Last week I mentioned my love for egg-shaped candy this time of year because of the increased filling:candy coating ratio, so today I bring you a recipe that incorporates that filling, and might help you use up any leftover Easter candy (like that’s ever a problem…). Of course you could just use peanut butter for this recipe, but Reese’s PB cup filling has a special taste that I wanted to take advantage of. Plus it gave me an excuse to buy a few packages of Reese’s eggs!
I used the recipe from Baked Explorations for the chocolate whoopie pies, and was very happy with the taste and texture. These were my first whoopie pies (jumping on the trend a little late, I know) and now I’m excited to start experimenting with other flavor combinations. Mine came out a little lumpy-bumpy on top, but I think they were equally delicious. The cookbook offers a vanilla swiss buttercream recipe, but as I’ve mentioned, I had other visions for my filling that involved some very delicious carnage..
Now what you end up doing with those scraps of chocolate are totally up to you, but I’m sure you’ll find a good use. I wasn’t very meticulous about removing every bit of chocolate, it was particularly hard to remove the covering on the bottom of the egg, so I just left them on and mixed some bits of chocolate into the filling. I ended up using about 10 eggs — a bit of work scraping out all that peanut butter filling, but I don’t tend to complain much when I’m knuckle-deep in Reese’s.
If you have some extra Reese’s eggs laying around, make these whoopie pies — they’re delicious and everyone will love you even more when you tell them they’re made with Reese’s! Maybe even make the whoopie pies in the shape of eggs if you want to be festive this weekend :)
Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Reese’s Peanut Butter Filling
Recipe adapted from Baked Explorations
For the whoopie pies:
3-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
1-1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup dark cocoa powder
2 tsp instant espresso powder
1/2 cup hot coffee
1/2 cup hot water
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
For the Reese’s peanut butter filling:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup Reese’s peanut butter egg filling (scraped out of about 10 eggs)
1-3/4 cups confectioner’s sugar
7-1/2 oz marshmallow fluff
2 tsp vanilla extract
– Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
– In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
– In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa powder and espresso powder. Pour the hot coffee and water over the mixture and whisk thoroughly until powders are completely dissolved.
– In another medium bowl, mix together the canola oil and light brown sugar. Add this to the cocoa mixture and whisk until combined.
– Add the egg, vanilla, and buttermilk and whisk until smooth.
– Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture with a rubber spatula.
– Either use a medium ice cream scoop or piping bag fit with a large round tip to measure out the cookies (I used the scoop, as recommended by the book, but I think using a piping bag would have helped make smoother looking tops for the cookies). Release or pipe 2″ rounds onto baking sheets, 1 inch apart.
– Bake 10-15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until the cookies crack slightly on top and spring back in the center when gently pressed. Let cool completely, then remove from sheet with a spatula.
– Prepare filling as cookies cool: In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and peanut butter filling until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
– Add the confectioner’s sugar slowly and beat until well combined.
– Add the fluff and vanilla and beat on medium speed for a few minutes, until mixture is consistent and smooth.
– Load filling into a piping bag (I fit mine with a large star tip) and pipe filling on half of the cookies. Top each piped cookie with another cookie and serve. I really enjoyed my whoopie pies after spending a few hours in the fridge — but its up to you!
Recipe yields about 20 whoopie pies (depending on the size you make!)
What a great combination! Yum!
I love this. I’m totally whoopie pie crazy and always looking for different variations. These are brilliant!!
I just made my first whoopie pies last week! You’re not the only one who’s late on the trend :)
And I don’t know if I would have the patience for all of that chocolate scraping =P Id probably wind up eating them as is. Lucky for me, our grocery store sells a jar of Reeses Peanutbutter.
I am a peanut butter fanatic and I LOVE whoopie pies. I am in love. Oh so in love!
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mmm hmm! delicious!
I wish I was eating one of these right now!
leftover eggs?! not a chance, but I might buy some specifically for this!!
These sound amazing:)
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