A month ago I shared with you a 6 ingredient sweet treat that is no bake, has no refined sugar, is gluten free and tastes like heaven. 

This week’s treat also tastes like heaven. Fullstop.

Introducing the delicious W H O O P I E   P I E S. They are a Pennsylvania Amish tradition, originally made by Amish  housewives to be given to their farmer husbands, who were said to have exclaimed "Whoopie!" upon discovering the treat in their lunchboxes. Those farmers knew a good thing when they saw it!

Whoopie pies are squishy soft and moist, round cakey cookies sandwiched together with a sweet, creamy, fluffy filling. How’s that for a description? The traditional whoopie pies have an intense chocolate flavour that whisper bellow, “Eat me now!” into every one of your body’s five senses.

Fillings range from the traditional cloud-like sweet marshmallow to basically anything you think would taste good sandwiched between two layers of chocolatey goodness.

There are 3 fillings that I recommend. 

1. whipped cream 

   • This one’s for the lazy-arse cooks among us. Those of us who spent a bit of time perfecting those chocolatey rounds of deliciousness and couldn’t be bothered to put much effort in the filling but still want a super tasty cushioning for those bad boys. Basically, you whip some cream, add a bit of icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence. And yes, I actually found a recipe for homemade whipped cream 😳 Voilà! -  or in English, Behold!

2. buttercream

   • This one’s for the “I want to impress you by making a frosting from scratch that tastes like it was bought from a patisserie” cook. 

3. swiss meringue buttercream

• This one’s for those of you who only want the best things in life. This is the Burj Al Arab, Cartier, ‎Hermès, and Ferrari in one mouth-watering mouthful. It’s the crème de la crème for the advanced baker. It has an amazing flavour and texture, and it’s similar to the traditional marshmallow filling found in whoopie pies.

Let’s start with the recipe...

ingredients for the squishy soft and moist, round cakey cookies:

1 ¾ cups (250g) plain flour

⅔ cup (65g) unsweetened cocoa powder (I love this one!)

1 ¼  tsps soda bicarbonate

½ tsp salt

½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1 cup (200g) caster sugar (or brown sugar)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk at room temperature

steps to make the squishy soft and moist, round cakey cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 

2. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, soda bicarbonate, and salt. Set aside. 

3. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.

4. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy - about 3 minutes. 

5. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the buttermilk. 

6. Slowly add dry ingredients, and mix until  just combined.

7. Scoop mounds of the batter about 1 ½ tbsps (I use a largish icecream scoop - it’s less messy, and makes life easier. It also keeps the cakes uniform in size) onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 5 cm apart. 

8. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched. 

9. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

how to assemble the whoopie pies: 

Spread filling on the flat side of half the cakes. Sandwich with remaining cakes, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cakes.

Store in the fridge, well covered, for up to a week. Serve at room temperature.

how to serve the whoopie pies: 

Walk into a room or outdoor space filled with your nearest and dearest, holding a cake plate piled high with your squishy soft and moist Whoopie Pies. Make sure you have the biggest, happiest and most self-assured smile on your face. You’ll need it because you’re going to compete for attention with those bad boys you’re about to serve.

Enjoy!