Chocolate & Peanut Butter Gobs

Some people may call them whoopie pies, but they'll always be gobs to me. Nearly every year from the time I was a toddler to a young teen, my sister and I spent our Summers with my grandma in Western Pennsylvania -- "Hi Grandma!". During our visits we not only spent time with our grandma, but also with our many aunts and older cousins, all of whom are fabulous bakers. -- "Hi Evanko and Skoff aunts and cousins!". The one treat I looked forward to all summer were Chocolate Gobs. A combination of sweet sticky fluffy white frosting sandwiched between chocolate cake.  An absolutely delicious rear end widening treat.  While most of my aunts made these delights at one time or another my fondest memories are the day long assembly lines in Aunt Edith's kitchen. Generations of women mixing, baking, frosting and wrapping each gob with love. Grandma would always let us lick a frosting laden spoon and Aunt Joan would always grab a dozen or so to freeze for us so we could take them home back to Ohio at the end of our visit.

I make the traditional chocolate and marshmallow gobs quite often, but I've seen lots of different recipes for them lately and they definitely seem to be the latest dessert craze around here. Martha Stewart I am not, but boy do I love her recipes and when I found this peanut butter gob one I had to try it. The recipe below deviates a bit from her original, but it's still her inspiration. 

Cookies

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoon softened unsalted butter

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1 large egg

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Filling

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup softened unsalted butter

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 
• Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl; set aside.
• Put butter, shortening, and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. 
• Add egg; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in half the flour mixture, then the milk and vanilla. Mix in remaining flour mixture.
• Drop 2 tablespoons of batter onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies spring back when lightly touched, 12 to 14 minutes. 
• Let cool on sheets on wire racks 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks using a spatula; let cool completely.
• While cookies are baking start on the filling. Put peanut butter and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add confectioners' sugar; mix until combined. Raise speed to high, and mix until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Season with salt, if desired.
• Once cookies are cooled completely. Spread or pipe a generous tablespoon of filling on the bottom of 1 cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Cookies can be refrigerated in single layers in airtight containers up to 3 days. 
• Bring to room temperature before serving.

Servings

Makes 18 - 24 Gobs

A Broken Oven Tip

The Peanut Butter filling is a little more dense than a traditional gob filling. If you would like to fluff it up a little bit, add 1/3 cup of Marshmallow Fluff to the recipe.