Maybe you know them as “Gobs” (especially if you hail from PA) or maybe you know them as “Whoopie Pies”. Whatever you call them, these classic desserts are absolutely irresistible!
They consist of two cakey chocolate cookies sandwiched around an old-fashioned vanilla filling.
Try them frozen for a wonderful summer treat.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Cooling Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Servings: 16 whoopie pies
- Calories: 284 calories
Ingredients
CHOCOLATE COOKIES
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup shortening or lard
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups all-purpose plain flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup very hot or boiling water
CREAM FILLING
- 1 cup whole milk
- 5 Tablespoons all-purpose plain flour
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons shortening
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
CHOCOLATE COOKIES
- Preheat oven to 450F (235C) and line several cookie sheets with parchment paper
- Set aside.
- In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugar and shortening and beat together until well-combined.
- Add egg and vanilla extract and stir until mixture is pale yellow and well-combined.
- Stir in buttermilk and then set aside.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Prepare your boiling water.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and hot water to the wet ingredients, starting and ending with the dry ingredients and stirring until combined after each addition.
- Stir until well-combined and mixture is smooth. Be sure to use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure ingredients are thoroughly combined. The mixture should be thin like a cake batter rather than thick like a cookie dough.
- Drop cookie batter by a heaping Tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies at least 2” apart (they will spread in the oven).
- Bake for 5 minutes in 450F oven, then remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, prepare your cream filling.
FILLING
This Whoopie Pie filling starts with a flour/milk paste that’s critical to the texture and consistency of an old-fashioned Whoopie Pie.
- Pour milk into medium-sized saucepan over medium/low heat and then sift/whisk flour into milk until smooth.
- Continue to whisk constantly until mixture is thickened to a near paste-like consistency that wants to cling together.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before proceeding (if it’s warm and you proceed you’ll melt your filling and have a runny mess).
- To speed up the process you can pour the mixture into another container but it will take at least 30 minutes.
- Flour mixture will thicken even more as it cools.
- Once flour/milk mixture has cooled, add to a medium-sized mixing bowl along with butter, shortening, salt and vanilla.
- Use an electric mixer to beat until creamy and well-combined.
- With mixer on low speed, gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined.
- Pair up your cooled chocolate cookies so that you have evenly-sized pairs.
- Pipe or spread filling onto the bottom of one cookie then top with another cookie to make a sandwich.
- Repeat until all cookies are filled.
