A few days ago, I was on twitter tweeting about my love for Whoopie Pies and a few California girls had no idea what I was talking about. Are whoopie pies just an East coast thing? Who knew? My mom would make these for us as kids, and I absolutely love them! They are like the unrefined cousins of macarons and completely delicious! Here is my favorite whoopie pie recipe below. Enjoy!
Cakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (or whatever cocoa you have available)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk (I use the powdered kind that you just add water to.)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
Filling
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened (You can also use Crisco…but Crisco grosses me out.)
- 1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
- 2 cups marshmallow cream such as Marshmallow Fluff (Generic works just as well.)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
To make cakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Get out three bowls. In one, whisk together your dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl until combined. In another small bowl, stir together buttermilk and vanilla.
In the third (large) bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a handheld, then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with flour, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, and mixing until smooth.
You can spoon 1/4-cup mounds of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 buttered large baking sheets (or sheets lined with parchment paper—which I recommend). I don’t spoon the batter though. I find it works better to place the batter in a pastry bag and bloop it neatly on the parchment paper. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, 11 to 13 minutes. Allow to cool for two minutes after pulling out and then transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool completely.
Make filling:
Beat together butter, confectioners sugar, marshmallow, and vanilla in a bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.
Assemble pies:
Once cake is completely cool to the touch, place your marshmallow filling in a pastry bag (or just a large plastic baggie with the corner snipped off) and place filling on flat sides of half of cakes and top with remaining cakes to make little cake sandwiches.
Recipe adapted from Epicurious.
Linking up with:
I am a Lancaster County girl from PA and these are a staple here in every store from your large chain grocery store, to your specialty store and as well as the Amish stands everywhere and I’ve gotta tell you guys that if you haven’t had a whoopie pie you totally missing out!!! Hope you make and try them soon!! And thank you for this amazing recipe!!
Approximately how many cookies does this recipe make?
Hi Maria, it really depends on how large you make your cakes, but I get about 8 whoopie pies out of the recipe.
Hi Beth! I’m making these today so wish me luck. I had to comment cause I literally laughed out loud when I read that Crisco grosses you out cause I totally feel the same way! So glad you gave me the butter option! Merry Christmas.
Just made these for the first time with your recipe… ohmigosh they were so good! The cake recipe is amazing… I love that you use brown sugar instead of white. My filling was a bit flat… I might try whipping the butter and sugar first, then adding the marshmallow and vanilla afterward… didn’t stop me from eating two though, LOL!
Where I’m from in Western PA, they’re called, “Gobs.” I never heard of the term “Whoopie Pie” until years later when I moved to Florida. My grandmother made gobs for me all the time as a kid.
For reference sake, here’s the PA version:
Cake: http://www.visitjohnstownpa.com/dining/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=127&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=61&cHash=07f3651bf4
Filling: http://www.visitjohnstownpa.com/dining/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=134&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=61&cHash=bdc71a9757
One of these days I really want to make them again. I’ve had store-bought “whoopie pies” but they’re just nowhere near the same as I remember. 🙂
Looks delish, can’t wait to try them
We definitely dont have these in New Zealand… but the name is enough to win me over haha. Who wouldnt want to try a Whoopie Pie? I have to make this sometime soon!
YUM! These looks so good! I wanted to let you know I featured your recipe on Mouth-Watering-Mondays on my blog! Come check it out and feel free to grab a featured button!
-Nikki
http://chef-n-training.blogspot.com/
Looks delish! Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing.
YUM! I love marshmallow fluff! 😉
Yum…Can you come whip up a batch for me please?
Oh I love this! Here in East Coast Canada Whoopie Pies are the ultimate. Must go back some now delicious!!
Oh these look awesome! I’ve been wanting to make these for awhile, just looking for a good reason… I think Saturday is a good reason 😉
xo
I’m feelin’ a little sad for those west coast gals! They don’t know what they’re missing. At least now you’ve shown them how they can make one. Thanks for the recipe and yummy image.
Hi Beth-
I think we take it for granted here in PA that a Whoopie Pie is as easy to find as a TastyKake. They are a very popular selling item at the Amish and Mennonite stands at farmers markets in southeastern PA. At the local high school – the students can buy them fresh daily. Not good for the waist line, but Oh! so good.
My best- Diane
Definitely an east coast thing. I love them all, especially pumpkin whoopie pies which are perfect for Fall. Your fluff icing tastes so much better than the cooked icing….I think that sometimes tastes floury.
Love whoopee pies! My mom made them for us as kids too. But she passed away, and her written recipe was lacking. Can’t wait to make them!
Yep…they are an east coast thing. I grew up in Maine and these puppies were the staple of winter snacking…lol. My family friend and somewhat distant cousin has a shop in Florida now that she makes he Woopie Pies. It’s called “Sweet Janes” and you can order straight from her…she makes ALL kinds of different flavors depending on the season. You should check her out: http://sweetjaneswhoopiepies.com
Looks delish! Will definitely be trying this one out! liz
Looks yummy! I think you are right and it could be an east coast thing because I hadn’t ever heard of a Whoopie pie until we moved to Virginia. They are so good.
YUM! These look delicious! 🙂
Jack and I went to Paris for our 25th anniversary. One night we ate dinner at Laduree on the Champs Elysses. After dinner, we bought an assortment of their amazing macarons, which they packaged for us in a gorgeous gilded gift box. It was just a lovely experience overall.
You want to know the truth, though? I think homemade Whoopie Pies taste better. 🙂
YUMMO! I pinned it to my “Eats & Treats” Pinterest board. Thanks for sharing!
OK, I’m sold! This Cali Girl might have to try making them this weekend! Yum!