Homemade Whoopie Pies

These were homemade Whoopie Pies.

According to J's request, my mission was to make Whoopie Pies. In fact I have never had Whoopie Pies. I knew such things exist. Recently I have seen them more often at cafe and bakery or in cooking magazines. Apparently Whoopie Pies have got into the limelight after the cupcake boom. There were several recipes available online. I adapted a recipe from King Arther Flour. Many people liked it and was very similar to a recipe from Gourmet January 2003 that many people also like.

Both recipes had the same problem though. Many people didn't like the fillings. Both called for butter or vegetable shortening, confectioner's sugar and commercial Marshmallow Fluff. Gooey, oily, and/or too sweet. I wanted to have something light and creamy, but not whipping extra fat and sugar. Cream cheese frosting or vanilla frosting were alternatives that some people recommended, but I wanted to stick to traditional marshmallow. On the other hand I was skeptical to Fluff. I had never tasted it before and it seemed the cause of the gooey issue. At last I decided to make homemade marshmallow. I have made it before and J and I liked it very much. I followed a recipe of homemade marshmallow from homemade Moon Pies posted on a lovely blog, "Tracy's Culinary Adventures." I guess marshmallow fillings are common from New England to South.

The result was surprisingly wonderful! Homemade marshmallow filling was just what I dreamed. I was a bit worried about whether marshmallow would get stiff. No! It stayed creamy but not running. Airy light too! The cake was moist and had a good texture. I reduced brown sugar by 35% to make the cake less sweet and healthier. I also used low-fat yogurt and low-fat milk mixture instead of just milk. I personally like tansy taste in chocolate baking goods.

I made the pies in "mini" size, not "palm" size. They were cute, little treats. I was so happy with my own Whoopie Pies. I wouldn't have to know what the commercial Whoopie Pies are actually like.