Behind every good recipe is a confused story of how it became popular. Whoopie pies originated in one of two places: in Pennsylvania Dutch country, or in Lewiston, Maine. In Pennsylvania, when the children would open their lunch boxes, they’d exclaim “whoopie!” and thus the name. Commercially, Labadie’s Bakery in Lewiston first started selling Whoopie Pies when they opened in 1925. Labadie’s Bakery remains, in the same location, today.
The main difference between an Amish pie and a New England one is that the latter uses Marshmallow Fluff instead of the classic shortening icing in between the soft chocolate “cookies.” If you’ve ever had a whoopie pie, you know it’s not really a cookie, but more like a cake cookie.
Whether you believe whoopie pies originated with the Amish or at Labadie’s Bakery, one thing is for sure: They’re delicious, and can easily be made at home.
Erica McCarron, also know as Tiny Baker, the pastry chef at Mocha Mott’s, shared her recipe for Red Velvet Whoopie Pies, filled with a sweet peppermint cream cheese filling that will make you swoon.
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
8 Tbsp (one stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 oz. (2 Tbsp.) red food coloring
Preheat oven to 375° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk to combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to the cream mixture, until combined. Stir in food coloring.
Pipe (or spoon) batter onto prepared baking sheets, leaving a couple of inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Sweet Peppermint Cream Cheese Filling
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. peppermint extract
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Cream butter and cream cheese until combined. Add extracts, and slowly mix in sugar. Beat until smooth.
Pipe/spread the filling onto half of the cookies, and top with a like-sized shape. Optional: Roll sides in crushed candy cane.