Mary Anne's Valentine's Day Whoopie Pies With Fruit - KTUL.com - Tulsa, Oklahoma - News, Weather & Sports

According to food historians, Amish women would bake these treats and put them in their husband or sons' lunch boxes. When they would find them in their lunch, the men would shout "Whoopie!" These whoopie pies would be a fun indulgence to serve family and friends on Valentine's Day.

1 box devil's food cake mix

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 box (4 ounce) chocolate instant pudding and pie filling

Filling:

1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or Godiva chocolate liqueur

Drop red food coloring, optional

Topping (Optional):

1 cup diced fresh strawberries, rinsed first before dicing and patted dry

1 cup fresh raspberries, rinsed and patted dry

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper or lightly spray with non-vegetable cooking spray (Pam). You can also spray Whoopie pie pan or muffin top pan with non-vegetable cooking spray.
• Place all ingredients in large bowl and beat with electric mixer on low speed until moistened; beat 1 minute longer on high speed. For a small whoopie pie, drop a small or medium-size cookie scoop of batter 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets or whoopie pie pan or muffin top pan.
• Bake 13 to 16 minutes or until set. Note: do not overbake. Cool 2 minutes and remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• For the filling, in a medium-size bowl, add cream cheese and butter and beat until well mixed. Slowly add confectioners' sugar ½ cup at a time and beat well after each addition.
• For each whoopie pie, spread filling on bottom of one cooled whoopie pie. If using, top with strawberries and raspberries and second whoopie pie cookie, bottom-side down. If not using fruit, top with second pie, bottom-side down. Store covered in refrigerator.

Makes about 12 to 5 small pies or approximately 9 monster whoopie pies.

Alternate Filling:

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups marshmallow crème

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or Godiva chocolate liqueur

Drop or two red food coloring, to make pink filling, optional

• In a medium-size bowl, beat ingredients with electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.