Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies - Week Six

These actually started out as Red Velvet sandwich cookies (aka whoopie pies).  I haven't been in a baking mood this week (sigh; I know!) and I wanted to whip up something quick and easy to fill this week's cookie.  So, I spotted a recipe for Red Velvet sandwich cookies and thought it would be quick and painless.  Then, I realized that I don't exactly like using food coloring products and I didn't have any natural color.  So, I decided that I would omit the food coloring step* and just use the cocoa powder to keep them a true chocolate color.

Beautiful adaption.  Though, I wouldn't exactly call it an adaption as I simply left out one ingredient.  Anyway.  I planned to keep the white frosting but as I began to bake the cookies I knew that peanut butter would put these over the top.  I mixed up a quick peanut butter frosting using natural, crunchy peanut butter.  It totally worked!

We've been eating quite a lot of cookies in this household so I opted to cut the recipe in half and make larger whoopie pies.  I ended up only getting 4.  Ooops!  They are pretty decadent though so we don't need too many of these lying around.  You could make them smaller to get bite sized cookies.  Actually, that would be awesome.  Ron coined these the best cookies I've ever made.  He said they were baked absolutely perfectly and he also told me I should start selling them on the street!  Hmm.... Challenge Accepted!

*If you'd like to make red velvet cookies, simply incorporate 1 x Tbsp red food coloring with step #4 below.  Then mix up your favorite cream cheese frosting or buttercream frosting to pair with the cookie cakes!

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies
adapted from The Family Kitchen
Yield:  10-15
Ingredients
Cookies

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/3 cups AP flour
• 4 Tbsp Hershey Special Dark cocoa powder (or use regular)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Frosting

• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 Tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp milk, or as needed

Instructions

1. For cookies:  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
3. Add in eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
4. Beat in buttermilk and vanilla.
5. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl (or in your wet ingredients if you are feeling like taking a risk!).
6. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
7. Scoop the dough onto a lined cookie sheet using a generous medium scoop (2-3 Tbsp) and place about 2 inches apart.
8. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes until center appears set.  Allow to cool slightly, then pull the liner onto the wire cooling rack to cool completely.
9. For frosting:  Cream the butter and peanut butter together in a mixing bowl.  Gradually mix in sugar and when it starts to get thick, slowly add milk until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is spreadable.  Beat at least 3 minutes to get the frosting fluffy.  
10. Once cookies have cooled, spread the frosting onto one cookie and place another cookie on top to create a sandwich.  Enjoy!