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Whoopie Pies are a classic New England dessert. Fudgy chocolate cake sandwiching a creamy and sweet marshmallow filling. So good!

Whenever my side of the family gets together for a visit, I always look forward to the delicious Whoopie Pies that my sister-in-law Pam brings along for dessert. This is one of Pam’s signature recipes (as well as this and this) – and when she sent me the recipe to share here on A Family Feast, she described these as the best whoopie pies ever! (She’s tried a number of different recipes over the years – so she knows!)
I have to agree! Soft, rich, dark chocolate mounds of cake sandwich a light and creamy marshmallow fluff filling. (I personally think this particular recipe for whoopie pies is the best because it isn’t too sweet. )
The history of whoopie pies (sometimes also called ‘gobs’) is interesting to read – and according to What’s Cooking America they are “…considered a New England phenomenon and a Pennsylvania Amish tradition… According to Amish legend, when children would find these treats in their lunch bags, they would shout “Whoopie!” (You can read more of the history here.)
And – before I share Pam’s delicious Whoopie Pie recipe, I wanted to take a quick moment to thank all of you. Today, A Family Feast officially turns two years old. Back then, Jack and I never dreamed that this little spot of ours on the web would grow into what it is today and we couldn’t have done it without you – our loyal and appreciative readers! We’re so excited to be starting another year of sharing great recipes and stories with all of you.
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Whoopie Pies
Whoopie Pies are a classic New England dessert. Fudgy chocolate cake sandwiching a creamy and sweet marshmallow filling. So good!
Ingredients
For the Batter
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (we used Nestle’s Special Dark)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (we used Crisco)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Filling
- 8 ounces marshmallow fluff (half of a 16-ounce container)
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (we used Crisco)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Approximately 1 tablespoon milk (to get filling to good consistency)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine cocoa, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir to mix. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the shortening and sugar. Add egg, milk, and vanilla extract and mix well.
- Slowly add dry mixture to the mixing bowl with the wet mixture and mix well.
- Using a medium (1½ ounce) scoop, place scoops of the batter onto the prepared cookie sheets (about 12 per sheet).
- Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 6-7 minutes (they may look a little bit wet on top but that is OK). With a spatula, remove immediately to cool on a wire cooling rack.
- Once the cake mounds have cooled completely, prepare the filling by combining the marshmallow fluff, confectioners’ sugar, shortening and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until completely combined. Add milk as necessary to get to a soft (but not too soft consistency.)
- Using a scoop, place a dollop of the filling in the center of the flat side of one cake. Place a matching piece of cake against the filling and push to spread the filling evenly between the two halves. Repeat until all of the pies have been filled.
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made the cakes (froze them) for a valentines party and will assemble the night before party. but I believe your oven temp is a typo. 450 scorched the first batch. dumb me for following the recipe exactly – I should’ve known better. I wasn’t thinking..of course that’s to hot. but cakes puffed up beautifully. thanks for sharing
Hi Angie – 450 F is the correct temperature – at least in our oven, as well as my sister in law’s oven (she passed the recipe down to us). But – if your oven runs hotter than ours, or you use cookie sheets that conduct heat faster, that could cause it to scorch and brown quicker. (Sounds like you were able to adjust accordingly.) Either way – you’ll want to use a hot oven so that each cake puffs up and bakes quickly without drying out. Thanks for sharing your feedback!
Absolutely love this recipe! I made a few a little modification. Used buttermilk instead of milk. Added a few extra tbsp cocoa powder. Like my whoopie pies smaller. Baked them 385 degrees for 10 mins. Yes, 385 degrees.
Thanks Jan!
Used your recipe for whoopie pies today – AWESOME RESULTS! My family loved them – next time I’ll do a double batch so they last longer then a day
Thanks Terri! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This recipe calls to preheat the oven to 450° and all of the recipes I’ve seen call for 350° was that a typo or is that the actual temperature use?
Hi Terri – 450 is correct.
Hi Can you please tell me the best way to store them and can they be made in advance if so how far
Thank you!
Hi Christine – An airtight container is the best way to store them. You’ll want to put them in a single layer or put parchment/wax paper between the Whoopie Pies if you stack them in the container. For best taste and freshness, a day in advance would be fine (although they will last another day or two longer).
I made these last night . Super tasty but my little chocolate cakes were super flat. Yours look like they have a bit of a dome. I made them for my son’s football team and I’m sure the boys will enjoy them. I’m just not sure why mine were so flat.
Hi Heidi – It’s always so hard to know what happened without being right there in the kitchen with you! My best guess is that your oven temperature may be a little on the cool side so the batter spread a little more than ours did as it baked? (Just a guess!) The next time, you could try turning up the oven a few degrees (but keep an eye on the cooking time – it could be baked through more quickly and take less time.) Hope that that helps!
I thought I had a good whoopie pie recipe until I made these today. These are so much better!! Thanks so much for a great recipe!
You’re very welcome Pam!
The cake part looks great! But being PA Dutch, I would never dare to use marshmallow fluff in the filling. I’m sure it’s good, but if you’ve ever had an authentic PA Dutch whoopie pie, they melt in your mouth. Thanks for sharing your recipes. Love the site!!! Da Her Sie Mit Du!!
Sounds delicious Sadie!
Can I make this recipe with butter instead of shortening? Thanks!
Hi Kia – In general yes, you probably can. However shortening will give the cake a lighter texture. Butter contains water and shortening does not so swapping in butter will make the cake more dense.
Kia,
Did you try it with butter? If yes how did it come out?
Hi Martha. I was looking on Pintrest for a Whoopie Pie recipe using a marshmallow fluff filling and came across yours. Going to a Potluck tomorrow and I am going to make and bring these. Hope you are well. Jeanne Y. from GSM.
Hope you love the recipe Jeanne! So nice to hear from you again – hope you are well too!
Hi Martha. I am well and enjoying my life here in Maine. So I just came back from my Potluck lunch and the Whoopie pies were the only dessert that was 100% gone and in record time. It is my first time making them and they came out so good. The Mainers who got to eat one were raving about them. These were women who make them. So, your recipe got the stamp of approval here in Down East Maine. I make cookies for my husband’s monthly VFW meeting and I think I will make these for next month’s meeting.
Wow Jeanne! Thank you – So glad they passed the approval of your friends! I’ll be sure to let my sister-in-law Pam know that they are Maine-expert approved! 🙂