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Classic Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Marshmallow Whip Filling

Whoopie pies are just too dang cute! My youngest, Charlie, couldn't wait for the dark-chocolate little domes to finish baking so he could jump up on a stool to help me pile on the marshmallow whip frosting. While in most peoples' minds these soft, sandwich-creme-filled "pies" have a vintage 50s feel, they go back farther than that. Whoopie Pies originated with the Amish in Lancaster County, PA, (isn't that true for most comfort foods??) as a tasty way to use up leftover cake batter. The recipe moved to the East Coast in the 1930s when Lynn, MA-based Durkee-Mower, maker of Marshmallow Fluff TM, published a Whoopie Pie recipe in its first “Yummy Book”, including the now classic marshmallow whip filling. While I'm not usually big on product endorsements I'll make one here: the frosting squirt bottles that come with Cuisipro's Cupcake Corer and Decorating Set are PERFECT for little ones who want to help you with the frosting. A word on the recipe: It's from Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell's new book, “Whoopie Pies,” from Chronicle Books, San Francisco. See our "Books to Buy" section.

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Makes 48, two-inch cakes; 24 whoopies
Batter Ingredients
  • 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 4 Tbsp vegetable shortening
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup milk
Marshmallow Whip Filling (Note: This recipe adapted) Ingredients
  • 2 cups Marshmallow Fluff
  • 1 1/4 cups vegetable shortening
  • ¼ stick softened butter
  • 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp salt
Instructions
  1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375 degrees.
  2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets.
  3. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together onto a sheet of waxed paper.
  4. In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening and brown sugar on low speed until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat another 2 minutes.
  5. "Add half flour mixture and half milk to the batter and beat at low speed until just mixed. Scrape down sides of bowl and add the rest of the flour mixture and milk, beating until completely combined."
  6. Grab a tablespoon and a teaspoon. Scoop a tablespoon of the batter and use the teaspoon to shove it off the tablespoon and onto the prepared baking sheet, being as careful as you can to create tidy round dollops of about the same size. Space these about 2-inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 11 minutes until pies spring back when pressed gently. Remove from oven and let cakes cool five minutes before removing from the pan to a wire rack. Cool completely
  7. Make frosting: In the work bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together marshmallow, shortening and butter. Start at low and increase to medium speed until mixture is smooth and fluffy; about 3 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low; add confectioners sugar, salt and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes more
  8. "Assemble whoopies: Flip half of the pies over. On these, squirt a good-sized pile of frosting. Top with another pie. Continue until all are assembled and store in waxed paper-lined, air-tight container. "

While the recipe some food-dojo in the clouds deemed “The Classic” marshmallow filling for Whoopie Pies is supposed only to use vegetable shortening, marshmallow crème, confectioners sugar and vanilla, we humbly submit that adding a little butter and sprinkle of salt (gasp!) vastly improves the flavor and mouth feel. There. I said it.
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