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From The Kitchen: Whoopie Pies

I don’t normally post recipes on my blog mostly because I don’t make things that are very original but sometimes I think it’s worth it to share a recipe that completely satisfies my taste buds. Now is such a time.

Last week I made whoopie pies. If you don’t know what that is, it’s the idea of a soft oreo cookie. The chocolate part is like cake and the white part is like frosting. Jason and I grew up together and attended the same church and they were a hot item there at potlucks and festivals. Whoopie pies were such a special treat for us growing up because they weren’t usually in our families collection of recipes and we only had them when they made an appearance at a church function.

On the day that we were moving out here, Jason’s Mom lovingly presented a batch of whoopie pies to consume on the long trip from Oregon to Tennessee knowing how much we love them. What a delight! And, since we didn’t have the recipe ourselves (at the time), we haven’t had them since (that was 4 years ago). As I said earlier, last week I set out to change that.

I had always assumed that they were difficult to make judging by the frequency of times we had them but I came to find out that they aren’t. Imagine my joy! Now I can make whoopie pies whenever I want :) I made this batch with ease and they turned out great the first time. I love it when that happens! Here is the recipe:

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The Chocolate Cake Part:
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg, milk, water, and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients and beat well. Drop one spoonful per pie onto cookie sheet (this recipe should make 24 halves or 12 complete pies). Bake 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees (8 minutes was perfect for us in our convection oven). Once they come out of the oven, take them off the cookie sheet and place them on parchment paper to let them cool.

The Frosting:
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 – 3/4 cup shortening

Cream egg white, vanilla, flour and milk. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and beat well. Add shortening and the rest of the sugar and beat.

Once the cake part comes out of the oven, let cool and then frost. Apply the frosting liberally and use it all (trust me, you will thank me!). Put two together and you have a completed whoopie pie. Again, this recipe should make 12 completed pies. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and keep them in the fridge. I’m not sure how long you can store them, they don’t last very long in our house :) You can also freeze them if you want to keep them around for a while. We actually tripled the recipe when we made them for church so if you need more than 12, go ahead and triple it!

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When I made them last week, we actually took them to church to share with others (for v-day) and so Jason and I didn’t consume nearly as many as we would have liked. So today, Jason made another batch merely for the purposes of not letting the buttermilk go to waste :) And they are just as wonderful!

If you make whoopie pies with this recipe, let me know what you think! Have you ever had them before? I also have heard from others that they call a different dessert (something you make over a camp fire) whoopie pies. Whatever you call them, they are a yummy treat to make! Enjoy!