Homemade Whoopie Pies with Crushed Peppermint Sprinkles

Greg requested Whoopie Pies as the dessert for our holiday party, and they met the criteria I was trying to fill… festive and hand-held.

Whoopie Pies are a traditional Amish dessert, and have since spread through New England and the rest of the U.S. According to the New York Times, they are enjoying a national resurgence in bakeries from New York to LA. They are cake-like cookie sandwiches, with a sweet, creamy filling. According to legend, Amish children would exclaim “Whoopie!” if they found the cakes in their lunch boxes.

This highly-rated recipe comes from Epicurious. The cakes are even better the day after they are made… put between layers of wax paper and seal in an airtight container. Roll the pies in crushed candy canes, sprinkles or chocolate chips for a decorative finish.

Whoopie Pies
makes 10 sandwiches

Ingredients
For Cakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg

For Filling
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 cups Marshmallow Cream (like Fluff)
1 tsp vanilla

Make Cakes
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl.

2. Beat together butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a standing electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes (5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Then add egg, beating until well-combined. Reduce speed to low and alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture in batches, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally, mix until smooth.

3. Spoon 2 tblsp mounds of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 large, buttered baking sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of the oven, switching them halfway through baking, until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula onto racks to cool completely. (Do this the night before… store between layers of wax paper in an airtight container at room temp)

Make Filling
Beat together all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Assemble Pies
Spread a rounded tablespoon of filling on the flat side of half of the cakes and top with remaining cakes. * Optional: Crush up 3 candy canes into fine sprinkles and spread on a plate. Roll the outside of the pies in the sprinkles so they adhere to the frosting.