regretted skipping it here.  I couldn’t get the lumps of cocoa powder broken up in the batter and my cookies emerged from the oven with visible lumps of cocoa powder – not good but easily fixed next time. 

I will happily recommend these next time someone asks about whoopie pies.  And now I want to search out even more recipes to try, because I’m pretty sure you can never have enough whoopie pies in your arsenal 🙂

Chocolate Marshmallow Whoopie Pies
from Martha Stewart (via Annie’s Eats)

Cookies
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
7 1/2 oz marshmallow fluff
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

To make the cookies: In a medium bowl sift the flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder together.  (Don’t skip the sifting – you will have lumps of cocoa powder in your cookies if you do.)  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in the buttermilk and vanilla extract until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.

Using a 1-oz dough scoop, drop the batter onto the prepared baking pans, 12 cookies per pan.  Bake for 10-12 minutes (rotating the pans halfway through) until the cookies spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.  Repeat with remaining dough.

To make the filling:  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.  Add the confectioner’s sugar and beat until incorporated – the mixture will become crumbly at first, just keep beating and it will come together.  Add the marshmallow fluff and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

When the cookies have cooled completely, pair them up by size.  Spread (or pipe) a dollop of the filling on the flat side of one cookie from each pair.  Sandwich the cookies, pressing together to push the filling to the edges.

Store the whoopie pies in an airtight container.

Makes about 24 whoopie pies