I know what I’ve said about birthdays. That they need to be celebrated with cake and no other dessert will do. But when it’s your Main Squeeze’s birthday and he makes a special request, it’s best to set aside personal beliefs and oblige.
Plus, these whoopie pies are pretty great. I’ve been tweaking this recipe for awhile and am finally happy with the texture of the cookie and the flavor of the filling. These are pretty small compared to a lot of whoopie pies, but I find that they don’t fall apart like when I’ve made them larger and the ratio of filling to cookie ends up being just right.
Since Jay was working on his birthday, I packed these puppies up and brought them to him to celebrate. Whoopie pies are also a little easier to transport than a cake and my Pennsylvania Dutch heritage makes me happy to whip these up.
For the filling, I’m using a homemade marshmallow frosting. Not the jarred stuff because the reality is if you’re going to be pulling out the mixer to make frosting, you might as well go all out and make the real deal. And it really doesn’t change the number of steps. Although it’s not totally necessary, I would highly recommend using a candy thermometer. I have this one and I use it for everything. It’s instant read and has a high temperature range making it perfect for candy.
Unlike a buttercream filling, this frosting is extra light but won’t hold up for a couple days so I recommend making it the same day you plan on serving the whoopie pies. You could make the cookies a day ahead of time, throw them in an airtight container, and then make the filling the next day.
Mini Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Homemade Marshmallow Frosting
Makes about 24 Whoopie Pies
For the Cookies
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Cup Shortening
- 1/2 Cup Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Preheat the oven to 425. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, soda, powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Using the paddle attachment in your stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl, beat the shortening and the sugar for 3 minutes on high. Add the egg and continue to mix. Drizzle in the milk and add the vanilla and mix until everything is combined.
With the mixer running on low, slowly add the dry ingredients until all the ingredients have just come together and the flour is not longer visible. The dough will be runny and resemble more of a cake batter than a cookie dough.
Use a small scoop to place the dough on the baking sheet with about 2 inches in between (I could get 12 on on my 9×13 pans). Bake for 5-6 minutes and remove immediately onto wire racks.
For the Marshmallow Frosting
- 1 Cup of Sugar
- 1/4 Cup of Water
- 2 Egg Whites (1/2 a cup of egg whites)
- 2 Tsp Corn Syrup
- 1 Tsp Vanilla
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
Fill a medium sized with about an inch of water and bring the water to a simmer over medium high heat. Place your mixing bowl over the pan and whisk together the sugar, water, egg whites, and corn syrup in the double border. Continue to whisk until the temperature reaches 140.
Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and salt. If using a stand mixer, use the wire whisk attachment. Beat the mixture on high until it’s fluffy and glossy. This may take 10 minutes.
Fill a pastry bag or large ziplock bag with the corner snipped off with the frosting. Pipe a dollop of frosting onto half of the cookies and top with the remaining half.
Serve and enjoy!
