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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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I live in PA not too far from the famous Amish. These are the best. My second time making. This time I made them smaller. So delicious
Thanks Nanci!
Can I use marshmallow topping instead of fluff?
Hi Leslie – We’ve never tried swapping that into this filling recipe. I believe the marshmallow topping is more liquidy than fluff so without some other adjustments, do not thing it will work.
Love these
Thanks Tina!
This recipe beats my old whip pie pie recipe hands down. Very easy to make and turned out well. The filling is tasty although I’m still somewhat torn between this filling and the traditional cream filling. The cookie part itself is a keeper though whatever filling you choose.
Thanks Anita!
Can you substitute butter for the vegetable shortening?
Hi Kathy – Shortening is preferred for a fluffier filling. Butter will make the filling more dense and add a yellow tint and it will taste more like frosting, but still delicious.
These look divine! I am going to have to try this recipe. Have tried several and most are pretty good but this looks new to me. Can I use butter instead of shortening or does it have to be shortening? Thank you!
Hi Christina – Shortening is preferred for a fluffier filling. Butter will make the filling more dense and add a yellow tint and it will taste more like frosting, but still delicious.
These are so delicious, super simple to make and turn out well
Thanks Courtney!
This is a great recipe! But if you want the whoopie pies to look like the pictures, you absolutely need to make double the filling. If you make it as written, you will only be able to fill half. I learned this the first time I made these, so just trying to save someone else the trouble!
Thanks for the feedback Alicia – we didn’t double the filling ourselves (if we did, we definitely would have written the recipe that way). If yours are spreading more than ours as they bake, that could be the issue.
very good and easy to follow
Thanks Mike!
I love these ,but my cakes don’t dome as nice as the picture. Should I add more flour?
Not necessarily Marcia – more flour could make them more dense and bake up flatter (when measuring, make sure that you aren’t packing the flour in the measuring cup – spoon it in.) I’d also check that your baking soda and baking powder are both fresh. Also, oven temperature can make a difference. While this recipe is written for a high temp, if your oven tends to run hot, that can cause the pies to spread rather than dome up. So…it could be a number of things!