These Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies have a creamy peanut butter buttercream filling sandwiched between soft and tender cake-like chocolate cookies. A delightful sweet treat that is simple to make!
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Why We Love These Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies
- An easy whoopie pie recipe with a creamy filling that has a fun peanut butter twist.
- Simple ingredients that are mostly pantry staples.
- These whoopie pies are freezer friendly! Make a double batch and have a sweet treat on hand at all times!
- A soft texture in the cake-like cookie with the creamiest filling is exactly what whoopie pies are all about!
- This sandwich cookie is perfect for serving at parties, pot lucks, holidays or selling at bake sales.
- A delicious flavor combo for all the chocolate peanut butter lovers in your life!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies Recipe Ingredients
- Salted Butter
- Light Brown Sugar
- White Sugar
- Large Egg
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Instant Coffee Granules
- Hot Water
- All Purpose Flour
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Buttermilk
- Creamy Peanut Butter
- Powdered Sugar
Substitution Suggestions
- Salted Butter: Feel free to use unsalted butter in the batter an frosting. I suggest adding an additional ¼ teaspoon of salt to the batter and a ½ teaspoon of salt to the frosting.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: I always recommend using pure extracts. Imitation extracts can leave an unwanted after taste in your cookies, frostings and other baked goods.
- Instant Coffee Granules: This is an optional ingredient but it really brings out the chocolate flavor in the cookies. You can also use instant espresso powder.
- All Purpose Flour: I like to use all purpose flour for the whoopie pies because it yields the best texture. You can also use whole wheat flour and white whole wheat flour, however the texture will be a bit more dense.
- Cocoa Powder: I like to use Hershey's cocoa powder with this recipe. You can also use Hershey's dark chocolate cocoa powder or Dutch process cocoa powder.
- Buttermilk: If you don't have any buttermilk you can use half and half or any type of milk you drink. You can also make your own buttermilk. Combine 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar per 1 cup of milk. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes then use it in all your recipes!
- Peanut Butter: I like to use JIF Natural creamy peanut butter in the filling. Natural peanut butter that easily separates doesn't work well in the frosting.
These chocolate whoopie pies with creamy peanut butter filling are the perfect little treats for sharing!
How to Make Whoopie Pies
- First, preheat oven to 375°F and line at least 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Alternately you can use a whoopie pie pan with 2 inch diameter cavities.
- Next, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with hand mixer, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. About 3-4 minutes.
- While the butter and sugars are creaming together, dissolve the instant coffee in hot water.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract and coffee. Mix together well until creamy.
- Now, add the dry ingredients: all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Mix on low speed just until combined. It will be crumbly.
- Then add the buttermilk and mix together until smooth and creamy, and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Using a heaping small scoop or a rounded tablespoon, drop cookies 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake cookies on center rack in preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until the cookies no longer look glossy and bounce back when touched. Let cookies cool on pan for 5 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
How to Make Peanut Butter Filling Recipe
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the softened butter and peanut butter until light and creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until fully combined. Then bump up the speed to medium-low and mix until light and fluffy scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Using a medium scoop or 2 tablespoons, add the filling to the underside or the flat side of half of the cookies and top with the remaining cookies. Or to make them look fancy you can use a piping bag with a large star tip.
Are sandwich cookies your thing? Try my homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies! They are absolutely divine! Or try these sweet Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches. Ice cream and cookies together? Yes please!
Storing Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies
Storing: Store the whoopie pies in an airtight container between layers of wax paper or parchment paper at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge. If you store them in the fridge they will last a bit longer but may dry out a little bit. You can also individually wrap them in plastic wrap and store in container.
Freezing: These whoopie pies freeze great! Store the whoopie pies in a freezer safe air tight container between layers of wax paper. Or you can individually wrap the whoopie pies in plastic wrap and place in freezer safe container or freezer bag. Label, date and freeze for up to 4 months.
Thawing: Simply thaw at room temperature or in the fridge until soft enough to eat.
Heather's Favorite Tools for this Recipe
- I don't think I could live without my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. It's the best tool ever for making cookies and so many other things.
- Long ago, I used to be a Pampered Chef consultant and I still prefer their baking tools and pans to any others. Their cookies sheets are the only ones I use for cookies. Find yourself a consultant, host a party and treat yourself to a set.
- A small cookie scoop is great for the whoopie pies and a medium scoop works perfectly for the filling.
- Pre-cut parchment paper is a life saver and so easy. No cutting my fingers!
- Prefer to use reusable mats, this silicone mat is a great option.
- If you're packaging them up for a bake sale these Self Sealing Cellophane Bags are the best!
Tips for Whoopie Pies with Peanut Butter Filling
- Gather all your ingredients before you start baking. It is so much easier to bake when all your ingredients are ready. Plus, there is less room for error. Like forgetting an essential ingredient. I'm not saying I've done this, however, I am speaking from experience!
- Always read the recipe from start to finish before you start. Again, I am speaking from experience.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It helps everything mix together properly.
- Make sure to fluff your flour a bit before you measure it. When it sits for periods of time it becomes packed. Fluffy flour is better for the perfect cookie texture. To fluff your flour, just scoop it and dump it a few times or whisk it and then measure it out.
- Use a cookie scoop to get the same size cookies, that way they will all bake evenly. I like to use a small cookie scoop that is 1 tablespoon in size.
- For best results don't over bake the cookies. Over baking will cause the cookies to be dry and hard. The edges should be set and the centers should no longer look wet and glossy.
- Beat the butter and peanut butter for the filling until it is pale in color and light and fluffy. Beat it long enough!
- Once all the frosting ingredients are added bump up the speed to medium and beat until light and airy, about 3-4 minutes, while scraping the sides of the bowl a few times.
More Chocolate and Peanut Butter Recipes:
- Peanut Butter Brownie Bars
- Gourmet Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
- Ultimate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes
- Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
- Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Peanut Butter Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Muffins
- Peanut Butter Cereal Bars
- No Bake Scotcharoos
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Classic Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Temptation Cookies
- No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
- Peanut Butter Banana Brownies
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies
These Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies have a creamy peanut butter buttercream filling sandwiched between soft and tender cake-like chocolate cookies. A delightful sweet treat that is simple to make!
Servings: 28 sandwiches
Ingredients
Whoopie Pies
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon instant coffee granules
- 1 tablespoon hot water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups buttermilk
Peanut Butter Filling
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Whoopie Pies
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line at least 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. About 3-4 minutes.
- While the butter and sugars are creaming together, dissolve the instant coffee in hot water.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract and coffee. Mix together well until creamy.
- Add the all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Mix on low speed just until combined. It will be crumbly.
- Add the buttermilk and mix together until smooth and creamy, and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Using a heaping small scoop or a rounded tablespoon, drop cookies 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake cookies on center rack in preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until the cookies no longer look glossy and bounce back when touched. Let cookies cool on pan for 5 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
Peanut Butter Filling
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the softened butter and peanut butter until light and creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until fully combined. Then bump up the speed to medium-low and mix until light and fluffy scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Using a medium scoop or 2 tablespoons, add the filling to the flat side of half the cookies and top with the remaining cookies.
Nutrition
Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 213mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 331IU | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg
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Shannon says
Hi. I did not see any baking powder in the recipe so didn't add. They came out flat. I then saw that it is listed in the instructions. It should be added to the ingredients.
Heather says
There is only baking soda in this recipe. Hope that helps!