These vegan chocolate raspberry whoopie pies are the ultimate sweet treat. Each cookie is soft and moist on the inside, crispy on the outside and filled with tart bites of raspberry and gooey chocolate chunks. Made from tofu and semisweet chocolate, the frosting is deliciously rich and creamy with just the right amount of sweetness.

I love any holiday because it always gives me an excuse to bake something special. Valentine’s Day is coming up so I thought I’d go all the way with these Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Whoopie Pies. I feel like strawberries and chocolate get all the attention, but raspberries need some credit too! They go so well in these cookies, adding just the right amount of tartness to balance out all those sweet ingredients.

You generally don’t see a lot of raspberries in baked goods because they tend to just melt away into nothing and turn your dough or batter an ugly color. I’ve found that while fresh raspberries can do this, frozen work a lot better for baking. The key is to use whole frozen raspberries, pick out any crumbled bits that may discolor the dough. Also, try to handle the dough as little as possible once the raspberries go in. All you need is two or three folds for them to incorporate.

Let’s talk about the frosting. It’s not your typical recipe, which generally calls for lots of butter and powdered sugar. While the butter can be easily replaced with a vegan alternative, traditional frosting is way to heavy and sweet for my taste. In this recipe, I use tofu to get that super thick, creamy texture without all the extra fat. Because tofu is naturally light and creamy when blended, it doesn’t have to be whipped with a mixer so everything can be combined in a food processor.

I used a similar chocolate frosting recipe for my Vegan Oatmeal Banana Snack Cake, but this one calls for a whole block of tofu and semisweet chocolate—both of which are solid at room temperature. Because of this, the frosting is going to be THICK. It won’t seem like it at first, because the mixture will still be pretty warm from the melted chocolate so let it come to room temperature before you frost the cookies.

I recommend that you don’t refrigerate the frosting because it’s impossible to work with when it’s so cold. If you have to, either let it sit out for a few hours before frosting or pop it in the microwave for a minute or so to thin it out. You can also add a tbsp or two of plantbased milk if it’s still too thick.

Want more vegan treats? Try these:

• Vegan Apple Cheesecake Pretzel Bars
• Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Granola
• Jumbo Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Whoopie Pies

Recipe by Elaine SkiadasCourse: DessertCuisine: VeganDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

large whoopie pies

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Vegan chocolate whoopie pies that are soft on the inside, crisp on the outside and studded with tart bites of raspberry. Sandwiched between is a rich and creamy (but healthy!) tofu based frosting.

Ingredients

• For the cookies

• 2 2/3 cup all purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp salt

• 3/4 cup oil

• 1/4 cup apple sauce

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar

• 1/2 cup plantbased milk

• 1 tbsp ground flax seed

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup chocolate chunks

• 3/4 cup frozen raspberries

• For the chocolate frosting

• 1 14 oz block extra firm tofu

• 1 cup dairy free semisweet chocolate (such as Enjoy Life)

• 1/2-3/4 cup powdered sugar

• 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder

• 3 tbsp plantbased milk

• 1 tsp salt

Directions

• For the cookies
• To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
• In another mixing bowl, beat together oil, apple sauce, sugars, milk, flax and vanilla extract.
• Combine wet and dry ingredients, using a rubber spatula to fold until no clumps of flour remain
• Fold in the chocolate chunks and frozen raspberries. To avoid turning the entire dough pink and ensuring that the raspberries hold their form, try not to mix too much. Two to three folds is all you need.
• Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the dough on to the baking sheets two inches apart. I ended up with 16 large cookies (*see note for smaller cookies)
• Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
• For the chocolate frosting
• Wrap the tofu in several paper towels and squeeze out any excess moisture
• In the bowl of a food processor or high speed blender (preferably a food processor), blend the tofu until smooth.
• Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate. Once the chocolate is completely melted, take about a cup of the blended tofu and add it to the chocolate while it’s still over the heat. This prevents the hot chocolate from solidifying when it comes into contact with the cold tofu.
• Transfer the the tofu chocolate mixture to the food processor and blend until it’s completely smooth. About 2 minutes.
• Add in cocoa powder, powdered sugar, milk and salt. Blend once more until no clumps remain. Allow to come to room temperature before frosting.
• To assemble
• On each cookie, place 3-4 tbsp of frosting* in the center. No need to spread it around, just place another cookie over top and press down gently.
• Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days

Notes

• ** To make smaller cookies, use a small cookie scoop (about 2 tbsp) and bake for 8-12 minutes at 350 F
• **If the frosting is too thin, allow it to sit at room temperature for half an hour or so to thicken up. If it’s too thick (maybe you refrigerated it) place the frosting in the microwave on thirty second intervals until the desired consistency is reached. 

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