These classic whoopie pies are made by sandwiching a sweet vanilla filling in between tender, cakey chocolate cookies. An easy way to bring a little of your childhood to your kids.
Just saying “Whoopie Pie” makes us happy. Heck, just thinking “Whoopie Pie” makes us happy! How can it not?! For those of you who, like us, are old-timers, recall packaged Devil Dogs, these are like them, except there’s no scary, multisyllabic words or hydrogenated vegetable shortening. Nothing but real ingredients and a sweet, billowing vanilla filling sandwiched between tender, cakey chocolate cookies.–Renee Schettler
CAN I MAKE WHOOPIE PIES AHEAD OF TIME?
Got a picnic on the horizon? Or birthday or just a craving that’s about 3 days away? Well, you can do the work now and revel in whoopie pie goodness later on. Once baked, the cakes can be kept between layers of wax paper, in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. The filling, on the other hand, is a little more delicate and should only be made 4 to 6 hours ahead of time, so plan that part accordingly.
Whoopie Pies
These classic whoopie pies are made by sandwiching a sweet vanilla filling in between tender, cakey chocolate cookies. An easy way to bring a little of your childhood to your kids.
For the chocolate cookies
Make the cookies
-
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Butter 2 baking sheets.
-
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt until well blended.
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolk and beat until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla extract. Stir the baking soda into the hot water, then alternately add the hot water mixture, buttermilk, and dry ingredients, adding 1/3 of each ingredient at a time, ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until combined.
-
Using wet hands, shape the dough into 1-inch balls and arrange them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Moisten your palm and flatten each ball into a 1 1/4 inch disk. Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, for 5 to 7 minutes, until their surfaces are cracked. The cookies will still be quite soft, but they’ll firm up as they cool. Immediately and carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the filling
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed, beat the confectioners’ sugar with the butter until the mixture is crumbly, about 1 minute. Add the heavy cream and beat on high speed until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and salt and beat until blended.
Assemble the Whoopie Pies
-
Using a small offset metal spatula, spread the flat bottoms of half the cooled cookies with the filling, using 1 heaping teaspoon for each cookie. Sandwich each frosted cookie with the flat bottom side of 1 of the remaining cookies and gently press them together to ensure they stick. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Serving: 1cookieCalories: 155kcal (8%)Carbohydrates: 25g (8%)Protein: 2g (4%)Fat: 6g (9%)Saturated Fat: 4g (25%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 22mg (7%)Sodium: 79mg (3%)Potassium: 66mg (2%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 16g (18%)Vitamin A: 190IU (4%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 14mg (1%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Originally published November 24, 2002
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
