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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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Outstanding! I’ve been following a recipe for years only to get disappointed 50% of the time when the cakes would come out flat. I finally said enough is enough and searched out another recipe. BINGO this one is exceptional! The cakes were fluffy and held their shape. The taste is delicious and I even froze them… a few times..lol This is my one and only recipe for now on. Thanks so much for sharing this awesome recipe.
Thank you Laurel! So glad you enjoyed the recipe as much as we do!
Hi! This recipe looks amazing can’t wait to try it.!!! Can I use butter instead of the shortening?
Hi Chloe – In general, yes – you can swap butter in for shortening. I do think that your cream filling will be a little heavier if you use butter – but if that doesn’t bother you, it will work. Hope that helps!
Can I use 2% instead of whole milk? Thanks!
Honestly, I don’t see why not. If this was some delicate pastry that needed the extra milk fat, maybe, but for Whoopie pies I can’t see it making much of a difference. Whole milk has a little over 3% fat so using 2% instead of 3% should be OK.
Good luck,
Jack
Hey there! Want to make sure that the temperature is correct. I typically bake my whoopie pies @350. Just checking before I start baking. THANK YOU!
Hi Michele – The temperature as written is correct and how the original recipe was passed down to me. However, every oven is different and even different baking sheets can impact how quickly the whoopie pie cakes bake. I’d suggest doing a test bake with one scoop of batter and feel free to adjust the oven temp up or down. Hope that helps!
Do you have to use whole milk in the woopie pie recipe
Hi Lisa – Whole milk is called for because of the fat content and creaminess, but in a pinch you could probably use a reduced fat milk.
I have a gas oven. At 450 at 6 minutes the bottoms of my Whoopi’s pies are burnt. How can I fix this Please respone. Beth
Hi Beth – We have a gas oven too. You can try a few things: Reduce the oven temperature 10 to 25 degrees, or bake for less time. (Or maybe a combination of the two.) Also, make sure your oven rack is in the center of the oven, or even a level one up from the center and away from the heat at the bottom of your oven. Hope that helps!
Hi Martha! It’s Brittany again! It still wont let me message as a reply to previous responses. Anyways, I made the cakes and they seemed really big! I got 16 out of the batter but they were really thick! About 1/4 cup thick! I took a picture of them next to a 1/2 cup measuring cup and it was 1/2 of that. Is this how they should be? I followed instructions to a T! I also has to turn my oven down to 425 and cook for 8 min. When I did the 450 for 6 they started to smell burned on the bottom.
Hi Brittany – The whoopie pies are fairly thick and fluffy when they bake – so it does sound OK. No worries about adjusting the oven – they bake quickly and I think depending on the cookie sheet even more quickly!
Hi Martha – I was looking to see about making these smaller for potluck and it looks like a couple years ago someone tried to make some smaller ones… have you tried recently? I need to make a LOT! Thanks!!
Hi Karen – We’ve only made the recipe as written. You can definitely try making them smaller – I’m guessing you’ll need to do a few test batches to get the baking time perfect (they bake quickly as is, so I’m sure smaller ones will bake even quicker).
Hi Martha! For some reason it will not let me respond to the comment you made. We are traveling 6 hours from NC to Georgia via car. May be longer since we are going the day before Thanksgiving. I think I will make a batch a head of time and freeze then thaw for a practice round. I’m sure my coworkers wouldn’t mind eatting my practice run! I will let you know how the freezing goes. Although I will only be doing the exact time I would need to do it for. Thanks for responding so quickly!
Great idea – doing a trial run. Please let us know how it comes out – I’m sure there are other readers who would love to know too! Jack and I were debating later (after I responded) if wrapping the premade whoopie pies individually in plastic would work too – but we worried that the cake might stick to the plastic. You test one like that too? Good luck!
These look amazing! I plan on making them for Thanksgiving dessert this year. However, I have to travel 6 hours the day before and then there will be visiting with family that night so I will not have time to prepare them there. Can these me made ahead of time and frozen? Or can I atleast make the cake part ahead of time and freeze? I can always assemble at my destination Thanksgiving morning. If so, how do I freeze, store and thaw them. I could also possibly make the cakes Tuesday before thanksgiving, will they still be good by Thanksgiving day? Thanks for answering all of my questions! I have googled this and can not find a good answer!
Hi Brittany – We haven’t tried freezing the whoopie pies ourselves. If I were to attempt it, I’d freeze the cake part in single layers on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and assembling at your destination. Traveling is going to be the tricky part – you didn’t say whether or not you are driving and can pack them in a cooler? They definitely won’t stay frozen unless they are packed in ice. When traveling, I’d still keep the layers separated with parchment or wax paper other wise the cakes will stick to each other. I hope that helps! Good luck!