I thought it was time for something chocolate… the creamy vanilla filling was just the frosting, erm, IN the cake.
Whoopie pies are two little cakes, usually chocolate, sandwiched around a creamy filling. Apparently, traditional New England whoopie pies have a Marshmallow Fluff-based filling – but my mom used a creamy vanilla frosting similar to the one I use here (the whoopie pie recipe is hers, I had to shop around on da Google to find a frosting recipe that looked right).
INGREDIENTS
Whoopie Pies:
•5 tbsp butter
•5 tbsp cocoa
•1 cup sugar
•1 egg
•2 cups flour
•1-1/2 tsp baking soda
•1/2 tsp salt
•1 cup milk
•1 tsp vanilla
Vanilla Frosting:
Don’t get grossed out by the solid shortening – this is tasty, tasty frosting
•1 lb (4 cups) powdered sugar
•1 cup solid shortening (Crisco, or you could use butter)
•1/4 cup water
•1-1/2 tsp vanilla
•Dash of salt
Heat oven to 400º.
Mix butter, cocoa, sugar and egg together.
Blend in the flour, salt, soda, milk and vanilla and mix well (I whisk the flour, salt and soda together first).
Drop by heaping teaspoon onto an ungreased baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper) and bake for seven to ten minutes. Cool on a rack and frost.
This will make 36 disks – or 18 pies.
Once the cakes are cooling, make the frosting by beating shortening until fluffy 
(this may take a while – OR it could be because I started beating using the mixer paddle before light dawned over Marblehead and I replaced it with the whisk attachment), then add sugar, water, salt and vanilla. Beat for another 5 minutes until creamy and quite fluffy.
Frost with abandon.
REALLY – this makes more than enough to well and truly fill the 18 whoopie pies I made, so go crazy with the frosting.
Oh, and don’t forget to taste for quality 😉