A classic chocolate whoopie pie should be in everyone’s recipe collection. The whoopie pie is simple, quick to make, and so much fun! What is not to love about cake-like chocolate cookies sandwiched together with marshmallow creme frosting? Having said that, I must confess that until I was in my 30’s I’m not sure I knew what a whoopie pie was.
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. It is beautiful here, and there is nowhere else I would rather live. For five years when my kids were young, however, we did live in Pennsylvania. This was my first opportunity to be near any Amish communities, or to learn about Pennsylvania Dutch culture. Going to a pumpkin patch, a farmer’s market, a local fair, or a school bake sale I encountered lots and lots of whoopie pies. I went from having no idea what a whoopie pie was to seeing them everywhere. I wanted these treats in my life, and I wanted to be able to make them for my kids. Not only are they tasty, but they have a super fun name!
A little history.
So why are whoopie pies so common in Pennsylvania, but rarely found in Oregon? It has to do with those Amish communities I mentioned. Tradition has it that the whoopie pie was created by Amish women who would use cake scraps and leftover frosting to make little sandwich treats to pack into lunches. When the lucky husband or child opened a lunch box to find such a delicious treat they would yell, “Whoopie!” Can you blame them?
Today, you will find plenty of classic chocolate whoopie pies in the Northeast. People have a lot of fun with these treats though, and a pumpkin whoopie pie will pop up in the fall, or a whoopie pie might be filled with peanut butter or strawberry frosting. The whoopie pie is a platform for fun cookie/cake dreams.
So is the whoopie pie a mini cake? A cookie? It certainly doesn’t look like a pie! No matter how you characterize these little gems, they are delicious! Give these Whoopie Pies a try. And add sprinkles because sprinkles make it more fun!
Here’s what you will need:
Pro Tips:
A cookie scoop allows for uniformity. In the past, I used spoons and then spent time trying to match up different sized cookies to go together to make a sandwich. The scoop I used is about 2 Tablespoons and came in a set of 3 similar to these scoops on Amazon.
Using the 2 Tablespoon scoop yields 18 good sized whoopie pies. You can also use a smaller scoop to create 24+ sandwich cookies.
Having said that, the dough is rather soft, and if it is too sticky to work with, pop the dough in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes and it should be more scoop-able.
The recipe as printed will make enough frosting for the whoopie pies, but if you want FULL sandwich cookies, go ahead and double the frosting recipe- I won’t tell a soul! Double the frosting will probably be more than you need, but I think the frosting is the best part. If you have a little extra, I’m sure you can come up with a way to use it.
Speaking of that delicious marshmallow buttercream, you don’t want it to get melty. Make sure your cookies have cooled fully before making them into sandwiches.
Sprinkles make me smile. They won’t enhance the flavor, but it sure does brighten up the black and white sandwich cookie. Adding sprinkles turns these into a special occasion cookie, and don’t we want every day to be just a little special?
Classic Chocolate Whoopie Pies
Marshmallow creme frosting is sandwiched between cake-like chocolate cookies for a fun treat for the whole family!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 18–24 sandwiches 1x
- Category: cookies
- Cuisine: dessert
Ingredients
For the Cakes/Cookies:
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temperature
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
For the Filling:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
7 oz jar marshmallow creme
*optional rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 and line baking pans with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer and large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and mix to combine. Mix in the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the buttermilk and mix until well incorporated.
Scoop equal portions of dough onto the baking pans spacing the dough balls 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the tops spring back when touched. These are like cakes, not brownies so we want them cooked through. Allow the cookies to cool fully while you mix the filling.
In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer and medium bowl, mix the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until light and fluffy. Add the marshmallow creme and mix to combine.
Spread or pipe filling onto half of the cookies, and top with the remaining cookies to form a sandwich, If desired, pour sprinkles into a shallow bowl or pie pan and roll the sides of the whoopie pies through the sprinkles.
Keywords: whoopie pie, chocolate, marshmallow, sandwich cookie
Enjoy!
These little treats will always remind me of my time in Pennsylvania. Whoopie Pies represent being home with my little kids and making treats for their lunches. I make them to this day to see the smiles on their faces. I hope they bring a smile to the faces of your friends and family as well.
If you love sandwich cookies as much as I do you might also try my Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich Cookies, my Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies, or my Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies.
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