Buckeye Blackout Whoopie Pies

Have you ever heard of blackout cake? Well imagine it in miniature form with a kick of peanut butter and that’s what these buckeye blackout whoopie pies are!

Alrighty kids, it’s going to be a cold, dark night. Because the fans at The Ohio State University (myself included of course) are blacking out Penn State tonight with a low of 30 degrees! The players will be donned in black jerseys as well and to keep the theme going I decided to black out my #PBChocSat treat.

Inspired by the Brooklyn blackout cake I made something a bit more tailgating worthy (aka easier to serve to drunken fools). These whoopie pies look like little blackout cakes or maybe dirt cake without the worm but there still is a hidden surprise – while they may look 100% chocolate you better believe there is plenty of peanut butter hidden within all that dark chocolatey goodness.

Of course I even made blackout buckeye candies thanks to my plethora of PB&Co’s dark chocolate dreams peanut butter! BLACKOUT PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE EVERYTHING!! Can you tell I am excited!?!?

Check out the game kicking off at 8pm! Look for me in the crowd, I’ll be the one wearing all black. And I’ll have a ridiculous Penn State fan standing next to me….

One year ago: Pumpkin, Sage & Sausage Stuffed Shells

Two years ago: Birthday Explosion Mini Cheesecakes

Three years ago: Stovetop Cajun Chicken Mac and Cheese

Four years ago: Pumpkin Biscoff Cream Cheese Bread

BUCKEYE BLACKOUT WHOOPIE PIES

Makes approximately 1 dozen

Ingredients:

WHOOPIE PIES

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dark cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER PUDDING FILLING

1 cup cold milk

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) chocolate instant pudding

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, melted

GANACHE

2 oz. dark chocolate chips

1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter

2 Tbsp heavy cream or milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, beat in about a third of the dry ingredients, followed by half of the buttermilk, beating each addition just until incorporated. Repeat so that all the buttermilk has been added and then mix in the final third of dry ingredients. Do not overbeat.
4. Use a cookie scoop (mine is 1-1/2″ diameter) to drop the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, 12 cookies to a sheet. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 7-9 minutes, or until the tops are set, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets at least 10 minutes, until they can be easily transferred to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with any remaining batter.
5. To make the filling: Whip the milk and pudding together until it thickens. Add peanut butter until blended and creamy.
6. Pair the cookies up by shape and size (save 1-2 extras for topping). Flip one cookie of each pair over so that the flat side is facing up. Scoop filling (using my cookie scoop) onto the flat-sided cookie of each pair, in the middle. Sandwich the cookies together so the flat sides are facing each other and press gently to help the filling reach the edges.
7. To make the ganache: Place the chocolate chips and peanut butter in a small heatproof bowl. Microwave cream for 1 minute or until it starts to boil and pour over chocolate chips. Cover bowl with saran wrap for 5-7 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Allow the glaze to cool slightly, then coat the tops of the whoopie pies. Sprinkle crumbs from reserved cookies on top then place in the refrigerator and chill for about 30 minutes, or until the glaze is set.

Source: Whoopies adapted from my REESE’S Buckeye Whoopie Pies and filling adapted from Food Network.

Items you may need (affiliate links):

Made something from the blog?

Be sure to share it on Instagram with the

tag #TheSpiffyCookie