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20
May
Chocolate and Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies
Last year, I organised a bake sale at work to raise money for Comic Relief. It was fairly successful. Everyone that attended seemed to have a good time, and lots of cake, cookies and cupcakes were eaten, as well as a reasonable sum of money raised. The University I work for are running a campaign to raise money for a new Children’s Brain Tumour Research centre, and have tasked each department to do their bit, so I was volunteered to help arrange a bake sale.
A key thing for bake sales, or any other event where you are taking baked goods to be shared amongst many, it to take things that are already portioned. Things like cupcakes or cookies are more ideal than an elaborate cake. Tray bakes such as flapjack or brownies are also great, as they can be portioned ahead of time, and are easy to transport.
I considered what I would make for this event, and quickly decided on Whoopie Pies and chocolate chip cookies (more on those later). I adore whoopie pies, which if you haven’t heard of them before, you may be confused to learn they are not really a pie, but somewhere between a sandwich cookie and a cake. A traditional favourite in the New England area, they traditionally come in chocolate with a marshmallow cream filling. Like their cousin the cupcake however, they have been through some kind of renaissance, and can now be made in a multitude of flavour combinations, limited only by one’s imagination. For this occasion, I plumped for my favourite flavour combo, chocolate and peanut butter.
Chocolate and Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies
Print recipe
Ingredients
Whoopie Pie
- 270g Plain Flour
- 5 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 pinch Salt
- 190g Caster Sugar
- 120g Unsalted Butter
- 2 Large Free-range Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 250ml Buttermilk
Filling
- 115g Unsalted Butter
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 150g Peanut Butter (smooth)
- 250g Icing Sugar (sifted)
Directions
| 1. | Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 4 / 180°C / 350°F and line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper |
| 2. | Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside |
| 3. | In the mixer, cream the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy |
| 4. | Add the eggs a little at a time, ensuring that they are mixed well between each addition |
| 5. | Add a third of the flour mixture and mix until just combined |
| 6. | Mix the vanilla extract into the buttermilk, and add half to the mixture |
| 7. | Add in another third of the flour, followed by the final half of the buttermilk |
| 8. | Add in the final third of the flour, mixing until just combined |
| 9. | Place mixture in a large piping bag with a ½" nozzle. Pipe small mounds of mixture onto the baking sheet about 1½" wide, allowing plenty of space between to spread |
| 10. | Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the top is puffed up and slightly springy |
| 11. | Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring onto a rack to cool fully |
| 12. | While they cool, prepare the filling |
| 13. | Beat the butter until pale and creamy |
| 14. | Mix in the peanut butter until smooth and well combined |
| 15. | Add in the icing sugar and beat until fluffy. Add in a splash of milk for a slightly softer texture |
| 16. | Using a star shaped nozzle, pipe some of the filling onto one half, starting at the edge and spiralling in to the centre |
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