Alice’s Old-Fashioned Whoopie Pies
Love a traditional whoopie pie recipe? These old-fashioned whoopie pies are rich and chocolaty with “no Fluff” cream filling.
By Aimee Tucker|Jun 24 2022|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine KeenanLooking for a traditional whoopie pie recipe (meaning a whoopie pie filling without Fluff)? You’ve come to the right place.
Rich chocolate cakes filled with a homemade cream filling, these old-fashioned whoopie pies are a favorite for generations of one New England family.
SEE MORE: Alice’s Old-Fashioned Whoopie Pies | Recipe With a History
Yield:
About 15 piesIngredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract; then add the milk and the dry ingredients, alternating, and mix until just combined.
Spoon heaping tablespoons of batter, roughly 3 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
I went to school with Maryann and I was thrilled to see her Mom’s recipe. Last night I went out and bought all of the ingredients to make them. I just frosted the last one and could not resist licking the frosting bowl, LOL. They are FANTASTIC, very moist and flavorful. It brings back memories of my childhood. My Mom also made whoopine pies, and I have not had one since around the same time Maryann had them in the 1960’s. What a touching article. THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES.
Hi Debbie! Thanks so much for your very sweet comment. I am so, so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! I know my mom will be, too! 🙂
This does not sound good to me….too much unnessary ingredients to make it good….Fluff, confectioners sugar & Crisco, that’s all you need. Granulated sugar in the frosting tastes just like it sounds…. granulated!My recipe is an old one and everyone has a favorite of their own.
While I agree that using Fluff is faster and makes a nice filling, it’s worth pointing out that Fluff is, itself, basically frosting–7-Minute Boiled Frosting–and is made with egg whites, granulated sugar, corn syrup and vanilla. Combining it with butter/shortening and 10x results in something akin to Swiss meringue buttercream. This Whoopie Pie filling is very similar to ermine frosting (flour buttercream). For my two cents, it’s much less sweet and lets the cake’s flavor shine. As you say, though, it’s a matter of preference. Either way, “Whoopie!”
Definite absolute no to this “whoopie pie” filling my recipe is an old old recipe it has fluff and is not sweet, it is light and fluffy this one listed and I have tried it and it is not what I would call a whoopie pie
This recipe is the “real” old-fashioned Maine whoopie pie recipe. My mom, grandmother, and the ladies before them, made them this way and they are divine. Rhonda, don’t knock it til you try it. The sugar breaks down and the filling is creamy smooth and so delicious. I hope you’ll give it a whirl!
Love this cooked filling- this is the way I first learned to make whoopie pies– I lost my recipe– so glad you posted your grandmothers recipe– thank you
This sounds great. Rhonda, while your filling has few things for you to mix, the ingredients are far more than what is here, and I can’t have fluff or confectioners sugar, so this recipe is a definite for me!!!
Can this filling be made without shortening, all butter??? Or butter and coconut oil instead?
I will have to try that. The ones we had in high school had a gritty filling, maybe this one.
You have to mix the filling until the gritty-ness of the sugar goes away & it is all blended in. That is how I was taught to make them in 7th grade cooking class. Still using that recipe & introducing southerners to the wonder of Whoppie Pies.
This a great recipe, the filling was called Poor Man’ s Frosting, developed in wartime ( less expensive than fluff)
can these be made ahead and frozen?
whoopie pies are great. Does anyone have a good recipe for french meat pie made with hamburg and sausage etc.? also, Clam Cakes. And Fried Clams. I.m originally from Massachusetts, moved to Va. in 1972. these recipes I am looking for, they don,t have here. If anyone has these recipes please forward to my e-email address at , pvrain@yahoo.com Diane.
My grandmother used cornstarch instead of flour.
I must agree this is the best, been making them for over 50 years. Delicious
Purchased the pans for Whoopie Pies and this recipe is what I’ve been looking for. Thank you for sharing!
my grandmother would always sour the milk with vinegar…made a nice firm cookie…
Vinegar in Milk is a substitute for buttermilk.
To avoid any grittiness, I use superfine granulated sugar. My mother-in-law gave me her recipe for this filling many years ago. We use it as frosting also.
hello, just wondering if peanut butter could be incorporated into the filling or would it ruin the result? thanks
This was a great find. My mom used to make these but I lost her recipe and could never get the right filling. This is perfect. I too would like to know if peanut butter could be incorporated into the filling and have it still work? Thank you.
add peanut butter to your taste, if it seems too thick add a little milk, it works great.
Sounds so good. Would like recipie for vanilla cake like whoopie pies
If I was going to make them ahead of time for Thanksgiving how long could they be kept in the fridge or can they be frozen?
This is the way my mom used to make them we would cook the milk and the flour over a double boiler and then cool it in the refrigerator . I don’t remember straining it through a fine mesh before ? we just whipped in the sugar and shortening and some vanilla I don’t believe we used any butter . Grew up making these for special occasions and my mother used to send my dad a batch when he was in the military and stationed far away . I like it much better and it’s the more old fashioned recipe (rather than using fluff)
I also remember using a little vinegar in the milk!
Would Buttercream frosting work as a filling?
I find putting the milk and flour in the blender before cooking makes it easier to avoid lumps. I also place saran wrap on top of the “pudding”, making sure it touches all surfaces while it cools to avoid forming a “skin”. Makes the filling just a little more fool proof. Love this recipe! We always used margarine, but I’m looking forward to trying this version with butter.
What about 7 min icing? Can this be used? I used to make it for a dark chocolate cake.
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
The only filling I make, others are just too sweet!
Several people have asked if these can be frozen, no one answere. I, too, would like to know if they can be frozen
They freeze very well! I freeze them all the time.
Here’s an answer for freezing, my aunt used to make the cookies or cakes ahead of time and freeze those. When you need them just defrost in the fridge make the filling and you’re good to go.
i think it is always a good thing to bring back the old recipes. we can learn so much. the one thing in this recipe that holds me back is the shortening. i don’t like using shortening. i would rather use fluff than shortening, myself. amy’s recommendation to blend until the grittiness of the sugar is gone – brilliant! that grittiness is one of my disappointments every time i break down to try yet another bakery’s whoopie pie. there is always the grit! i am pretty sure that i used fluff and butter instead of shortening. no cooking. creamy smooth and no grit. i also remember seeing a recipe where broken bits of candy cane were folded into the filling. fun for the holidays. thanks everyone for sharing!
I found this recipe for the filling and I love it much better than the one using shortening. Here it is. Hope you like it,
o 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
o 1 cup powdered sugar
o 1 tsp. pure vanilla exrtact
o 3 Tbsp. heavy cream
o 1 cup marshmallow creme
o MAKE THE FILLING. While cakes are cooling, make the filling. Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in ½ cup confectioners’ sugar. Add the vanilla and 1 Tbsp. heavy cream and beat until smooth. Alternating between batches, beat in the remaining ½ cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 Tbsp. heavy cream. Beat in the marshmallow creme. Refrigerate until ready to use.
How do i store these
I store them in the fridge because of the dairy filling.
I tried this recipe and it was the best whoopie pie I had ever tasted
Thank you, thank you, for posting this receipt. I have not had a homemade
Maine whoope pie since I was real young. I could not find the original filling receipt, with flour and milk. I just finished baking these from your mother’s receipt. So wonderful. I will treasure the new found receipt and give to my two daughters to pass on. Thank you again, Linda
SO DELICIOUS! I don’t know if this filling would be stable enough for a frosting but it is so silky and smooth and not too sweet! I worried about the sugar remaining grainy, but I followed directions and it was perfection. Im so glad I came across this yummy recipe, it’s a keeper!!!! Thank you!
I have been using a recipe almost like this and I use it on a chocolate cake for the past 50 years. But note: the frosting will melt off the cake in any kind of heat! Voice of experience! 🙂
My twice-great Grandmother owned a bakery in Europe. This recipe for the filling is very close to hers. To eliminate the grittiness, though, her advice was to beat the sugar, butter and shortening (in her day, lard!) for 10 minutes to break down the crystalline structure of the sugar. It’s considered the family secret of making good frosting/icing.
Thanks for the filling tip!! I was ready to go back to Fluff when the filling was so gritty….
This method works every time.
I make homemade Whoopi pies from my grandmothers recipe which is very similar to this one. The only difference in the filling recipe is that we add a heaping tablespoon of marshmallow fluff. Makes it just a little creamier and so delicious! As for those of you asking about storing Whoopi pies…. we freeze them all the time. They are perfectly fine, and thaw nicely. Not to worry. They won’t get soggy. I wrap mine individually, and place them in a freezer ziplock bag.
Has anyone made a maple flavored filling for chocolate whoopie pies? Chocolate with maple is one of favorite combinations.
I made this recipe today for a get together with friends. I had never made a frosting with the flour milk step before. I was VERY nervous when it got thick! But it turned out perfectly! Whipped it in my stand mixer for 10 minutes and it is perfect! Smooth, not gritty, divine! And best of all, I had every single ingredient in my pantry already! That’s my favorite kind of recipe! Thanks so much!
Yuck…thought I would try it to see if it was similar to my grandmother’s recipe. Making a flour paste for the filling is probably an idea that should be abandoned. Although the flavor was not awful, the texture was weird. Six of us taste tested this filling versus another fluff version from Martha Stewart and nobody liked this one. I did not tell them anything about the ingredients until all the votes were in. Additionally, the whoopie pies themselves were not very chocolatey…luckily I had made a different version of these as well.
It’s great that these can be frozen! BUT in the near term fridge or counter for storage? Thanks!!
Fridge because of the milk and butter in the filling. I let them warm up a few minutes before eating.
I love whoopie pies and we have been baking them for years. I have never felt our recipes we’ve used over the years were the best. They were good but I have
been searching for the perfect recipe. I was on a quest for the perfect whoopie pie for a friend as he battled pancreatic cancer. I was able to make them for him twice! I have been making these regularly and have had compliments and requests for your recipe! Thank you for sharing the history, comments and the
BEST TREAT EVER!
Thanks so much for this very sweet comment, Tracie! Alice (my Nana) would have been thrilled to hear that her recipe is being enjoyed. 🙂
These are the real deal. Also called “Gobs” the filling recipe pre-dates any of the uncooked, marshmallow type creams. Does anyone have an old cookbook with this recipe? My best friend hand-copied this recipe for me from her mom’s cookbook, over 50 years ago. The cookbook was lost, but I still have the very faded copy she took over an hour to write out for me in pencil, lol.???? I would like to get her a copy of that old cookbook if I just knew the name. If you were raised with the marshmallow or whipping cream filled recipes, this recipe may not be up your alley. But it is a sweet memory for me! This filling is firmer and holds up better than the others. It’s not too sweet, and it goes great with the cocoa powder used in the surrounding cookies. Like ethnic foods, it’s a cultural taste. Some people will love it, others just won’t. But don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it!
Absolutely loved this version of Whoppie Pie! It is a favorite for with my family and I make it often for Birthdays. The filling is absolutely divine! My great grandmother Emma would make her butter cream frosting in the same manner.
Does anyone have experience baking these in a convection oven?
This is the whoopie pie recipe I grew up eating over 60 years ago and also made for my kids. I had six brothers and my Mum would wrap some up and put in the freezer thinking that we’d have them again. She always made a double batch. Little did she know, we enjoyed them frozen too!!
Yes this is my moms recipe also!!
I have versions of this recipe as well as ones made with marshmallow fluff from older cook books – I tend to mix & match as I like the cookie recipe from 1 & the filling from another. I believe they are all the same vintage. Marshmallow fluff was invented in 1917 & per google Whoopie Pies around 1925…so the “old fashioned” might be because it was easier to pull pantry staples to make a flour paste frosting. Not to mention most likely cheaper.
Thank You have been looking for a recipe that doesn’t call for egg whites in the filling like I used to make many years ago
If anyone has the now-closed Boothbay Lobster Dock’s recipe for Whoopi pies, I would love to have it. They were great.
I always made these….when they had bake sales at my daughter’s school I would bag them individually and they were a big hit….the first to sell out
Thank you for publishing an ORIGINAL recipe. My mother always made them this way. NOT with fluff!!!! Sorry to offend those heathy eaters but ORIGINAL means just that. Make them and enjoy.
Please stop suggesting kosher salt for recipes for baked goods. The weight of kosher salt varies from one brand to another.
If you don’t already bake with kosher salt, you aren’t going to go buy it for a recipe that calls for less than a teaspoon. Just my opinion.
The cake has almost no flavor, do not recommend.
These are the Whoopie Pies from my childhood. My mother made them for every picnic in the summer. They have the perfect flavor. Thanks for sharing.