Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Creamy Vanilla Frosting (video)
These scrumptious chocolate whoopie pies are made with two soft and fluffy chocolate cake rounds and a layer of creamy vanilla frosting sandwiched in between. It’s a fun and delicious little treat you can eat right out of your hands.
What is a whoopie pie?
A whoopie pie is a cookie sandwich made with two soft mini cake rounds filled with some sort of creamy filling. They are designed to be a handheld dessert. The most common flavor is chocolate for the cake part and vanilla buttercream or marshmallow cream for the filling part. Other common flavors are pumpkin and red velvet whoopie pies with cream cheese filling.
So, why are whoopie pies called whoopie pies? There is nothing about them that resembles a pie. Though I have read a couple of theories on why they are called whoopies. Apparently, in the early 20th century, the term “whoopie” was being tossed around a lot. There was the classic flapper song “Makin’ Whoopee”. Then in the ’30s, the whoopee cushion was invented. Pennsylvania also proclaims that whoopie pies go back centuries in their state. Amish women would use leftover cake batter to make little pies and their husband and kids would yell “whoopie!” with excitement over the little treats. (source:Cape Whoopies)
Why this recipe is so great:
- Easy to make – Just mix, scoop, and bake, then sandwich some buttercream in between and enjoy!
- Dee-licious – Soft moist chocolate cake paired with just the perfect amount of sweet, creamy vanilla buttercream. Tastes like heaven in every bite.
- Easy to serve and a definite crowd-pleaser – There is no fuss with slicing and plating. Whoopie pies are a grab-and-go treat that both adults and kids love.
- Here are some reviews:
“Love how soft these are! I made them last year for Thanksgiving and am trying to make them Halloween themed for this year!” – Mackenzie
“These turned out amazing! I just made them for a work holiday party. I added crushed candy canes into the buttercream frosting for fun. Thank you for sharing your recipe!” – Jen
How to make whoopie pies:
(the ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card further below)
- Toss together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Then slowly mix in the milk.
- Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Scoop the batter onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Beat the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Pipe the buttercream onto half of the cake rounds and sandwich with the other half.
Variations:
You can use any flavor of buttercream you wish or roll the sides of the whoopie pies in festive colored sprinkles or sparkling sugar to dress them up. You can also add mix-ins to the buttercream like crushed candy canes, mini chocolate chips, or toffee bits.
FAQ:
What is whoopie pie filling made of?
The most common fillings are vanilla buttercream or marshmallow cream . Vanilla buttercream is typically made with butter, powdered sugar, milk/cream, and vanilla extract. Marshmallow cream is usually make with butter, powdered sugar, Marshmallow Fluff, and vanilla extract.
Why are my whoopie pies flat?
Most likely it’s because your batter wasn’t thick enough. Whoopie pie batters need to be very stiff so they don’t spread too much in the oven.
Is whoopie pie a cake or cookie?
A whoopie pie is a cake. It’s like a single-serving mini cake or an inside-out cupcake. It might look like a cookie sandwich but the texture is definitely more cake-like.
You might also like:
- Easy Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
- No-Bake Chocolate Cream Pie
- Apple Oatmeal Whoopie Pies with PB Frosting
- Homemade Boston Cream Pie
Did you make this recipe? Please kindly leave a comment with your star rating below.
Chocolate Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
Batter
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup (250ml) milk
Filling
- 1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups (500g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3-4 Tbsp milk
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. salt
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until well combined.1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Gradually add in the milk, scraping the bottom of the bowl as needed. The batter might curdle, but don't worry, it will come together when you add the dry ingredients.1 cup (250ml) milk
- Slowly add dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Using a 1-oz cookie or ice cream scoop, drop the batter onto the prepared baking pan 2″ apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
Filling
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy. Add in the vanilla, one cup of powdered sugar, and one tbsp of milk. Mix well. Add the remaining powdered sugar, one cup at a time, alternating with 1 tbsp of milk at a time. Add in the last tbsp of milk if needed for the desired consistency.1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, 4 cups (500g) powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 3-4 Tbsp milk
- Transfer buttercream to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe the buttercream onto the flat side of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Women’s Day and Martha Stewart.
Hi Lily, I want to ask about possibly 2 substitutions. What if I sub a cup of coffee for the milk? OR a cup of buttermilk? Seems one would enhance the chocolate flavor and the other increasing the moistness. Would either of these work for the recipe & have you tried these? Thank you in advance! *:)
Hey Anna, I have not. I will say that these whoopie pies are already quite moist. Maybe go half and half for the best of both worlds:)
Hi Lily, I have been looking for a whoopi pie but just the vanilla whoopi pie ( im not sure what it is called). But what if I wanna make vanilla whoopi pie, can I just remove the cocoa powder or how much flour do I need to replace? And can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
Thank you in advance! Apology for the hassle but the recipe looks very similar what I have been searching for years!
I would replace the cocoa powder with 1/2 cup of flour and add another tsp of vanilla. Hope this helps and let me know if it turns out the way you remember it:)
Love the recipe. I’ve made these before but used a different filling recipe which I did not like. Last time I used the marshmallow stuff and it did not hold the way I wanted it.
Is this filling good to hold at room temperature? I don’t want the filling to run down the sides if I baked these for a bake sale event.
I am also going to attempt pumpkin whoopie pies. But I’m in search of the perfect filling that will hold.
Thank you so much!
Hey Branden, yes the filling is a vanilla buttercream and it will hold well at room temp. Enjoy and good luck with the bake sale!
Hi just to let you know I love ❤️ your recipe its amazing ! Thanks again !
For the filling I use another one with cream of marshmallows and other ingredients just to let you know Omg !
Thank you and so glad you love the whoopie pies!
I really love these! the first time I made them was for my family (they LOVED them and now demand I make them often) do you think if I added a 1/2 teaspoon of Coco powder to the frosting would it make it chocolate but not alter the recipe too much?
Thank you and I’m so happy your family loves them! Depending on how chocolaty you want the filling to be, I would add 1-2 tbsp of cocoa powder and voila, you’ve got yourself double chocolate whoopie pies:)
I LOVE this recipe! this whoopie pies are so good! they are fluffy and moist, and they taste amazing! I made them and my family finished them SO fast! if you have not made this recipe yet… you have too! I saved this recipe and am going to make it again today!
Aww thank you Ava for the rave review. Much appreciated and I’m so glad you love the recipe!
I just made them and they taste dry..almost like too much baking soda but I did measure it..they are dry😔..I’m not sure what I did wrong but the filling came out perfect ❤️
I’m sorry to hear that. It’s most likely overbaked. The nice thing is that it will soak some moisture from the filling, so eaten together, it should be fine.
These were amazing! Everyone loved them!
Thank you, Rhonda! I’m so happy to hear:)
I made these today and I would not change a thing. They turned out perfect!!! It was just the recipe I was looking for. Thank you. So yummy
You’re very welcome and thank you for your kind words, Joanie! So glad you liked it:)
Hello … going to make these for a work event and I have a question & a comment. Question .. any concerns with using buttermilk instead of milk, have some I need to use up? As for the comment, I am a first time visitor to your blog and struggling baker – THANK YOU for publishing recipes that provide gram measurements. Baking is an exact science and too many times I have invested time and money in recipes that just don’t come out well given the variation in imperial measured ingredients.
Hi Valerie, you’re very welcome and I’m with you, much prefer gram measurements for accuracy. No concerns about using buttermilk, so go ahead and use it up. Enjoy!
how many pies does this recipe make? thanks
It makes about 16 whoopie pies. Enjoy!
I got 6 … (12 cookies) way too big hahahahha