Whoopie Pies! Heard of them? Maine and Pennsylvania Amish have long fought over the origins of these enchanting chocolate, cakey, gooey, hand-held pies, filled with an amazing marshmallow butttercream.
I’m not really a fighter, more of a lover, so honestly, who cares where they came from — we just want to eat these tantalizing hand held pies!
If you enjoy a delicious sandwich cookie, try our other favorites: Fluffernutter Whoopie Pies, Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies, Brownie Sandwich Cookies and Lemon Shortbread Sandwich Cookies.
CLASSIC MAINE WHOOPIE PIES
Are you a cake fan? I’m not so much, I know, weird — except this cake, and maybe this one, but it’s probably the frosting, I’ll take frosting before cake most days.
BUT I’ve always had a soft spot for Maine Whoopie Pies! They draw me in with their ooey, gooey marshmallow buttercream filling and when sandwiched between these cakey mounds, does something wonderful!
Whoopie Pie Recipe you will love!
My husband is from New England (near Maine) and he grew up feasting on these delicious treats, so I had to master these gooey “pies” and quickly. I am happy to say that these rival those from his childhood, at least that’s what he tells me.
How to make whoopie pie recipe
Measure hot water in a measuring or bowl (big enough to allow the mixture to foam up). Add cocoa and baking soda, mixing together with fork, careful it will foam up quickly. Once smooth, set aside and allow foam to settle.
Note | Once cooled and settled you’ll add sour cream to this mixture before adding to batter, so make sure your measuring device or bowl is large enough.
Next, plop your room temp butter and brown sugar into a mixing bowl, cream until it makes a nice creamyconsistency, mixing about 2 minutes on medium-high.
Add egg, and vanilla and mix well, another 2 minutes on medium-high until super light and fluffy. Carefully mix ½ cup sour cream into the chocolate mixture and slowly pour into butter sugar mixture with mixer on low.
With the mixer low, add half your flour mixture scraping down the sides and bottom often. Mix until combined…chocolaty yumminess! Making sure there are no flour or light streaks left.
Gently mix in the restof the flour mixture, scraping down sides, paddle and bottom often. Once thoroughly mixed into chocolate fudgy goodness.
Scoop beautiful blobs of batter (an alliteration!) using a large or medium scoop onto a parchmentlined cookie sheet. I personally like using a medium scoop. Makes a few more regular sized pies.
Bake in preheated 350° oven, 1 sheet at a time for 10-14 minutes, or until they spring back when lightly pressed in centers. If you under bake them they will be flatter and chewier, but just as good.
Transfer the cookie sheet to a cooling rack and let stand until cookies firm up, 4-5 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Maine Whoopie Pies are worth it!
Can I Freeze Whoopie Pies?
Yes, freeze the “cakes” in freezer bags until ready to frost.
I like to match them up in pairs, bottoms together, they freeze so well and pop apart easily when frozen. Layer the cookies between wax or parchment paper.
Once they are filled and sandwiched, wrap in plastic wrap and then they may again be frozen until ready to eat, these are great to pop in a lunch box!
How To Make Easy Marshmallow Buttercream
In the bowl of stand mixer, with paddle attachment, beat (on LOW until combined so you don’t floof powdered sugar all of your kitchen) together the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and kosher salt until combined.
Once blended, increase your speed to medium-high until light and fluffy.
Add marshmallow cream and beat well until evenly incorporated, it will be nicely gloopy, is that a word? A cross between goopy and gooey and gluey, sort of, I do like to make up words.
Match up the cookie tops (tops down, flat side up), using a medium or large scoop, dollop a healthy portion of the marshmallow filling onto the bottom of the cookie.
Press the top on the buttercream, making a sandwich, press gently on top pie until fluff reaches the sides.
Individually wrap pies in plastic wrap (or place sandwich baggies) and store in fridge or freezer (great to plop into a lunch box). Your friends and family will thank you!
Now, when you sink your teeth into one of these babies you will shout, “WHOOPIE”! I hope you love this Whoopie Pie recipe!
Please, hugthe baker who made you tthese Whoopie Pies!
Try these other amazing and classic cookies!
Chocolate Fluffernutter Whoopie Pies – oh my!
Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies with Maple Brown Sugar Frosting
Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches
Brownie Sandwich Cookies with Cookie Dough Frosting
In a 2 cup or larger bowl or measuring cup, pour hot water, stir in cocoa powder and baking soda with a fork until smooth; the mixture will foam up (a lot) and darken. Let the mixture stand until the foaming subsides and the mixture has cooled. You will be adding sour cream to this mixture after it cools, so use a bowl large enough to add sour cream.
In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt, gently stir with whisk to mix. Set aside.
In a large bowl of a stand mixer (or hand mixer), beat together butter and brown sugar on medium-high until well blended and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add egg and vanilla, beating until light and fluffy, about 2 more minutes, scraping sides.
Beat in half the flour mixture; scraping down the sides several times. Stir the sour cream into the cocoa mixture now cooled. On low speed, beat the cocoa mixture and the remaining flour mixture, into the brown sugar mixture until even incorporated, Scraping down sides until you no longer see any of the white flour or creamed mixture.
Using a medium to large scoop, drop the dough onto parchment lined baking sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Don’t make the rounds much larger or they may spread too much during baking.
As these are a sandwich cookie, try and make an even number of cookies so they match up. Bake the cookies at 350, one sheet at a time, in the middle of the oven for about 10-12 minutes, or until they spring back when lightly pressed in the center. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack and let stand until cookies firm up, 4-5 minutes.
Using spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks. Cool completely.
Once cooled, the cookies may be placed in freezer storage bags, layer using wax paper in between. Lay flat in the freezer. You may fill them straight from the freezer, sometimes easier.
Marshmallow Filling
In the large bowl of a mixer, on medium speed, beat together the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt until well blended and fluffy. Add the marshmallow cream and beat until evenly incorporated. Using a medium or large scoop, plop a generous portion of frosting onto “bottom” of cookie, leaving a ½ ” border around the edge.Top with matching cookie top. Pressing gently to sandwich them together, just until filling reaches edges.
Store cookies in individual plastic bags or wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate or freeze (great to put in a lunch box) until ready to enjoy. Shout WHOOPIE!!!!
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Notes
Copyright 2017 | This recipe for Whoopie Pies was featured first on The Fresh Cooky.
Experts agree that the biggest difference between a Maine whoopie pie and a Pennsylvania gob is the use of commercial marshmallow Fluff in the Maine version, versus homemade marshmallow fluff in the Amish version.
Whoopie pies can come out flat for a few reasons. The main reason is over mixing the cake batter. When you fold in the dry ingredients into the wet, make sure NOT to over mix. Just mix until the cocoa and flour just disappear.
In 2011, the Maine State Legislature designated the whoopie pie as Maine's official state treat. This confection traditionally consists of two chocolate cake-like rounds surrounding a white cream filling.
Yes! I recommend placing the Whoopie Pies on a baking sheet in a single layer and freezing for an hour or so, until just solid enough to prevent them from sticking together.
These delightful treats have been enjoyed for generations, and their origin story is as rich and sweet as the dessert itself. The exact origins of the whoopie pie are shrouded in mystery, but it's believed that they were first created by Amish or Pennsylvania Dutch bakers in the early 1900s.
Apple Pie. Apple pie is arguably one of the most popular pie flavors. A symbol of America, the apple pie was actually invented by the British. Apple pie is simply made with sliced apples on double-crusted pastry dough.
A whoopie pie is a classic New England dessert that consists of two soft chocolate cake-like cookies sandwiched with fluffy, marshmallow filling. Traditionally, they are filled with a marshmallow filling, but different kinds of buttercream may also be used in some recipes.
While not required, I do recommend keeping your whoopie pies refrigerated, especially if it's a particularly warm/humid time of year. My family actually prefers their gobs to be refrigerated, just make sure you wrap them in plastic wrap or keep them in an airtight container so they don't dry out.
You can use either pan for whoopie pies and/or muffin tops. It can also be used for eggs (to fit English muffins) and cookies. I'm sure there are other things you can use it for also. Hope this helps.
Maine confectioners specialize in Needhams, or Maine potato candy. These unique treats are only sold in Maine and are made of chocolate, coconut, sugar, and potato.
– Best enjoyed at room temperature. – The Whoopie stays fresh refrigerated for ten days and up to two months frozen. Must be kept in an airtight container.
The whoopie pie, alternatively called a black moon, gob (Pittsburgh area), black-and-white, bob, or BFO (for Big Fat Oreo), is an American baked confection that may be considered either a cookie, pie, sandwich, or cake.
It's believed that whoopie pies were first made from leftover cake batter, and Amish legend has it that, when children and even farmers would find the delicious treat in their lunch pail, they'd yell out “Whoopie!,” hence the name.
In the western half of Pennsylvania, whoopie pies are actually called "gobs," a term that's also used by coal miners to refer to coal, which, of course, the whoopie pie resembles. Per the Daily American, the Harris-Boyer Bakery in Johnstown trademarked "gob" in 1927.
Described as a “New England phenomenon and a Pennsylvania Amish tradition,” whoopie pie historians have decided that it has its origins in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country (think Lancaster County).
A true Maine 'whoopie' consists of two dark-chocolate rounds, around the size of a hamburger, with a rich, dense filling sandwiched in-between. Some bakers have adapted this traditional treat to include pumpkin or gingerbread rounds, typically offered during the festive fall season.
This much-loved dessert has caused dissension among its Eastern devotees. The Farmer's Almanac tells us that there are four states claiming the heritage of the whoopie pie: Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania.
Introduction: My name is Tyson Zemlak, I am a excited, light, sparkling, super, open, fair, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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