Make Whoopie Pies

After overwrought cupcakes and posh macaroons, the next big sweet thing has just got to be humble {whoopie} pie.

SIMPLE TO MAKE | This past week, my favourite francophile foodie/writer Dorie Greenspan reported on her entertaining blog that while the cupcake craze is alive and well in Paris, “the cupcake’s American cousin, the whoopie pie, is squeezing in on its territory.” What she didn’t mention is that in North America, the whoopie pie is also squeezing in on the territory currently occupied by its French cousin, the chi-chi macaroon.

Is the age-old whoopie pie, two cakelike cookies with a sweet, creamy filling, the next must-have confection? Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell think so. These cookbook editors, both enthusiastic home bakers, saw the trend coming and jumped on it last April with their entertaining cookbook Whoopie Pies, published by Chronicle Books.

Whoopie Pies has 21 recipes for tasty little cakes, among them the classic chocolate whoopie (see recipe below), a gluten-free whoopie, even a jalapeño cornbread whoopie. The 29 recipes for creamy fillings include everything from classic marshmallow (see below) to dulce de leche and matcha buttercream.

Follow the recipes below to make a little whoopie this weekend. The sprinkles, of course, are optional.

Makin’ Some Whoopie This Weekend

Classic Chocolate Whoopie Pie
(Makes 48 two-inch cakes)
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup (best-quality) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons vegetable [Crisco] shortening [necessary for “lift and lightness”]
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup milk

Position rack in the centre of the oven, preheat to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. In the 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 fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat for 2 minutes more.

Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk to the batter and beat on low until JUST incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour mixture and remaining milk and beat until completely combined.

Using a spoon (a melon baller will produce uniformly sized 2-inch whoopies), drop about 1 tablespoon of batter on to the parchment-covered baking sheet and repeat, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes or until pies spring back when pressed gently.

Remove from oven and let cakes cool on sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Classic Marshmallow Filling
1 1/2 cups Marshmallow Fluff (or other prepared marshmallow cream)
1 1/4 cups vegetable shortening
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the Marshmallow Fluff and the vegetable shortening, starting on low and increasing to medium until the mixture is smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low, add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla, and beat until incorporated. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes more.

How To Assemble Your Pies
Spread filling onto the flat side of one cake using a knife or spoon. For a smoother, neater presentation, use a pastry bag with a round tip to pipe the filling onto the cakes instead.—C. Rule

Whoopie Pies, Dozens of Mix ’em, Match ’em, Eat ’em Up Recipes, by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell, is published by Chronicle Books (distributed by Raincoast Books) in Canada and available online at Chapters.Indigo.com

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Photo: Antonis Achilleos, courtesy Chronicle Books