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Chocolate Whoopie Pies have two layers of moist chocolate cake sandwiched around a silky cream cheese frosting. The chocolate pie layers are made by baking dollops of a thick chocolate cake batter. These treats are easy to make, aren’t too sweet, and are always a crowd-pleaser!
This recipe was originally published in May of 2018. I’ve since updated the photos, fine tuned the recipe directions, and increased the frosting quantity a bit.
Why you’ll love Chocolate Whoopie Pies:
- Pillowy Chocolate Whoopie Pies – Are they cake? Are they cookies? Who cares! Whatever you want to call them, these baked goodies are moist, tender, and oh-so chocolatey.
- Cream Cheese Frosting – I almost always use cream cheese in my frostings – it adds so much silkiness and everyone always loves it. Sandwiched between two soft chocolate cookies, this rich and creamy filling is pure heaven!
- Impressive but Easy – Whoopie pies certainly look like bakery-quality treats, but they’re SO easy to make! Even though the batter is cake-like, these are as easy as making cookies and frosting, and then combining them.
Ingredient Overview:
As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Use the table of contents (back at the top, below the first image, to navigate).
- Butter – I always use salted butter because in my experience, it lends the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted butter if that’s what you prefer.
- Egg – Use large eggs, at room temperature.
- Vanilla – Use real vanilla for the best flavor.
- Buttermilk – Use real buttermilk!
- Cocoa Powder – Use natural cocoa powder. Don’t use dutch process this time – I haven’t tested it in this recipe and it can react differently with the baking soda.
- Cream Cheese – Use full fat blocks of cream cheese, softened on the counter.
Recipe Substitutions & Variations:
- Gluten-free/Dairy-free – I have not tested a dairy-free or dairy-free version of this recipe.
How to Make Whoopie Pies:
Step 1: Make the Batter. In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and brown sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Alternate adding the buttermilk and the dry ingredients until everything is combined.
Step 2: Scoop. Scoop the batter with a cookie scoop, and plop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Be sure to leave room for them to expand as they bake.
Step 3: Bake. The chocolate whoopie pies may not be the most perfect circles ever, but that’s completely fine. Let them cool completely while you make the frosting.
Step 3: Make the Frosting. While the whoopie pie cookies are cooling, make the frosting. Beat together butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt. Taste and adjust as desired.
Step 4: Assemble. Pipe frosting on the flat side of half of all the whoopie pie rounds, and then sandwich an unfrosted piece on top. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired!
Serving + Storing:
Dig in as soon as you’ve sprinkled on the powdered sugar. Store leftover whoopie pies in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Love whoopie pies? Try My Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, next! Love chocolate desserts? Try my super moist Chocolate Cupcakes!
Expert Baking Tips:
- Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. Accurate oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
- Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your flour is at the proper weight, since amounts will vary SO widely based on how you measure it, as well as the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized.
- Chill Out – Don’t attempt to assemble until the chocolate whoopie pie cookies are totally cooled. Even a slightly warm cookie/cake will cause the cream cheese frosting to melt.
FAQs:
Your baking soda may be expired. You can test if it’s still active by adding a little to a small bowl and adding a splash of vinegar. If it bubbles and fizzes aggressively, it’s still good. Also, be sure to check your oven thermometer. An oven being off even just a few degrees can have a major impact on how things bake. These also bake up taller on a dark cookie sheet, rather than a light one.
You might notice that the batter is made with the same ingredients you’d need for a cake. And, it’s made in the same way too! But this batter is a bit thicker – so it can hold a shape on the pan. It has the taste and texture of moist and fluffy cake though – it really isn’t like a cookie, except for that fact that it’s a hand-held dessert!
Special Tools:
- Standing Mixer – The easiest way to make batters and doughs is with a quality stand mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment) that does all of the hard work for you!
- Electric Mixer – A handy electric mixer is great for quick whipping, like making cream cheese frosting.
More Easy Dessert Recipes:
- Best-Ever 5 Ingredient Brownies
- S’mores Donuts
- Fudgy Triple Chocolate Skillet Brownie
- Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Tiramisu Cookies with Whipped Mascarpone Frosting
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment & star rating!
Click the little stars in the header of the recipe card below to leave a comment & star rating, letting me know how you liked the recipe. I take all feedback seriously, & leaving a rating helps my small business immensely!
Chocolate Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
For the Whoopie Pies:
- 2 cups + 2.5 tbsp all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out , 280 grams
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp, cocoa powder, 37 grams
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 and 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature , 113 grams
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed, 220 grams
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature , 240 grams
For the Frosting:
- 6 tbsp salted butter, softened at room temperature , 85 grams
- 6 oz cream cheese, cubed, 170 grams
- 3 cups powdered sugar, 345 grams
- 1-2 tbsp milk, 15-30 grams
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract , 12 grams
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a few cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Make the Whoopie Pie Batter: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter with a mixer until smooth, 30-60 seconds. Add the brown sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl at the end. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix on medium-high speed for 1 minute. The mixture will be thick and fluffy.Add half of the dry mixture to the butter mixture, and mix on low speed until it's almost all mixed in, then do the same with the milk. Repeat with the remaining halves of the dry ingredients and milk, and stop mixing just as the last streaks of flour and milk disappear. Use a spatula to gently scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated – it's important not to over mix! The batter will be thinner than cookie dough but a little thicker than cake batter.2 cups + 2.5 tbsp all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out , 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp, cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 and 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature , 1 cup light brown sugar, packed, 1 large egg, at room temperature , 1 tsp vanilla extract , 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- Bake: Drop dollops of batter that are about 2.5 tbsp in size (or 35 grams) onto the parchment paper on your prepared baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches in between each batter blob. You can fit about 8 batter blobs on a cookie sheet at a time. Get one sheet in the oven, then continue scooping batter onto the next sheet, and so on.Bake one cookie sheet at a time – for 9-10 minutes. To check if they're done, gently poke one of the cookies with your finger – if it makes a dent, it could use another minute or two. If the cookie springs back, it's done. Also, a toothpick inserted into the center should pull out moist crumbs, not wet batter. Allow the whoopie pies to cool on the baking sheet set on a wire rack until cool enough to handle, then let them cool completely on the wire rack before frosting.
- Make the Frosting: While the whoopie pie cookies cool, make the frosting. Cream the softened butter in a large bowl for about 1 minute, or until creamy. Beat in the cream cheese. Add all frosting ingredients, including milk as needed to help the powdered sugar incorporate. Taste and adjust as desired.6 tbsp salted butter, softened at room temperature , 6 oz cream cheese, cubed, 3 cups powdered sugar, 1-2 tbsp milk, 1 tbsp vanilla extract , pinch of salt
- Assemble: When the cookies are completely cooled, spread or pipe (a ziploc bag with the tip cut off, or a Wilton 2A tip makes this a breeze!) half of them with frosting, and add the second piece on top to make a whoopie pie. Try to pair the cookies up based on similar size for a neat look. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
- Serve & Store: Enjoy immediately, once frosted and dusted with powdered sugar! Store leftover whoopie pies in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Make-Ahead Tips: Frosting can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. When ready to use, allow to sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, then mix with the mixer again to get it back to a spreadable consistency.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Turned out great! Love them.
Thanks, Gail! Glad to hear it.
I am looking forward to making these.
Do you use unsweetened cocoa? Or hot cocoa mix?
Hi Barbara! Use unsweetened cocoa powder. Enjoy the recipe! Let me know how you like them. 🙂
These Whoopie Pies were absolutely delicious. The cream cheese filling adds such a lovely flavor and compliments the fluffy pies well. I will certainly be making these again, thank you for such a simple yet wonderful recipe.
So glad you loved this dessert, Julia! Happy baking. 🙂
What you made with the cream cheese is the New Hampshire recipe, far superior- sorry Maine! Can’t wait to make them and relive my childhood with my kids.
I did not know it was the New Hampshire version, thanks for alerting me, haha! 🙂 Either way, hope you enjoy them! Happy baking.
I’m born and raised in Maine and have always loved my moms Whoopie pies but was looking for a smoother filling. I love cream cheese in any filling so can’t wait to try these! I won’t tell my family it’s the NH version!! 😂
Hope you love these, Lorena! 🙂 Cream cheese is my favorite too. Happy baking!
Are the woopie pies bite size or regular size. I am looking for them to be bite size. So I need to know if I need to make them smaller or not.
Hi Jessie! They are not bite sized. You could definitely just scoop smaller amounts to make them bite size – you’ll just end up with a larger yield of total whoopie pies! Oh, and reduce the bake time to 4-5 mins and add another minute or so, as needed, until done. Hope that helps! ? let me know how they turn out ❤️