Chocolate-Orange Whoopie Pies For The Win!

I first had a whoopie pie when me and Nisha travelled to the East coast a few years ago. We visited Philadelphia, New York City, Atlantic City, Niagara Falls and Lancaster Pennsylvania. While we were in Lancaster we visited all these little Amish Markets and tried all kind of baked goods and jams. One of those treats were Whoopie Pies. We actually bought a ton of flavors but Nisha really liked the chocolate one. They aren't pies, they aren't cookies, and they aren't quite a cake. I mean they look like cookies but taste like cake, and they are usually filled with a sweet cream filling. I asked Nisha what she wanted me to bake here and she asked for some chocolate whoopie pies so I decided to take this little sandwiched dessert on. I did have to run to the store for one ingredient because I did not have buttermilk handy, I mean who keeps buttermilk in their fridge, so I bought the smallest size container and it only cost 99 cents. I also still had the sprinkled cream cheese buttercream frosting in the freezer from about a month ago so I decided to re whip the frosting and add a bit or orange extract. I think they turned about great.

Chocolate Orange Whoopie Pies

Here's what you are going to need

Chocolate-Orange Whoopie Pies

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350F .

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the brown sugar and butter and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and mix just until incorporated.

With the mixer on low, add the vanilla and blend until incorporated.  Scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula and blend another 20 to 30 seconds.

With the mixer set on low, add one-third of the flour mixture, then pour in half of the buttermilk into the butter, brown sugar.

Repeat adding one-third of the flour, then the remaining buttermilk.

Finally mix in the remaining flour, scrape down the sides and blend another minute.

Scoop the batter into a 1/3-cup measure and place in a mound on the parchment lined baking sheet.

Repeat adding 5 more mounds to the first pan (for a total of 6 per pan) ensuring they are spaced about 3-inches apart.

Bake for 16 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, or until the cakes spring back when lightly pressed.

While the first pan is baking, prepare the second pan by mounding the parchment lined baking sheet with six more 1/3 cup scoops of batter.  Bake the second sheet then cool all 12 cakes on the parchment for at least 1 hour.

I made these a bit large, but who doesn't like huge whoopie pies

Now you can create your filling, I'm using filling that I already had but a great place to start is a basic butter cream and add whatever flavor you'd like. You can add marshmallow cream, cream cheese, jam, extracts whatever you'd like.

In my case I took some cream cheese butter cream frosting that I already had (I always freeze buttercream for later use) and I just rewhipped and added orange extract and a bit of orange zest.

Added a bit of orange extract and zest

Here's a basic buttercream

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• dash salt 

In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the butter and powdered sugar; beat until fluffy.

Now place your filling in a pipping bag, cut a 1/2-inch hole at the tip of the bag, and pipe the frosting evenly in the center of the flat side of 6 cakes. 

Getting ready to fill

I probably should have pipped more filling

I added more sprinkles

Top with the flat side of the remaining 6 cakes and gently press until the filling spreads to the edges of the cake.  Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Just sandwich them together

A little dusting of powdered sugar

There you have it, chocolate orange whoopie pies

So delicious