Deliciously Peanut-Free: The Ultimate SunButter Chocolate Whoopie Pies Recipe
A special thank you to SunButter® for their generous sponsorship of this incredible SunButter Chocolate Whoopie Pies recipe! As always, every opinion and idea shared here is 100% my own.
Prepare yourself for a dessert experience that truly reaches new heights! These delightful SunButter Chocolate Whoopie Pies combine two soft, pillowy chocolate cake-cookies, perfectly sandwiching a dreamy, creamy SunButter buttercream filling. This is more than just a treat; it’s a celebration for your taste buds, offering a safe, delicious, and utterly satisfying dessert that everyone, especially those with peanut allergies, can enjoy without a second thought. Get ready to bake a batch of these irresistible, peanut-free whoopie pies that are destined to become a household favorite!
What is SunButter? The Allergen-Friendly Alternative You Need
For those unfamiliar with this fantastic product or who haven’t yet had the pleasure of trying it, SunButter is an innovative and delicious seed-butter spread made exclusively from roasted sunflower seeds. It’s quickly become a beloved staple for many, particularly anyone seeking an exceptional alternative to traditional nut-butters due to allergies, sensitivities, or simply a desire to explore healthier, equally delicious options.
Beyond its fantastic taste, SunButter boasts an impressive nutritional profile. Each serving delivers 7 grams of protein, making it a powerful energy source. It’s also packed with essential vitamins and minerals, contributing to a balanced diet. Crucially, SunButter contains absolutely no trans-fat and remarkably, less saturated fat than your typical almond butter. This makes it a smart and wholesome choice for spreading on toast, adding to smoothies, or incorporating into baked goods like our heavenly whoopie pies.
Its naturally sweet and slightly nutty flavor, derived solely from sunflower seeds, offers a distinct and delightful taste that stands on its own. It’s perfect for those who miss the creamy texture and rich flavor of peanut butter but need a safe, peanut-free, and tree nut-free option. SunButter truly opens up a world of culinary possibilities for allergy-conscious baking and everyday snacking.
If you’re eager to discover more delicious ways to use this versatile ingredient, be sure to explore some of my other popular SunButter recipes! You’ll love my SunButter Salted Caramel Cheesecake, the delightful SunButter Pretzel Chocolate Cupcakes, or delve into any of my other SunButter creations for more inspiration!
Understanding Whoopie Pies: A Classic American Delight
Whoopie Pies, known by various delightful names such as Mallomars or Moon Pies in different regions, represent a beloved and classic American baked good. At their heart, whoopie pies consist of two distinct, soft, cake-like mounds that are generously filled with a luscious, creamy frosting or filling. The beauty of whoopie pies lies in their versatility. The cake mounds themselves can come in a delightful array of flavors, from the rich chocolate featured in these SunButter Chocolate Whoopie Pies, to vibrant red velvet, playful funfetti, or even pumpkin during the fall season.
Equally adaptable is the filling. While the classic is often a marshmallow fluff or vanilla buttercream, modern variations embrace everything from cream cheese frosting to fruit-flavored creams. The defining characteristic of a perfect whoopie pie, however, is its texture: the cake portions should be wonderfully pillowy, soft, and moist, offering a tender bite, while the filling should be impeccably creamy, smooth, and just sweet enough to complement the cake without overpowering it. This delightful contrast in textures and flavors is what makes whoopie pies an enduring favorite, offering a satisfying and comforting dessert experience unlike any other.
Crafting the Perfect SunButter Chocolate Whoopie Pies: A Step-by-Step Guide
Making these irresistible SunButter Chocolate Whoopie Pies is a straightforward and rewarding process. The recipe is designed for ease, ensuring that even novice bakers can achieve perfectly soft chocolate cake-cookies and a smooth, delectable SunButter filling. Let’s walk through each step to ensure your whoopie pies are nothing short of spectacular.
For the Rich Chocolate Whoopie Pie Cookies:
1. Prepare Your Wet Ingredients: In a spacious mixing bowl, begin by combining the brown sugar, sour cream, vegetable oil, a large egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk these ingredients together thoroughly until the mixture is beautifully smooth and well-integrated. The sour cream in this recipe is key to achieving that incredibly moist and tender cake-like texture, while the oil contributes to its fudgy richness.
2. Whisk the Dry Ingredients: In a separate, medium-sized bowl, measure out and whisk together your all-purpose flour, sifted Dutch process cocoa powder, instant coffee granules (which enhance the chocolate flavor without making it taste like coffee), baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt. Sifting the cocoa powder is crucial here to prevent lumps and ensure a silky-smooth batter.
3. Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Gently add the dry ingredient mixture into the bowl containing your wet ingredients. Using a hand-mixer on low speed, mix until everything is just combined and smooth. Be careful not to overmix the batter; overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour too much, leading to tougher whoopie pies rather than the desired soft, tender texture.
4. Scoop and Shape the Batter: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a small cookie scoop (a ¾ ounce scoop works perfectly to create uniform whoopie pie halves), scoop rounded mounds of batter onto the prepared sheets. Aim for about 12 mounds per sheet, ensuring adequate space (approximately 2 inches) between each to allow for spreading. If needed, you can lightly dampen your fingers and gently pat or shape the mounds to achieve a perfectly round form.
5. Bake to Perfection: Place your baking sheets into a preheated oven and bake for 10-11 minutes. The cookies are done when their tops feel springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once baked, remove them from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. It’s essential that the chocolate cake-cookies are entirely cool before you attempt to fill them, as warm cookies will melt the buttercream.
The Dreamy SunButter Buttercream Filling
The filling for these fudgy chocolate whoopie pies is incredibly simple to prepare, yet it delivers a burst of flavor and a wonderfully smooth texture. You’ll be amazed at how quickly this delightful buttercream comes together!
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the Original SunButter, softened unsalted butter (at room temperature for optimal creaminess), and vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer, beat these ingredients together until the mixture is perfectly smooth and well-combined. This initial step ensures a homogeneous base for your buttercream. Next, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, beating again until it is fully incorporated and the buttercream reaches a light, fluffy, and impeccably smooth consistency. Avoid adding all the sugar at once to prevent a dusty cloud in your kitchen!
To fill your beautifully cooled, nut-free chocolate whoopie pies, I recommend transferring the SunButter buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip. This allows for a clean, even, and professional-looking application. Pipe a generous layer of filling onto one half of each whoopie pie cookie, then gently place a second cookie half on top, pressing down just enough to create a delightful sandwich. For the best experience, allow the assembled whoopie pies to ‘meld’ together for at least 2 hours before indulging. This brief resting period allows the flavors to fully meld and the cake-cookies to absorb a hint of moisture from the filling, resulting in an even more tender and harmonious bite.
Tips for Whoopie Pie Perfection
Achieving whoopie pie perfection is easier than you think with a few key tips:
- Don’t Overmix: As mentioned, overmixing the batter can lead to tough cookies. Mix only until the dry and wet ingredients are just combined.
- Cool Completely: Patience is a virtue here! Ensure your chocolate cake-cookies are entirely cool before adding the SunButter filling. Any residual warmth will cause your buttercream to melt and slide.
- Uniformity is Key: Using a cookie scoop helps create identically sized whoopie pie halves, which means they’ll bake evenly and pair together perfectly.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: For the buttercream, make sure your butter is truly at room temperature. This will ensure it creams smoothly with the SunButter and sugar, avoiding lumps.
- Storage: Store your finished SunButter Chocolate Whoopie Pies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week. For longer storage, they freeze beautifully for up to a month. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
- Personalize Your Pies: Feel free to experiment! You can dust the tops with a little extra cocoa powder, sprinkle them with colorful sprinkles for a festive touch, or even try different varieties of SunButter for subtle flavor variations.
Serving and Enjoying Your Peanut-Free Whoopie Pies
These SunButter Chocolate Whoopie Pies are truly versatile and perfect for any occasion. They make an excellent addition to dessert platters at parties, a delightful treat for school lunchboxes (especially being peanut-free!), or simply a comforting indulgence with a glass of cold milk or a warm cup of coffee. Their individual portion size makes them easy to serve and enjoy, ensuring that every bite is as satisfying as the first. Share them with friends and family, or keep a stash all to yourself—they’re just that good!
Embrace the joy of baking and the peace of mind that comes with a delicious, allergen-friendly dessert. These SunButter Chocolate Whoopie Pies are more than just a recipe; they’re an invitation to create happy memories and satisfy sweet cravings safely.
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SunButter Chocolate Whoopie Pies
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Ingredients
Chocolate Whoopie Pies
- 1 cup (220g) Brown Sugar
- 3/4 cup (180ml) Sour Cream
- 1/2 cup (120ml) Vegetable Oil
- 1 Large Egg
- 1½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1½ cups (180g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1/3 cup (33g) Dutch Process Cocoa Powder,, sifted
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Table Salt
SunButter Filling
- 1/4 cup (60g) Original SunButter
- 1/4 cup (57g) Unsalted Butter,, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1¼ cups (150g) Confectioners Sugar
Instructions
Chocolate Whoopie Pies
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Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, sour cream, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk these ingredients together until the mixture is very smooth and thoroughly combined.
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In a separate medium bowl, add the all-purpose flour, sifted Dutch process cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt. Whisk these dry ingredients together until they are smooth and evenly distributed.
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Using a fine-mesh sieve, gradually sift the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Use a hand-mixer on low speed to mix the ingredients. Mix only until everything is just incorporated and the batter is smooth. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to a tougher texture.
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Using a small ¾ ounce cookie scoop, scoop uniform mounds of batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Place about 12 mounds per sheet, ensuring there is approximately 2 inches of space between each to allow for proper spreading during baking.
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Place the baking sheets into the preheated oven and bake for 10-11 minutes. The cookies are done when the tops are springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once baked, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before attempting to fill them.
SunButter Filling
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In a medium mixing bowl, add the Original SunButter, softened unsalted butter (at room temperature), and vanilla extract. Beat these ingredients together with a hand mixer until they are well combined and the mixture looks smooth and creamy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, beating again until the filling is light, fluffy, and perfectly smooth.
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To assemble your whoopie pies, transfer the SunButter buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip. Pipe a generous layer of filling onto one half of the cooled chocolate cookies, then gently place a second cookie half on top, creating a sandwich. Allow the assembled whoopie pies to ‘meld’ together for at least 2 hours before enjoying, allowing the flavors to fully develop and the cookies to soften further.