A New England Classic! These Whoopie Pies From Scratch are two soft chocolate cookies sandwiching a Grandma Pearl’s Miracle Frosting! 
Guys. I have a Valentine’s Day treat for you, today! These Whoopie Pies From Scratch are not only a tried and true recipe from Grandma passed down from generation to generation, but they’re not from my grandma, they’re from my best friend Holly’s Grandma Pearl – 5th generation Vermonter who grew up on a dairy farm. Now if that’s doesn’t prove these are the best of the best when it comes to this New England classic, I don’t know what will!
2019 started the very best way any year could possibly start with my best friend, my matron of honor, the woman I was honored to be maid of honor to, who I haven’t lived in the same state with for the past almost 10 years, MOVED TO OREGON. We’re 1 hour. 60 minutes. Just 3600 seconds door to door, now! Since she’s moved, we’ve been able to spend more time together in the past month than we have in the past 9 years. Not only is it amazing for me, but watching my girls get to know and love their Auntie Holly?! Ahhhh it makes my heart so happy. 
Now that we live so close to each other it means we can spend a Saturday afternoon together baking! I was sooooo honored that Holly wanted to share her Grandma Pearl’s Whoopie Pies From Scratch with you all! These delicious pies of soft pillowly sweet chocolate cookies of New England heaven, are super easy to make and you probably already have everything you need in your pantry to make them. Not pictured here, milk. Annndd probably something else, too. Because, well, I mom brain a lot of things. I had our little baby bear and then we were babysitting our friends 9 month old so I actually spent the time baby wrangling while Auntie Holly taught M all about measuring, mixing, and most importantly, tasting as they baked together. Have I mentioned how happy my heart is?
Btw, have you made your own Vanilla Extract From Scratch yet? No? Well if you make some now you’ll have plenty ready to go by the time the next holiday baking season comes around and future you will totally thank past you for thinking ahead!
Ok, back to these Whoopie Pies from scratch. See that chocolate cookie? It’s super soft and just subtlety sweet. But that frosting – that Miracle Frosting – ooh man it is pure sweet deliciousness and the perfect balance for the chocolate!
Together, heaven. Soft and just the right amount of sweetness. And soooo New England. As Holly says, you know you’re in Vermont when they’re selling Green Mountain Coffee and Whoopie Pies at the gas station. Oh I’ll always Lovermont. After all, it’s where Holly and I met and now, after living in VT and CO together, OR’s proving 3rd times the charm!
Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! Or if that’s not your thing, happy late Galentine’s Day or (my favorite) Happy Early Super Duper Cheap Chocolate at the Grocery Store Day! 😉
Don’t forget to share your photos and comments with me when you make these bad boys. I love to hear about it – and even more importantly, I’d love to share it with Holly and her family to make Grandma Pearl proud!
Grandma Pearl's Whoopie Pies From Scratch
Ingredients
Whoopie Pies
- 6 tablespoons crisco
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk 1% or 2%
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Miracle Frosting
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup crisco
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 2 large baking sheets and set aside.
To Make Miracle Frosting
- Mix flour and milk together in a medium sauce pan and heat slowly, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken. Thicken until it's the consistency of heavy cream.
- Put immediately in the fridge to cool.
- With a hand mixer, in a large bowl whip butter for 4 minutes.
- Add Crisco and whip for 4 minutes.
- Add sugar and whip for 4 minutes.
- Once cooled, add milk and flour mixture and whip for 4 minutes.
To Make Pies
- In a large bowl cream together Crisco and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and milk and mix together until well combined.
- In a separate medium sized bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda.
- Mix dry ingredients into bowl with creamed ingredients.
- Scoop approximately 1/4 cup of batter onto greased baking sheets, leaving plenty of room - 2 -3 inches between each scoop. The batter will spread!
- Bake for 8 - 10 minutes. Then remove from sheet and let cool.
- Assemble the pies by spreading a thick layer of frosting on one pie and then topping with a second.
- Enjoy!!
Ooooh love whoopie pies! And it’s so special that you share this passed down recipe with your best friend. I always assumed whoopie pies would be very difficult to make, but they don’t seem as hard as I thought. A must try!
I’ve never had a whoopie pie. I think I’ve missed out on something very important in life. They sound delicious and your grandma’s secret filling is something that I have to try. I’ve never been to Vermont either but that is a state I’d love to visit. I could have Vermont coffee and whoopie pie, Whoo HOO!
Oooh Vermont is such a special place – I hope you make it there someday and drink some coffee and have a whoopie pie! All the while enjoying the fall colors and some maple syrup, too! 😉
How awesome that your best friend is so close that you can bake together and share recipes. These whoopie pies look so good and I’ve been craving whoopie pies lately. I love that the chocolate cookies aren’t so sweet and balance out sweetness of the frosting. How I do want to take a lick of that frosting!
Thanks, Annissa! It’s truly sooo wonderful – as are these whoopie pies!