Whoopie Pie Recipe

Whoopie pies (not to be confused with MoonPies) are a pretty amazing and distinctly American treat. There's nothing quite like sinking your teeth into this dessert with its soft and chewy cookie top and bottom, and creamy, sugary, light and airy vanilla filling. According to the Farmers Almanac, whoopie pies are believed to have originated in 1925 and first released in the same town as where the almanac is published, Lewiston, Maine. (There is some debate, however, that whoopie pie credit should go to Pennsylvania's Amish). 

In fact, recipe developer Mark Beahm, who hails from Maine, said you don't need a special occasion to make and eat whoopie pies. "Whoopie pies are a great snacking cake, but they're often found at birthdays, parties and I've even seen them at a few weddings," Beahm said.

Scan the ingredients on the back of a package of whoopie pies, and you may hesitate to delve into one of these delicious treats due to all the artificial ingredients. Don't be discouraged though. We have a recipe for making your own homemade whoopie pies with ingredients you can easily say and find. If you're not a huge chocolate fan, convert the cookies into strawberry-flavored ones. For fall, make the cookies pumpkin flavored and the filling with a hint of maple. The possibilities are endless!

You will be thrilled to know that this awesome recipe takes just 30 minutes of prep time and eight minutes to cook, ultimately yielding 16 whoopie pies. The ingredients you will need include flour, Dutch-process cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, unsalted butter, vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, buttermilk, confectioners' sugar, and a jar of marshmallow fluff. Is your mouth watering just yet?

Be sure to use buttermilk and not another type of milk, as it adds richness and tanginess to baked goods, Beahm explained. "It contributes to the texture of the cakes and helps them rise as well." 

The deliciously rich chocolate taste for the cookie caps smooshing together the equally rich filling stems from Dutch process cocoa, or alkalized cocoa, which Beahm said can be found in the baking section of the grocery store along with other types of cocoa powder.

"Dutch-process cocoa is darker in color and has a smoother, less bitter flavor. It's the type of cocoa powder that they normally use in bakeries. It makes the whoopie pies look darker and have a richer flavor," he explained. "If you can't find Dutch process cocoa, you can use the same amount of natural cocoa powder."

While Beahm hasn't tried to make a gluten-free version of this incredible recipe just yet, he thought the flour could be converted easily. "I'm confident that your favorite gluten-free one-to-one flour would work fine in this recipe," he said.

The most commonly used gluten-free flours are almond, sorghum, amaranth, arrowroot, brown rice, oat, corn, chickpea, coconut, and tapioca. Just be sure that whatever gluten-free flour you choose, that it can be substituted one-to-one. If the flour you choose doesn't contain xanthan gum already, you'll want to add one teaspoon yourself. Many people will tell you that you can't taste the difference between gluten-free and full wheat flour, so if your dietary needs are gluten-free, give it a shot.

First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and grease the paper with cooking spray. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and half a teaspoon of the salt in a mixing bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer, beat one-fourth of a cup of the butter, oil and brown sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, approximately two minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly combined after each addition. Beat in one teaspoon of the vanilla extract. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer on low speed, gradually pour in the buttermilk and stir until well blended. Add the rest of the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.

Scoop up the cookie cake batter using a cookie scoop, or the equivalent of 2 tablespoons, and drop onto the prepared baking sheets spacing each cookie 2 inches apart. By using the cookie scoop, the finished product will be more uniform, Beahm said. Bake two trays at a time, switching the position of the sheets halfway through baking until the cakes spring back when touched or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, which takes approximately eight minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.

While the cakes cool, make the filling. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer, beat the remaining cup of butter and confectioners' sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approximately two minutes. Add the marshmallow fluff and the remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat until thoroughly combined and smooth. To assemble the whoopie pies, spread 2 tablespoons of filling on the flat sides of half of the cakes and top with the remaining cakes.