Old-Fashioned Chocolate Whoopie Pies Recipe
If you've never had a whoopie pie, you are in for a treat. These oversized cookie sandwiches are not actual pies, but 2 cake-like cookies with a creamy frosting stuffed in between them. Recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe and says, "I love making nostalgic desserts that have a history, and learning about traditions in other regions. Whoopie pies are a Pennsylvania, Amish tradition and have spread across the country as a delicious dessert. They can be made the traditional way with chocolate cakes, or in a variety of other [flavors] like pumpkin, vanilla, gingerbread, or lemon."
Whoopie pies are a fun dessert for birthday partoes, book club meetings, baby showers, dinner parties, or just an after school snack. They are easy to make, plus you can make the filling ahead of time, and store it in the fridge until it's ready to use. Read on to learn how to make these cake-like pies.
Gather the ingredients for old-fashioned whoopie pies
To make this recipe, we'll need some baking basics like all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar. Our wet ingredients are butter, milk, an egg, and vanilla. For the chocolate flavor, we're using unsweetened cocoa powder, and for our filling, we'll need some marshmallow cream. Hahn says you can easily swap unsweetened cacao powder for cocoa powder since they are pretty much the same, and you can substitute dairy-free milk and butter if those are preferred.
Make the chocolate batter
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grab a medium bowl, and mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then, in a large bowl, add ½ cup of softened butter and granulated sugar. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients together, and then add the egg, milk, and 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes to ensure it is fully combined, then fold the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients slowly.
Bake the batter
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out 2 tablespoons of the chocolate batter, and place them on the baking sheets. "Make sure to leave about 2 inches between each ball of batter because they will spread out when cooked, and we don't want them to run into each other," Hahn remarks. Once you have laid out 24 dough balls, wet your fingers, and smooth the tops and sides, flattening them slightly. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Once cooked, let them cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to further cool for 15 minutes.
Make the stuffing, assemble, and serve
While the batter is baking, you can whip up the filling. In a medium bowl, add the remaining butter, powdered sugar, remaining vanilla, and the marshmallow cream. Using a hand of stand mixer, beat until well-blended. Once the chocolate cake pieces have cooled, spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the filling on the inside of a cake piece, then top with another cake piece. Repeat the process until all the whoopie pies are assembled, then serve. These pair well with a simple fruit salad, or can be served alone with coffee, tea, or milk.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup, plus ⅓ cup butter, softened, divided
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 3 teaspoons vanilla, divided
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 7 ounces marshmallow cream
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat ½ cup of butter with the granulated sugar using a mixer. Then, add the egg, milk, and 1 ½ teaspoons of the vanilla, and beat for 2 minutes. Fold the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients, until well-combined.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 2 tablespoons of the batter, and place them on the baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each ball of batter. You should be able to form 24 balls.
- Dip your fingers in some water, and smooth the tops of each ball, flattening them slightly. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack, and let them cool for 15 minutes.
- Prepare the filling by beating together the remaining butter, powdered sugar, the remaining vanilla, and marshmallow cream.
- Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of this mixture on the inside of a cake piece, then top with another cake piece. Repeat the process until all the whoopie pies are assembled, then serve.
| Calories per Serving | 313 |
| Total Fat | 9.4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5.7 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.3 g |
| Cholesterol | 35.7 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 54.7 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.9 g |
| Total Sugars | 31.3 g |
| Sodium | 194.2 mg |
| Protein | 4.2 g |
