Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Whoopie Pies

Raw cookie dough. It’s one of life’s little pleasures, don’t you think? I’ve always enjoyed cookie dough more than the actual baked cookies; before I started baking I’d buy slice and bake cookie dough from the store and not a single bit of it would ever see the inside of an oven 🙂

I won’t lie, I’ve never really worried about the eggs in raw cookie dough. I’m sure the fact that I never got sick eating it has something to do with that… But anyway, if you’re not keen on raw eggs, you’re in luck because eggless cookie dough is all the rage lately. I experimented with it a few years ago with these cupcakes, but more recently I’m seeing it everywhere (including in this book, which I highly recommend!). And if you’re wondering how it tastes, every version I’ve tried (and there have been several) has been delicious. The texture’s slightly different than what you’ve probably come to expect of raw cookie dough, but the flavor is spot on.

It’s been ages, about eight long months to be more precise, since I last shared a whoopie pie recipe here, but rest assured, I’m just as obsessed with them as ever. As soon as I saw these cookie dough whoopie pies, I knew I needed them in my life. Classic chocolate whoopie pie cookies with an eggless chocolate chip cookie dough filling – it’s the stuff my dreams are made of! The chocolate cookie is soft and cake-y, and pairs perfectly with the sweet filling. My resident taste tester couldn’t get enough of them – I was more than a little worried they’d be gone before I got a chance to photograph them!

And yes, I did want to eat about 10 of these after the Pats game last night. Ugh.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Whoopie Pies
cookies adapted from Martha Stewart, cookie dough filling adapted from Cookies & Cups (via Smells Like Home)

Cookies
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cookie Dough Filling
3/4 cup unsalted butter (12 tablespoons), at room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup + 1 1/2 teaspoons milk (I used 1%)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl. (Note: I usually just whisk, but you really want to make sure you don’t end up with lumps from the cocoa powder.) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, beating to incorporate, then mix in the buttermilk and vanilla until combined (the batter may look curdled, mine did). With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl and ensure the batter is uniformly mixed.

Using a small cookie scoop (mine measures about 1 1/2 inches across – you’ll need to adjust the baking time accordingly if yours is larger), portion the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 8 minutes (rotating the baking sheets halfway through), or until the cookies spring back when gently pressed. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes then remove the cookies to the racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

To make the cookie dough filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the milk and vanilla until combined. Gradually add the flour, beating until incorporated, then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute. If the batter seems especially thick, beat in just a little more milk (I did about 1 1/2 teaspoons). Use a rubber spatula to stir in the mini chocolate chips.

Match the cookies in pairs by size. Transfer the filling to a piping bag – make sure the tip you use (or the opening you cut if you don’t use a tip) is large enough to accomodate the mini chocolate chips. Pipe a small amount onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair. Sandwich the cookies together. (Note: I usually pipe the filling in the center and push it out toward the edges when I sandwich the cookies, but the combination of a stiffer filling and soft cookies here made it difficult. Instead, I piped the filling in a spiral pattern almost entirely covering one of the cookies and just topped it with the second.)

Makes 20-24 whoopie pies