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There's this book, and it's all about The Whoopie Pie. It's called … Whoopie Pies: Dozen of Mix 'em, Match 'em, Eat 'em Up Recipes. I bought it. I kinda like it.
They even have a gluten-free whoopie pie recipe, but it uses a bean flour blend, and, well, no thanks, man. So I adapted their recipe for “Classic Chocolate Whoopie” instead.
I halved the recipe since I felt that 2 dozen assembled pies {read: 48 cookies} was just too many, and worked some Jedi mind trick magic with some ingredients, you know. I adapted it. It turned out really nice, too. So I thought I'd share it with you.
I even learned a few important, Shoestring-Friendly things from this book. Among them: you do NOT need a special pan for whoopie pies. Ever see those “whoopie pie” pans? They have a bunch of shallow, round wells. Well, you don't need 'em.
Sorry, whoopie-pan-making-companies. You're selling a bill of goods. I never really understood those types of pans anyway. Unless you're making pancakes, your batter is not going to be a pourable liquid. So how are you supposed to fill those wells all nice and neat? You're not. It's just plain silly.
You'll notice that I did not include a recipe for a frosting or filling. You really can use whatever you like. I made a vanilla buttercream, but you know what I think would work nice? The recipe from my GF Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, reprinted (with permission, of course) by the New York Daily News when they did a story about me in March of this year.
Whoopie pies are different than Oreo-type cookies, by the by, in a few very important ways. They are puffy and cakey, unlike Oreos, which are snappy and wafer-like {just realizing now that in my better dreams I am described as snappy and wafer-like}.
How to make classic gluten free whoopie pies
Gluten Free Whoopie Pies Recipe
Equipment
- Piping bag with open tip
Ingredients
- ⅞ cup (123 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I use Better Batter; click thru for appropriate blends)
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- ⅓ cup (27 g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening (I like Spectrum brand)
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature, beaten
- ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 10 tablespoons (5 fluid ounces) milk at room temperature
- 1 recipe Sandwich Cookie Filling
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. Whisk to combine, working out the lumps in the brown sugar.
- Add the butter and shortening, and mix with a fork until crumbly and lumpy. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix to combine. Add the milk, and mix until uniformly smooth.
- Place the batter in a piping bag fitted with a plain open piping tip about 1/2-inch in diameter. Pipe batter in rounds about 1 1/2 inches in diameter onto the prepared baking sheets, at least an inch apart. They will spread a bit while baking.
- Place one baking sheet at a time into the center of the preheated oven and bake until they spring back when pressed gently in the center, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cakes to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- When removing the cakes from the parchment paper, it is best to peel away the parchment paper from the back of the cake, rather than attempting to lift the cake right off the paper.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, pair the cookies that appear the most like one another (a memory game!).
- Add about a tablespoon of filling either with a pastry bag fitted with a star tip or with a spoon or knife, and close. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
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Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Victoria says
These are amazing! Thank you so much for this great recipe. The cake is so soft and delicious.
Nicole Hunn says
You’re very welcome, Victoria! So glad you enjoyed them.
Colette says
hi, i just read the recipe like 10 times, where does it say to put in the cocoa powder? am i seriously missing it? i’m going to add w/the milk & hope for the best. can’t wait to try these, i’m making them for a book club meeting tonight! wish me luck & thanks so much for posting!!
Nicole says
Hi, Colette,
I’m so sorry! It was omitted from the instructions. I just fixed it. You add the cocoa powder right after the flour & xanthan gum. Have fun at your book club. Be sure to take total credit for the recipe! ;)
xoxo Nicole
Colette says
never, i will def. give you all the credit, so far they look great; can’t wait to taste them – i also made a totally screw up that i’m just realizing, my all purpose gf flour looks very similiar to my gf sorghum glour & guess what? i used the sorghum – hoping for the best now!! lol this is what happens when you’re trying to bake w/2 kids under 5 in the house!!!!
Nicole says
Yikes! All sorghum? I have my fingers crossed for you. I remember what it was like to have 3 kids under 5. My oldest was only 3 1/2 when my third child was born. It gets so much easier. I promise!
xoxo Nicole
Colette says
okay, so believe it, or not, but the sorghum w/the xanthum & everything else, they taste great!! i’m so shocked & relieved!
Nicole says
That’s great, Colette! Your book club will be impressed!
xoxo Nicole
Colette says
Nicole,
Thanks again for the great recipe!! Book club was so happy to have whoopie pies. on another note, I used coconut oil in place of shortening (just a little healthier, not that whoopie pies are meant as a healthy snack) lol. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes, thanks again for giving me back a childhood treat!! xoxo
Colette
Nicole says
Pleasure, Colette. So glad they went over well. :)
xoxo Nicole
Peggy says
Hi Nicole, wow, whoopie pies, I thought those were gone forever. Thanks so much for the recipe. I know what I’m making for my son’s birthday in August. His inlaws always have a big party with all desserts gluten so I take something GF to share so I have something sweet to eat when they are serving cake. The kids will love these as will I!!!
Nicole says
Hi, Peggy,
Nothing except gluten is gone forever! I love having a plan for a child’s birthday before the eleventh hour! I’m so glad you have a plan in place, and I know you’ll knock those in-law socks off!
xoxo Nicole
Julie says
Hi Nicole,
I stumbled on your wonton wrapper recipe and then found these Whoopie Pies. They look fabulous. I was just in Boston this week on business. The lunches that the hotel had provided during the meetings included various desserts (mostly gluten filled cakes). One day they had Whoopie pies. My mouth actually watered when I saw them. Somehow I restrained myself and didn’t eat any, but pouted the rest of the day. I was going to make GF cupcakes for a friend’s party this weekend, but I think I will make these instead :-) Thank you!!
Nicole says
Hi, Julie,
I love when that happens! Not when you have to stare at some gluten-y whoopie pie that you can’t eat. I love the part where you thought you couldn’t have something, and then you came here and saw that, indeed, you could have it! I think it’s a great idea to make these for a friend’s party. Maybe try pushing the filling down a bit so you’re sure it reaches the edge of the cookies, and rolling them in some nonpareils or sprinkles to make it a bit more “dressed up” for the party? But even just the classic ones make a great presentation. Have a great time!
xoxo Nicole
Rachel says
Oh, Nicole! You are the best! My husband’s birthday is tomorrow and instead of making him a cake, I decided to make Whoopie Pies. I filled them with my favorite Peanut Butter Frosting and put some in the freezer for him. He prefers to eat the Whoopie Pies frozen but I like them fresh and they are seriously good! He’s not gluten-free, I am, but he loves the fact that I make more homemade items and he eats everything I make (even when I don’t think it’s that good). Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes and your fabulous bliggety-blog. I look forward to reading it every week!
Nicole says
Hi, Rachel,
I love the idea of whoopie pies for a birthday! Sounds like the fact that you are gluten-free has been a real benefit to your husband. Thank you for posting, and you are so welcome. Bliggity blog makes me *snort* every time I think of it. Keep coming back!
xoxo Nicole
P.S. I like whoopie pies frozen, too. Easier to eat. :)
Sarah Dean says
We were out of town for the 4th so I couldn’t make subs for us gluten-free folks (besides the fact that I ran out of flour and so did Better Batter). We had hot dogs w/o buns, but I had made gf graham crackers for s’mores (and the airplane ride) before I ran out of flour so we didn’t go without dessert. I cheated for breakfast, though, and I (and the baby) have been miserable ever since. I’m hoping to feel better tomorrow. It usually takes 3 days or so. I’m hoping Better Batter gets their 25 lb flour in stock soon so I can make bread when I get home.
I love reading your blog. I makes me smile!
Nicole says
Hi, Sarah,
Always great to hear from you.
I’m so sorry that you got ‘punished’ for cheating at breakfast! The idea of cheating when you can’t make your own can be so seductive. I’m so sorry about Better Batter’s flour! I’m really frustrated, too, and I know that Naomi Poe from Better Batter is, as well. I’m nearly out of Better Batter, and I had a photo shoot today and had to make multiple loaves of GF beer bread in the last few days to perfect the recipe, and I was in serious danger of getting stuck without enough flour. So I feel you!
I’m so glad the blog makes you smile. Hearing from you does the same for me. See? :)
Feel better …
xoxo Nicole
Anneke says
Hey Nicole! I’m with Ruthe — love the crockpot! Use it to do pork roast for shredding to make sandwiches, lots of different chili recipes, soup. It is a real lifesaver some nights. Betty Crocker has a really good slow-cooker cookbook that I use often. I couldn’t wrap my brain around complicated today, so we went with Chex Muddy Buddies for our dessert — love being able to use Chex cereal for things without worrying! Did work on teaching my 12 year old daughter to make sourdough this morning, I have high hopes that I can soon take that off my list and put it onto hers. These Whoopie cookies look delicious, but would be hard on my daughter with diabetes, since they have all that frosting. Maybe for a special treat sometime, as in, when I need something yummy! I missed you, too, glad you are back! Anneke
Nicole says
Hi, Anneke,
The homogeneity of the foods the crockpot turns out doesn’t bother you? I understand the lure of the convenience of it, but the consistency/uniformity still has me stuck.
I love Chex cereal! I think the fact that every box of Chex cereal says “Gluten Free” right there on the label has got to have done more for celiac awareness than any other effort. General Mills is really a leader in GF.
I didn’t realize that your daughter had diabetes. You really could put anything in there. What about some natural peanut butter, instead of frosting? The cookies are really good, and they themselves are not crazy on sugar. Do you ever bake for her with splenda? I have often wondered how well that works.
Definitely get your 12 year old to make bread! You make that so often, and if you don’t have every other household chore on your list, baking bread can be so enjoyable. I have 12-year-old-daughter envy. My oldest is 9. I need her to bake for me!
Good to be back. Always good to hear from you. :)
xoxo Nicole
Anneke says
Hi Nicole — I am philosophically opposed to fake sugar, and we rarely give her sugar free things because of that. Have to use sugar free maple syrup and diet soda, because you can’t cover those with insulin, but she pretty much only gets soda if we are going to a restaurant. I am generally not a fan of soda for children at all, so we avoid that for all the kids. I have contemplated baking with Stevia, but I worry about how the volume difference will mess up the already big challenge of baking gluten free. As for the crockpot, I felt the same way before I tried the Betty Crocker cookbook, but there are quite a few good choices in there. I think it has a lot to do with good quality ingredients and proper herbs and spices. Don’t be afraid, Nicole — look at all the people who are no longer afraid of GF cooking because you told us to take the leap! By the way, I get my CSA veg today, it is my absolute favorite moment of the week, when I sit down and read my newsletter and open my box! Hope you enjoy yours! Anneke
Nicole says
Hi, Anneke,
I understand your feeling about fake sugar. I have experimented with stevia before, and have thought of developing some recipes with it, but I know it would involve a LOT of trial and error. Better me than you, though, right? ;) Kind of like what is happening in my kitchen right now, trying to nail a recipe for Beer Bread for the net issue of Gluten Free Living. It has to be perfect, since it is going in front of a camera tomorrow, but it is really giving me a hard time. I’m sure you’re right about the crockpot, but something still has me tripped up about it. Last week, I nearly bought an all-in-one electric cooker from Cuisinart that also browns and sautees. I think that might be more my speed.
I got garlic scapes in my CSA box this week, and this morning I made scape pesto. Fab!
xoxo Nicole
Ruthe says
I missed you also, Nicole. So glad you’re back. I fixed BBQ chicken in the crock pot and served with those delicious buns (your recipe) and potato salad. Ever since reading your recipe for vanilla wafers I’ve been craving a banana pudding. Haven’t had one since being diagnosed…mighty long while. So, on the fourth of July, I made nilla wafers and fixed the best banana pudding this side of heaven. I nearly didn’t have enough cookies. While layering all that goodness I’d spoon pudding on a wafer and very reverently put it in my mouth and well…nirvana. Think there’s a small bowl of pudding in the frig. Talk to you later. Thank you Nicole so much for the scrumptious memories. Really.
Nicole says
Hi, Ruthe,
Maybe you can be the one to finally get me on board with a crockpot. I just can’t wrap my mind around it. I feel like it makes food so homogeneous. Tell me I’m wrong, Ruthe! Tell me I’m wrong! I am thrilled that you made banana pudding with ‘nillas. So many people had that same craving when I posted the ‘nilla wafer recipe. I hope they all made it as wonderfully as you did!
It is so nice to hear from you, Ruthe, and I am so grateful to learn that you had a delicious holiday. Glad you’re here.
xoxo Nicole