A delicious Peppermint Whoopie Pie recipe for chocolate mint lovers. Soft chocolate cookies stuffed with fluffy peppermint buttercream.
Why You’ll Love Peppermint Whoopie Pies
- It’s Whoopie Time: If you aren’t familiar, a whoopie pie is basically two soft, cakey chocolate cookies sandwiching a pillowy cream filling.
- Cool & Refreshing: The creamy mint buttercream filling is the perfect contrast to the rich chocolate cookies, making this a refreshing minty alternative to traditional marshmallow frosting.
- Festive Treats: Celebrate Christmas with something special that everyone will love! Make these yummy whoopie pies for your family and friends and see how quickly they disappear.
As an East Coaster, whoopie pies are in my blood. They originate in the North Atlantic and they are taken very seriously (one of my best friends had them at her wedding!). They’re one of my first memories of baking with my mom.
Prepping for Perfection – Gather Your Ingredients!
- All-Purpose Flour: This is an essential ingredient for the cookie dough of peppermint whoopie pies.
- Cocoa Powder: Cocoa powder gives these cookies a rich and delicious flavor.
- Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt: The combination of these three ingredients helps create light and fluffy cookies with just the right amount of sweetness.
- Butter: Butter adds a subtle richness to the cookie dough and gives the finished product a lovely golden hue.
- Sugar: These treats wouldn’t be complete without some sugar to add just the right level of sweetness.
- Eggs: Eggs bind together all the other ingredients, creating a soft and tender texture in the cookie dough.
- Milk: Milk helps make the cookie dough soft and moist. It also adds flavor to your whoopie pies!
- Sour Cream: Sour cream adds tanginess to balance out all of the sweetness in this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract enhances all of the other flavors in this dessert to perfection.
- Crushed Candy Canes: For an extra festive touch, don’t forget to add crushed candy canes!
How to Make Peppermint Whoopie Pies
Get Ready, Set, Bake! Get all your ingredients ready for some delicious peppermint whoopie pies.
Make the Whoopie Pie Cookies:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Beat butter and sugar in a standing mixer until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes) before adding the eggs one at a time for 30 seconds each.
- With mixer speed on low beat in milk mixture followed by the dry ingredients. Lastly drop by level tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Bake 4 minutes then sprinkle each with crushed candy cane and bake 2 minutes more until set but still a bit shiny. We don’t add the candy canes from the start because they melt and lose their pretty look.
Making the Fluffy Mint Filling:
Make a delicious peppermint buttercream filling for your whoopie pies with just one simple step.
- Combine unsalted butter, confectioners’ sugar, peppermint extract and milk in a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy (about 5 full minutes).
- Consider “air” an ingredient and don’t cut the beating time short. You want to whip it good to get that perfect pillowy consistency.
Assembling the Whoopie Pies:
- Let cookies cool completely or the frosting will melt.
- Spread heaping tablespoons of filling onto flat side of one cookie then sandwich it with another cookie. Ta da! Enjoy.
How to Store Peppermint Whoopie Pies
Store Assembled Pies: To keep your completed peppermint whoopie pies tasting their best, place in an airtight container or bag. The assembled pies will last at room temperature for up to 3 days.
How to Make Whoopie Pies in Advance
This recipe makes a big batch. You can freeze the baked cookies on their own, or freeze them filled and assembled. I usually make a few Christmas treats mid-December and fill a plate to thaw for a couple of hours anytime friends are coming over.
Here are a few tips!
- Freeze Unfrosted Cookies: Pre-baking your cookies and freezing them is a great way to make your life easier. Once you’ve baked the cookies, cool them completely on wire racks before transferring to a container or bag. Then freeze for up to two months for freshness and convenience when you’re ready to eat!
- Make-Ahead Filling: Mix all ingredients together in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and beat until light and fluffy. Once it’s done, scoop the frosting into a resealable bag or airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Let it come back to room temp and give it a quick beat again just before using.
- Assemble & Serve: Thaw the cookies (or fill them while still frozen – they’re really easy to work with while semi firm).
Or freeze after they’re assembled:
- Just freeze goodies in a single layer on wax or parchment paper-lined baking sheet first (to avoid them sticking together in storage),then pack into freezer bags to freeze up to 3 months.
Peppermint Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
For Filling:
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter
- 6 cups confectioners' sugar
- ¾ tsp pure peppermint extract
- 3 tbsp milk
For Cookies:
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup crushed candy canes
Instructions
To make cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar in a standing mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, pausing occasionally to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in eggs, one at a time, for about 30 seconds each, pausing to scrape down sides.
- With mixer speed on low, beat in milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract, followed by the flour mixture.
- Drop by level tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 4 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle each with a bit of crushed candy cane, then bake 2 minutes more. Cookies are done when set but still a bit shiny (if you press the centre, it will leave an indent). They will look underdone – this is essential to chewy, delicious cakes.
To make filling:
- Combine all ingredients in stand mixer with whisk attachment and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 full minutes.
To assemble:
- Spread a heaping tablespoonful of frosting onto flat side of one cookie. Sandwich with another cookie, and transfer to a plate. Transfer to the fridge after you’ve frosted every half-dozen or so, as the filling is gooey and will start to spread out. Continue until all the cookies have been sandwiched. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 307kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 3gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 138mgPotassium: 84mgFiber: 3gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 466IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 48mgIron: 1mg
Last Updated on March 31, 2023 by Jennifer Pallian BSc, RD
Branana..I love it;) These look delicious, and thanks for the freeze/thaw tip! never would have considered it an option!
xo
Sarah
http://atticlace.blogspot.com
Is there nutritional information on these anywhere?
oh, and also used 1/2 c sugar as watching sugar intake, they were still devine:)
yum, just made these and used 1/2 c bran and 1/2 c ground linseed. they are delicious and light. ate 3 with my cuppa and will make them again, thanks
These sound delicious! Love that you call them “branana muffins”. 🙂 Can’t wait to give them a try. Love your site!
Hi Jenn, I whipped these up last night (along with your apple squash soup) and they turned out wonderful. So good in fact, Conrad tried to snack on more than one. These are going in our lunch box each day this week. Great treat!