Bake

Dorie Greenspan's "Les Whoopies"

October 21, 2014

All week long, the lovely Dorie Greenspan is serving as a Guest Editor here at Food52, sharing recipes and stories from her latest book, Baking Chez Moi. We're also giving away a copy each day! Because we want to give the gift of Dorie.

Today: How do you say "whoopie pies" in French? Les Whoopie, of course.

Dorie Greenspan's Whoopie Pies

Shop the Story

I knew that whoopie pies had made a successful transatlantic journey when they turned up front and center in the showcase of La Grande Epicerie’s pastry department. La Grande Epicerie is to epicures what Disneyland is to kids: heaven. You could call it a supermarket, but you wouldn’t be doing justice to its wine, meat, caviar, seafood, exotic fruit, and extensive bread offerings. Or to its fabulous candy section. Or its selection of jams that goes on endlessly. Or its cutting-edge pastry stand. When something shows up there, you know it won’t be long before it will be everywhere. And so it was with Les Whoopies.

Those whoopies -- delicate cakes sandwiching thick, creamy fillings -- reminded me of dainty Parisian macarons. Unlike so many others I’d seen, which were too large, fat, and messy, they were small, elegant, precisely constructed, and decorated with sophistication and restraint. Each was finished with a shiny chocolate glaze and some had little spots of color.

Like the whoopies that inspired me, the ones I make look Parisian -- fashionably slim and properly glossed -- but they cradle an American secret: a peanut butter filling. This is grown-up pleasure and childish delight, all in one package. Not bad for a cake the size of a bonbon.

A note on Whoopie Pie pans: I use a whoopie-pie pan with twenty-four 2 inch-diameter indentations. You can use a pan with differing dimensions, but you may need to use a different amount of batter for each cake and your yield may differ.

Les Whoopies

Makes about 24 small cakes

For the whoopie pies:

2 cups (272 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (42 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-processed)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons; 4 ounces; 113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
1/2 cup (100 grams) packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (240 milliliters) whole milk, at room temperature

For the peanut butter filling:

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons; 3 ounces; 85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (128 grams) creamy peanut butter (not natural)
1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the chocolate glaze (optional):

2 ounces (57 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

 

Photo by Alan Richardson

We're giving away a copy of Baking Chez Moi every day this week! To win today's copy, tell us in the comments: What's your favorite store-bought dessert to recreate at home? We'll choose winners this Friday, October 24th. (U.S. entrants only, please!)

Update: Andrew DickinsonsummersavoryCari Garcia, and Jazmin Lui are our winners! We hope you enjoy your copies of Baking Chez Moi

 

 

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • Susan Westall
    Susan Westall
  • Kay
    Kay
  • Mukta Varma
    Mukta Varma
  • Diane Compton
    Diane Compton
  • pretty_pathetic
    pretty_pathetic
With the publication her 14th book, Baking with Dorie, New York Times bestselling author Dorie Greenspan marks her thirtieth anniversary as a cookbook author. She has won five James Beard Awards for her cookbooks and journalism and was inducted into the Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America. A columnist for the New York Times Magazine and the author of the xoxoDorie newsletter on Bulletin, Dorie was recently awarded an Order of Agricultural Merit from the French government for her outstanding writing on the foods of that country. She lives in New York City, Westbrook, Connecticut, and Paris. You can find Dorie on Instagram, Facebook, Bulletin and her website,

48 Comments

Susan W. July 9, 2017
Mine didn't come out looking quite this perfect, but I made these with the salted caramel filling, dipped in ganache, and finished with a little extra fleur de sel. Decadent!
 
Kay October 25, 2014
Sea salt caramel brownies!
 
Mukta V. October 25, 2014
Creme caramel
 
Diane C. October 24, 2014
Crumb cake and churros
 
pretty_pathetic October 24, 2014
Cookies. Any kind of cookies, but especially chocolate chunk ones.
 
hobbit2nd October 23, 2014
Chocolate cake
 
Shelly G. October 23, 2014
Big bakery ginger molasses cookies with coarse sugar on top.
 
NRasic October 23, 2014
I love making caramel! The homemade version is so much better than anything store bought! Thanks for sharing Dorie, she has offered so much to the culinary world!
 
reneej October 22, 2014
I love to make fruit tarts as well as loaf cakes, like banana bread or pumpkin bread. I think mine are better than the ones I buy because mine contain less sugar
I would love love love to have Dorie's newest book
 
Meagan October 22, 2014
Thin mints, and eclairs.
 
Kaney112 October 22, 2014
chocolate chip cookies!
 
Cyn October 22, 2014
Pie! Any one of my homemade pies beats out anything we can find in a store! Especially my Custard pie made with cream and egg yolks, real vanilla and a minimum of nutmeg.
 
HalfPint October 22, 2014
a simple layer cake because no seems to sell a good simple layer cake anymore.
 
Chrissy October 22, 2014
Chocolate cake!
 
Dee N. October 22, 2014
Milano cookies
 
Lark October 22, 2014
My favorite store-bought dessert I recreate at home would be chocolate chip cookies. There is no comparison to a freshly made, buttery, warm chocolate chip cookie.
 
JudyH October 22, 2014
Cherry pie.
 
Jazmin L. October 22, 2014
Scones!!! Can't beat homemade.
 
DianaDC October 22, 2014
I love to make cream puffs, flan, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, lemon cookies, banana bread, cream cheese swirl brownies and lots of other desserts! Why buy it when home made is so much better!
 
Jenny C. October 21, 2014
A French silk pie topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.