Sourdough Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pies – Sourdough Brandon

These festive Sourdough Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pies are made with two chocolate and fudgy cake-like cookies that sandwich peppermint buttercream and rolled in crushed peppermint.

My sourdough pumpkin whoopie pies had been so fashionable this fall, that I had a number of requests to make a chocolate and vacation model. I got here up with these mushy cake-like sandwich cookies which might be filled with chocolate and peppermint taste and made with sourdough discard.

The chocolate whoopie pies encase a velvety and easy peppermint American buttercream, elegantly completed with a roll of crushed peppermint (or sweet canes) for a pleasant crunch and quintessential red-and-white peppermint sweet attract.

Expertise the enjoyment of baking these timeless New England treats – an ideal addition to festive gatherings, vacation events, or Christmas celebrations! My recipe walks you thru every step of the method, together with plenty of detailed suggestions and images.

What are Whoopie Pies?

Whoopie pies are mushy sandwich cookies made with a cake-like batter. The mushy muffins (they’re extra cake-like than cookies) encompass a candy filling manufactured from buttercream, cream cheese frosting, marshmallow fluff, and even my less-sweet Sourdough Frosting.

Whoopie pies are a New England delicacy with some contentious origins amongst New England states. Most sources level to their creation in Maine, the place it was named the official state treat in 2011.

Whoopie pies are additionally fashionable amongst Pennsylvania Amish communities, the place they’re made out of leftover cake batter. Within the Pittsburgh space, they’re referred to as Gobs.

Whoopie pies are usually chocolate-flavored with a white vanilla frosting filling that resembles a big Oreo cookie, similar to these cookies earlier than being rolled in peppermint.

You’ll more and more discover whoopie pies in lots of bakeries throughout the US with numerous flavors and distinctive fillings as they develop in reputation.

👍 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Tender and wealthy chocolate muffins:
• Could make with any filling:
  • The peppermint American buttercream is straightforward to make and isn’t so robust that it tastes like toothpaste! The mint right here is simply sufficient to pique your curiosity, and the peppermint sweet provides a pleasant crunch to the surface.
  • Nevertheless, you might use one other filling like my Sourdough Frosting, the brown butter cream cheese frosting on my Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls, or any taste to fill these too.
• It’s a simple, versatile recipe:
  • There’s no fermenting for the reason that whoopie pies use sourdough discard. The baking soda prompts with buttermilk, and the egg helps them rise. That method, the pies rise within the oven rapidly.
• Whoopie Pies shops simply:
  • Whoopie pies retailer properly, which makes them nice to make forward, reward, or journey with.
  • You’ll be able to freeze the mushy cookies forward of time and simply wrap to retailer for months within the freezer.
• No oil:
  • I solely use butter on this recipe because the fats and don’t use vegetable oil. Like my Sourdough Zucchini Bread and Sourdough Banana Bread recipes, I attempt to keep away from utilizing an excessive amount of vegetable oil in recipes as a result of it doesn’t add any taste!
  • As a substitute, the melted butter provides richness, tenderness, and taste.

🔍 Troubleshooting Ideas

• Don’t overmix the batter
  • Overmixing results in gluten improvement, which is able to create a tricky batter. Like cake or pastry, you wish to restrict the blending right here so that you get tender and mushy cookies.
• Sift the dry components
  • Forestall massive lumps and guarantee thorough mixing by sifting dry components into the bowl of moist ones. Whereas not usually emphasised in baking, it’s particularly helpful for cocoa powder, recognized to clump greater than different components.
• Use espresso powder to carry out the chocolate taste
  • A trick I discovered a very long time in the past from Ina Garten is so as to add immediate espresso or espresso powder to chocolate desserts to assist carry out the chocolate taste. It’s non-compulsory, however a pleasant contact that enhances the chocolate taste!
• Refrigerate the whoopie pie batter earlier than baking
  • I extremely suggest refrigerating the whoopie pie batter earlier than baking in order that the whoopie pies don’t flatten an excessive amount of. If the batter is heat, they have an inclination to flatten some after they bake.
  • Refrigerating the batter whereas the oven preheats or as much as in a single day will assist the whoopie pies bake taller.
• Let the whoopie pie muffins cool earlier than filling
  • Buttercream is…properly, largely butter…so should you fill the whoopie pies whereas they’re heat, the filling will soften out. Let the whoopie pies cool utterly earlier than filling them.
  • Plus, the whoopie pies will crumble and simply break aside whereas nonetheless heat.

Click on the hyperlinks beneath for my device suggestions.

• Baking Scale
  • Weighing components is way more correct than measuring by quantity. Discard recipes are typically extra forgiving than bread recipes although, so I do present commonplace measurements as properly.
• Sheet Pans
  • This recipe makes about 12 massive sourdough whoopie pies, or 24 particular person muffins. You’ll be able to simply double the batter to make extra.
  • I can match all 24 scoops of batter onto two massive baking sheets (about 2 TBS every), separated by a few inches. Should you don’t have massive baking sheets, you’ll must bake much less at a time. Simply be certain they aren’t too shut collectively or they’ll bake into one another!
• Whisk
• Spatula, for scraping the edges of the bowl.
• Cookie or Ice Cream Scoop, non-compulsory however useful
  • For even-sized and spherical whoopie pies, it’s useful to make use of a 2 TBS cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop.
  • Nevertheless, it’s not 100% needed and you may actually use a spherical tablespoon.
• Stand Mixer or hand mixer, non-compulsory however useful for the buttercream
  • You may make buttercream by hand utilizing an electrical hand mixer. Nevertheless, a stand mixer will actually make the method rather a lot simpler!
• Piping Bag, non-compulsory however useful
  • I like utilizing a piping bag with a spherical tip to pipe the peppermint buttercream. It permits for a bit of extra management when including the filling so that you simply don’t overfill the whoopie pies. Nevertheless, you’ll be able to simply use a small cookie scoop or spoon to get the job accomplished.
  • For a artful piping bag, use a plastic ziplock bag and lower off one of many corners!

🛒 Substances Wanted:

Click on on the hyperlinks beneath for my favourite ingredient suggestions. Ingredient substitutions are additionally listed beneath.

🍫 Sourdough Chocolate Whoopie Pies

• All-purpose Flour
  • This recipe has solely a cup and a half of flour, not together with the sourdough discard. All-purpose works greatest, however you’re welcome to substitute a few of it with entire wheat flour should you’d like.
• Baking Soda
  • You solely want baking soda on this recipe, because it prompts with the acidic buttermilk and sourdough discard.
  • Each baking powder and soda go dangerous over time. Learn to check yours here.
• Salt
• Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • Dutch-process cocoa powder is darker in coloration, richer, and fewer acidic than pure cocoa powder.
  • Should you don’t have or can’t discover, you’ll be able to substitute it on this recipe with pure unsweetened cocoa powder (equivalent to Hershey’s).
• Espresso powder (non-compulsory)
  • Espresso brings out extra chocolate taste. I exploit espresso powder, however you might simply omit or substitute with immediate espresso granules.
• Light Brown Sugar
  • Brown sugar supplies sweetness and likewise provides extra moisture and taste from the added molasses, similar to on this Sourdough Anadama Bread.
• Egg
• Sourdough Discard
  • Should you don’t have an energetic sourdough starter, learn to make one in per week following my how-to information. See my high sourdough starter suggestions right here.
• Buttermilk
  • The discard and buttermilk are acidic components that assist activate baking soda and supply a extra moist and tender whoopie pies.
  • Don’t substitute the buttermilk with one other milk right here! If it’s a must to, you should utilize kefir or thinned out yogurt or bitter cream.
• Vanilla Extract
• Unsalted Butter, melted
  • There’s no oil on this recipe. The melted butter provides richness and wanted fats for moisture.

Peppermint Buttercream

• Softened Unsalted Butter
  • Let your butter sit out when you make the whoopie pie muffins so that it’ll soften. Too heat and the buttercream will soften; too chilly and the buttercream can have chunks of butter as an alternative of being silky clean.
• Powdered Sugar
• Peppermint Extract
  • You’ll be able to go away it out and substitute it with vanilla extract or one other flavoring.
• Kosher Salt
  • Only a small pinch to carry out the flavors a bit of extra.
• Crushed Peppermint Candy
  • I exploit sweet canes (*festive*), however you might use every other laborious crimson and white peppermint sweet.
  • I crush it in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin into a mixture of small items.

👨‍🍳 Methods to Make Sourdough Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pies

Comply with this visible and detailed recipe information as you make these scrumptious sourdough chocolate whoopie pies.

Should you’ve made my Sourdough Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, this recipe and course of is nearly an identical, besides they make barely bigger whoopie pies and extra buttercream.

1. Combine the Dry Substances

Whisk the dry components collectively in a small bowl, together with:

• 180 grams (1 ½ cups) of all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of espresso powder (non-compulsory)
• 57 grams (⅔ cup) of Dutch-process cocoa powder

Put aside.

2. Combine the Moist Substances

In a big mixing bowl, soften 113 grams (½ cup, one stick) of unsalted butter and let it cool for a couple of minutes at room temperature.

Then, whisk within the following moist components:

• 200 grams of sunshine brown sugar (1 cup)
• 1 egg
• 120 grams (½ cup) of sourdough discard (½ cup)
• 227 grams (1 cup) of buttermilk at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

3. Combine the Chocolate Whoopie Pie Batter

Sift the dry components to the bowl of moist components and slowly combine till largely mixed. It’s okay if the batter is a bit of lumpy, however the sifting ought to assist forestall too many lumps.

Solely combine till no flour specks stay to keep away from overmixing.

4. Preheat the Oven and Refrigerate the Batter

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and place two oven racks within the high third and backside thirds of the oven.

For greatest outcomes, refrigerate the whoopie pie batter when you preheat the oven.

That is particularly useful if the batter appears runny or too heat. Refrigerating will make scooping simpler and can assist the whoopie pies not flatten as a lot throughout baking.

Baking a cooled batter is an analogous method to creating flaky and tall pastries equivalent to biscuits, scones, pie crust, or shortcakes. The cooled batter will maintain its form higher.

5. Bake

Put together the baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats to forestall sticking.

Use a 2 TBS cookie scoop or a big spoon to scoop mounds of spherical whoopie pie batter onto the sheets, with a few inches in between every scoop.

I can match 12 whoopie pies onto every sheet in rows of 4×3 utilizing massive sheet pans. I bake two pans at a time as a result of my oven bakes evenly.

Nevertheless, when you’ve got smaller sheet pans, match as many as you’ll be able to at a time. Don’t bake them too shut collectively otherwise you danger the pies baking into one another.

Bake the whoopie pies at 350ºF (177ºC) for about 14-Quarter-hour. Rotate the pans midway via in case your oven bakes inconsistently.

Bake the whoopie pies till a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clear and the tops have a matte look.

Cool within the pans for a few minutes after which use an offset or fish spatula to switch the muffins to chill on a wire rack utterly. Should you don’t switch the muffins, the bottoms have a tendency to stay some.

6. Make the Peppermint Buttercream

Add two sticks of softened unsalted butter (226 grams, 1 cup) and a pinch of salt to the stand mixer bowl with a paddle attachment.

Alternatively, make the buttercream in a mixing bowl utilizing a hand mixer. Whisking by hand is feasible, however tougher, particularly with this huge quantity of buttercream.

Start mixing on low velocity and slowly improve to medium-high till the butter is mushy and fluffy, a couple of minutes. Scrape the edges as wanted.

Flip off the mixer and dump in 2 cups (240 grams) of powdered sugar. Powdered sugar will go all over the place should you instantly activate the mixer, so I wish to cowl the bowl with a dish towel as I begin mixing.

Pulse the combination slowly and begin mixing on the lowest velocity. Slowly improve to medium velocity to combine a couple of minutes after which add the remaining 2 cups (240 grams) of powdered sugar and repeat mixing till utterly integrated and thee buttercream is silky clean.

Whereas mixing, drizzle in ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract or to style. The extract will be robust and also you don’t need it to style like toothpaste!

If the buttercream appears stiff or dry, drizzle in 1-2 tablespoons of entire milk or heavy cream to loosen it up some.

Switch the peppermint buttercream to a piping bag or go away it within the bowl.

7. Assemble

I like to make use of a piping bag so as to add the filling to the whoopie pies, however you’re welcome to spoon the filling onto the pies. If the pies are too mushy or sticky, refrigerate them earlier than filling.

Pipe about 3 tablespoons of peppermint buttercream to a flat facet or backside of half of the whoopie pies. I fill these to virtually to the perimeters so I’ll be capable to roll them in peppermint sweet simply.

Then, place the opposite half of the whoopie pies on high to sandwich the cookies.

Methods to Retailer

Whoopie pies retailer properly, and you may make each the pies and the fillings individually and upfront. That is very useful should you’re planning to make whoopie pies for a gathering, celebration, or to have an dessert for later.

You may make the peppermint buttercream and retailer it in a sealed container within the fridge for as much as per week upfront. Let it sit at room temperature for about half-hour and remix barely earlier than filling.

For the whoopie pies, you may make them a few days upfront and retailer them wrapped properly in plastic wrap or an hermetic container within the fridge.

The pies do get extra sticky over time and if left at room temperature, are likely to tackle extra moisture if it’s humid.

Can I Freeze?

I don’t suggest freezing assembled whoopie pies because the buttercream tends to not thaw properly.

Nevertheless, the person whoopie pie muffins will be frozen on a sheet pan for at the very least an hour after which saved in freezer-safe baggage in order that they don’t stick collectively for just a few months.

Thaw the whoopie pies in a single day within the fridge earlier than assembling.

❓FAQs:

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