The BEST Gluten-Free Whoopie Pies. Period.
As someone who grew up near New England (whoopie pie territory) I always felt that packaged chocolate snack cakes, like Suzy Q’s, were a poor imitation of the whoopie pie. When I want chocolate cakes sandwiched together with sweet, creamy icing, nothing but a whoopie pie will do.
This recipe makes traditional chocolate whoopie pies. The cakes are large, dense, and not too sweet. The filling—made from marshmallow Fluff, sugar, and butter—brings just the right amount of sweetness to the cake.
Since whoopie pies occasionally suffer from dryness, I use dark brown sugar in the recipe. It keeps the cakes moist while still retaining a dense, cakey texture.
As for the size, you’ll notice that the recipe calls for about ¼ cup of batter for each cake. WARNING: this makes large whoopie pies. Feel free to reduce the amount of batter for smaller ones. For really tiny ones, use just a tablespoon of batter per cake and reduce the baking time. Keep your eye on the first batch to get the timing right.
Gluten-Free Whoppie Pies
Ingredients
For the Cakes
- 1 cup finely ground white rice flour (4 ounces; 113 grams)
- 1/2 cup sweet rice flour (2 ounces; 46 grams)
- 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (regular cocoa powder works as well but the finished cakes won't be as dark.) (1 1/2 ounces; 42 grams)
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch (2 ounces; 46 grams)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature (1/2 cup; 4 ounces; 113 grams)
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed (7 1/2 ounces; 212 grams)
- 1 large egg (1 3/4 ounces; 50 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk (8 ounces; 226 grams)
For the Filling
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup; 4 ounces; 113 grams)
- 1 (7 1/2 ounce) jar marshmallow crème (I used Marshmallow Fluff)
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar (3 ounces; 85 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
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For the Cakes: Center oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
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In small mixing bowl, whisk together white rice flour, sweet rice flour, cocoa powder, tapioca starch, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum.
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Fit stand mixer with paddle attachment. In bowl of stand mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar until butter-sugar paste lightens slightly, about one minute. (Use medium high-speed on a stand mixer. If using a handheld mixer, use high speed.) Turn off mixer. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl. Add egg and vanilla extract. Turn mixer back on. Cream until egg is thoroughly incorporated, about one minute. Scrape down bottom and sides of bowl. Mix for 15 seconds.
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Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Mix until combined. Add half the buttermilk. Mix until batter is smooth. Add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Mix until combined. Add remaining buttermilk. Add remaining dry ingredients. Mix batter until smooth and thick, about 30 seconds.
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Scoop six mounds of batter, about 1/4 cup each, onto prepared baking sheet. Space cookies several inches apart as they spread during baking.
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Bake until cookies are set and spring back to the touch, about 18 minutes.
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Remove pan from oven. Allow cookies to cool on pan for one minute. Using a metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining batter.
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While cookies cool, make filling. (method below) Sandwich cooled cookies together with icing.
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For the Filling: In medium mixing bowl, cream together butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. (Use high speed on a handheld mixer or medium-high speed on a stand mixer.)
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Add marshmallow crème and vanilla. Mix until fluffy.
Leah says
Great recipe! But the weights are way off (the sweet rice was off by almost 100%, tapioca and rice off by 50%).
Elizabeth says
Hello. I just doubled checked them when I saw your comment. They are correct as listed. A 1/2 cup of sweet rice flour weighed 2 ounces as did the tapioca starch.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Leah says
I used ounces and Bob’s Red Mill products
Elizabeth says
I’ll be sure to get some Bob’s sweet rice flour. (I used Mochiko.) For the tapioca starch, I used Bob’s and got 2 ounces for a 1/2 cup. This matches what the back of their bag states. 1/4 cup=30 grams, basically 1 ounce.) I’m curious about their sweet rice flour.
Thanks for letting me know!
Maryann says
Hi,
I used American Test Kitchen blend flour (2 cups) and they came out perfect. Thank you for such a great recipe. I wanted to try the Whoopie pan I bought only to find out I really like them bigger when done free form.