Dark Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Chocolate Chip Cookie Butter Filling

Ever have one of those days (or weeks) where you just need to curl up on your bed with a fluffy pillow and a big fat spoonful of cookie dough and watch a couple episodes of The Biggest Loser or The Next Food Network Star? Yeah, I totally understand. Life's been a little rough around here, lately.

But good things have been happening, yes. Jars of cookie butter. Mountains of whoopie pies. Discovering the existence of white chocolate cocoa powder (what!). Getting a new position at work. All very good and exciting!

But other life issues have been stressing me out, so it was a lucky thing that I got these whoopie pies out of the house before I finished them off on my own! It was very tempting. And to you skinny minnies who eat two cookies and moan about overdoing it, you have no idea who you're dealing with.

The whoopie shells are nice and soft and moist and not overly sweet, striking a perfect balance with the thick layer of cookie butter stuffed between them. Yummers!

Dark Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Chocolate Chip Cookie Butter Filling [click to print]
Makes about 24 pies

• 1-2/3 c. flour
• 1/2 c. cocoa powder
• 2 T. plus 1-1/2 tsp. black onyx cocoa powder*
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1-1/2 c. Chocolate Chip Cookie Butter

*I realize normal people don't have black onyx in their pantry (or bookshelf shoved back behind their dining room table, in my case), so you can use 2/3 c. total cocoa powder instead of the combination of cocoa and black onyx, they just won't be as dark.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or coat generously with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

Whisk together flour, cocoas, soda and salt; set aside. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, beating until completely incorporated. Alternately add flour mixture and sour cream in about 3 additions, beginning and ending with flour. Continue mixing until just combined.

Scoop tablespoons of batter onto prepared sheet, spacing each batter blob two inches apart. Bake about 10 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly pressed.

Allow cakes to cool about five minutes on baking sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely. Spread flat side of half of cakes with cookie butter and sandwich with remaining cakes.

Source: Adapted from The Novice Chef

Chocolate Chip Cookie Butter

Remember how I told you before that I used to not like chocolate? And how I've changed my ways? Well, this is a glorious day...Happy National Chocolate Chip Day!

I'm sitting here, trying to exercise self-restraint, to avoid diving directly into this jar of creamy, dreamy Chocolate Chip Cookie Butter. It has so many of my favorite ingredients...sugar, browned butter, vanilla, chocolate...oh man! I'm gonna have to finish this post in the other room.

Okay. Like I said, a key ingredient in this recipe is browned butter. Don't let that scare you! Even though it sounds all fancy, it's not that difficult to make. And the resulting fragrance and flavor is absolutely intoxicating. No, really. Remember how I had to leave the room a minute ago? 

While you guys all try this recipe out, I'm gonna remind myself that I just worked out for nearly an hour this afternoon and that it is now time to exercise something called self-restraint. If you're at a loss for how to use cookie butter, here are a few suggestions, courtesy of me and my friend Pinterest:

• Frosting for your favorite cupcakes
• Swimming pool for Teddy Grahams (or spread it on graham crackers, but aren't bears and cookie butter much more appealing?)
• Sandwich cookie filling
• Bake some Cookie Butter Funfetti Triple Chip Bars
• Whip up a batch of homemade Cookie Butter Cups
• Spread a layer on your sandwich
• Swirl it into Cheesecake
• Devour by the spoonful

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Butter [click to print]
Makes about 2 cups

• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 2/3 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1-1/3 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 c. plus 2 T. heavy cream
• 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Heat butter in heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Continue heating, stirring occasionally, until butter turns a golden brown color and smells kind of caramely. The butter will start out with really big, loud bubbles sizzling all over the place, then gradually calm down (about 10-15 minutes) and brown. Remove from heat and scrape browned butter into mixing bowl and allow to come to room temperature. 

Add sugars to butter and cream until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour, vanilla and salt and mix until well combined. Mix in cream and chocolate chips; add additional cream, one tablespoon at a time, if you want a thinner consistency. 

Source: Inspired by Cupcake Project; Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz