Hot Cocoa Whoopie Pies
These delicious Hot Cocoa Whoopie Pies feature soft hot cocoa-flavored cookies filled with vegan marshmallow fluff then dusted with cocoa powder and grated peppermint candy for the perfect holiday cookie treat!
Gooey and sticky, these Hot Cocoa Whoopie Pies are finger-lickin’ good and the perfect way to enjoy one of winter’s most popular beverages, completely made from scratch and 100% vegan and gluten-free!
It is no secret that I’m obsessing over whoopie pies and cookie sandwiches this holiday season. You see, I figured out the absolute perfect gluten-free, vegan soft cookie recipe lately and so I’ve just been modifying the flavor and using it in different recipes like these:
☆ Gingerbread Cream Sandwich Cookies
☆ Apple Butter Whoopie Pies
☆ Soft Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
But these Hot Cocoa Whoopie Pies might be the best of them yet! The soft, melt-in-your-mouth hot cocoa-flavored cookies are so simple to make and really taste just like hot cocoa! Then you add the vegan marshmallow fluff and enjoy! You can decide if you want to dust the whoopie pies with cocoa powder and garnish with peppermint candy, but they are delicious as is.
I know you are probably curious about the vegan marshmallow fluff. This magical filling is very slightly adapted from my vegan marshmallow recipe and is also used in these Vegan S’mores Cookie Cups. It works pretty perfectly in this Hot Cocoa Whoopie Pie recipe! You will have to be patient while you wait for the marshmallow fluff to set up enough to be able to pipe it onto your cookies.
The other thing I learned when making this recipe is to not pipe on too much marshmallow fluff because it will flatten a bit and spread, so just pipe the marshmallow fluff in the center of the cookies and leave a border around the outside. To make it even easier to pipe the perfect circles the same size every time I like to use a macaron baking mat. These Hot Cocoa Whoopie Pies are best enjoyed right away and you’ll want to make sure you keep them stored in your fridge or freezer so the marshmallow fluff doesn’t melt all over.
Check out the full recipe below for more tips! Happy holidays! I hope you love these Hot Cocoa Whoopie Pies! If you make them, don’t forget to comment below and tag me on Instagram or Facebook @HealthyLittleVittles @HealthyLittleSweets #healthylittlevittles #healthylittlesweets if you make these whoopie pies!
Hot Cocoa Whoopie Pies
Delicious soft hot cocoa-flavored cookies filled with vegan marshmallow fluff then dusted with cocoa powder and grated peppermint candy for the perfect holiday cookie treat!
Ingredients
Soft Cocoa Cookies
- 1.5 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (preferably 1:1 baking flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) plant (non-dairy) butter, softened
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie!)
- 1/4 cup nut/seed butter (like cashew, almond, sunflower seed butter)
- 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons flaxseed meal + 5 tablespoons water)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Vegan Marshmallow Fluff
- 1/4 cup aquafaba (brine from a can of UNSALTED chickpeas)
- 1/2 cup tapioca syrup
- 1 tablespoon agar agar powder + 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract/paste
- 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar
Optional Garnishings
- dusted cocoa powder
- crushed candy canes/peppermint candy
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F. Make your flax eggs by combining the flaxseed meal and water and letting it sit for a few minutes until it "gels up".
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt and set aside.
- In a separate large bowl beat the butter, nut/seed butter, vanilla, and coconut sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until well blended. Then, beat in the pumpkin and flax eggs until well mixed.
- On low speed, beat in the flour mixture until well combined.
- Lay out macaron baking mats (if using) onto baking sheets (you'll need 2, but you can eyeball your cookies instead, just note you may have less whoopie pies). Fill a pastry bag with the cookie dough fitted with a 0.7" round piping tip and pipe the cookie dough to fill the outer circle on the macaron baking mat.
- Once all the batter is piped onto the mats, bake 10-12 minutes and let them cool while you make the vegan marshmallow fluff.
- With a hand blender, whip the aquafaba (chickpea brine) on high until it starts to form stiff peaks (as you would with egg whites). This will take about 10 minutes. Set aside.
- Combine 1 tablespoon of agar agar powder with 3 tablespoons of water, stir to dissolve completely.
- In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the tapioca syrup to a boil. Add the agar mixture, a pinch of salt, and vanilla to the pan. Whisk continuously until the syrup comes to a rapid boil. Remove from heat.
- Immediately, pour the syrup mixture into the whipped aquafaba while you are beating the aquafaba on low speed to make a marshmallow fluff.
- Stir in the powdered sugar and then let the marshmallow fluff cool in the bowl for about 5 minutes and then pour it into a piping bag fitted with a 0.7" piping tip (just like you used with the cookies). **NOTE: You'll want to fold the tip of the piping bag up so the marshmallow fluff doesn't run out and then place the fluff in the fridge until set but still pipeable, about 15 minutes.
- Pipe the bottom of one cookie with the marshmallow fluff, leaving a border around the edge, then top with another cookie. Dust with cocoa powder and sprinkle with crushed candy canes/peppermint candy if desired. Keep them stored in the fridge or freeze for later.
Vegan Marshmallow Fluff
Making the Whoopie Pies
Notes
** the cocoa cookies are very soft, so handle them carefully
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