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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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Can u freeze these?
Hi Angie – We haven’t tried freezing them ourselves. I’m not sure I would attempt it – I think you won’t have the same soft texture after freezing and thawing. (I’m also not sure if the filling will hold up either).
Can I use unsalted butter instead of shortening?
Hi Leila – I’d say definitely yes for the cake part of this recipe. For the creamy filling, I think shortening will give you a lighter texture and it also has a more neutral flavor than the butter – but if you don’t mind a more buttery filling, it should be ok. Hope that helps!
These taste like devil dogs… so delicious!!
Thanks Katie!
Made these a few times. Always come out good. I still make the old school devils food filling though. We use the Fluff version on occasion…..but hey, I’m not turning down either one!
I wouldn’t turn down any type of filled Whoopie Pie either Mark! 🙂 Glad you enjoy the recipe!
Just made these and they are delicious! I’m originally from central PA and had these growing up. So glad I found this recipe so I can make them for my family here is Florida.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Gale – we hope your entire family loves them too!
Perfection! So yummy! Could I convert this recipe to white whoopie pies? Could I omit the 1/2 cup cocoa and and only use 1.5 cups milk perhaps?
Hi Sarah – Without some recipe testing, I don’t know…swapping out a powdered cocoa and adding more milk (a liquid) or even powdered milk will probably change the batter as they have completely different properties. You’d definitely need to do some testing…good luck!
I RATE THIS WHOOPIE PIE RECIPE DELISH AND ORDINARY I WOULD’NT EAT THE WHOLE THING BC I’M ON WEIGHT WATCHERS BUT THEY ARE SOOOO GOOD I HAD TO EAT THE WHOLE PIE. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THE RECIPE. WHAT I NEED TO KNOW IS WHAT IS THE CALORIE COUNT ON EACH PIE?
Hi Maria – Thanks – we’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe. We don’t currently provide nutritional information for our recipes – we aren’t nutritionists and don’t have a way of verifying the information. There are some free online tools you can use (MyFitnessPal, etc) that may be able to give you the information you are looking for.
These are the best Whoopie pies!! Big hit at family party this past weekend. I did make small ones too and I adjusted the time by about 1 minute less. They came out PERFECT!!! Thank you for sharing your recipe!!!
You’re very welcome Lara – so glad the recipe was a hit!
This recipe came out PERFECT! I have never made whoppie pies before and I plan on making these for my next work event! Even my husband who doesn’t like chocolate ate 3! 🙂
So glad you (both!) enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
YUM!! I was looking for a puffy – full of chocolate flavor type Whoopie Pie! Yum,,, this was perfect! The cake part has the full flavor of a brownie … and they puffed up and held just like I wanted them to. I followed baking directions 450 .. but after third tray lowered oven temp to 445 since I got a slight burn on bottoms ,,, (taste not noticeable and still light and airy).. for the filling it was a bit sweet so I thought maybe it needed a bit more shortening to lighten it (I ran out ) so i added 1/4 cup butter,, just right – fluffy. ,, I buttered a plastic bag, cut the end and piped it,, less mess… so perfect. Tastes like the real thing!
Thanks Katrina! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!