Whoopie Pies

For the cakes: Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

With electric mixer on medium speed, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in egg until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and beat in one-third of flour mixture, then half of the buttermilk. Repeat with half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining buttermilk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Using rubber spatula, give batter final stir.

Using a 1/4-cup measure, scoop 8 mounds of batter onto each baking sheet, spacing mounds about 3 inches apart. Bake until cakes spring back when pressed, 15 to 18 minutes, switching and rotating pans halfway through baking. Cool completely on baking sheets, at least 1 hour.

For the filling: With electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt. Beat in marshmallow fluff until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate filling until slightly firm, about 30 minutes. (Bowl can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

Dollop 1/4 cup of the filling on the center of the flat side of half of the cakes. Top with the flat side of the remaining cakes and gently press until filling spreads to edges of cake. Serve.

(Whoopie pies can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 3 days.)

Cook’s Note: The original recipe called for a 1/3 cup measure scoop. I found this to make a too-large whoopie pie that was hard to eat because it was so large. The 1/4-cup measure scoop seems to make a smaller, more manageable pie. Also, try wrapping individual pies in plastic wrap and popping them in the fridge. These taste pretty good cold!

One last tip: try making the cakes with a chocolate boxed cake mix (like Devil’s Food) if you don’t have time to make it from scratch. Just mix an 18 ounce box of boxed cake mix with ingredients required on back of box. Mix thoroughly and dollop a heaping tablespoonful onto parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 12-15 minutes until cakes are firm and spring back to the touch. Continue with above recipe for the filling. You can even change up the cake mix you use, red velvet is wonderful with this filling!

*Recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated