Three Ingredient Whoopie Pies (Fat-Free and Gluten-Free)

In honor of Glutenless Goddess's graduation, I made whoopie pies for her party. "What are whoopie pies?" you may ask if you have not been to New England. They are two cake-like chocolate cookies sandwiched together with a filling made of Marshmallow Fluff (AKA marshmallow creme if you are not from New England). I truly feel that this "recipe" is a masterpiece because of its simplicity and versatility.



The tweaks:
These whoopie pies are fat-free and gluten-free. I came up with the recipe after trying out Hungry Girl's recipe for Brownie Muffins, which requires only two ingredients, a box of chocolate cake mix, and a 15 oz can of pumpkin puree. You just mix the two together, and the pumpkin replaces the eggs, oil, and water that the cake mix calls for. Thus, they are fat-free, and you even get a bit of vegetables in your dessert--but don't worry, you can't taste the pumpkin at all. The result is moist, dense, brownie-like cupcakes. Incidentally, you can also make a fabulous Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Bread with just spice cake mix and pumpkin! 

Well, the batter for these recipes is always surprisingly thick, almost like a cookie dough, so it occurred to me to (gasp!) make cookies out of it! They turn out to be the perfect texture for whoopie pies; they are cakey cookies substantial enough to hold their shape. To satisfy whoopie pie purists, the filling need only be Marshmallow Fluff. The wonderful thing about this recipe, besides the fact that it is much healthier and easier than a traditional whoopie pie, is that it is so versatile. You can make this with any cake mix. (I used a gluten-free mix this time; other times I've used Pillsbury Reduced Sugar Chocolate Cake mix.) You could also get creative and make a spice cake whoopie or a red velvet cake whoopie (Duncan Hines makes a fabulous red velvet cake mix that's widely available in grocery stores in the South. I take a few boxes back with me every time I visit my parents.)

The cookies, cooling pre-Fluff

Three Ingredient Whoopie Pies
1 box cake mix (Any kind. This time I used Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Devil's Food)
1 15 oz can pumpkin or squash puree
1 7.5 oz jar Marshmallow Fluff (or marshmallow creme)

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Stir the entire box of cake mix and the entire can of pumpkin puree together thoroughly. If the batter is too stiff, add a few tablespoons of water. It depends on the type of cake mix you're using, but I usually add about 2 T. The batter should be thick enough to hold its shape. Drop it by the spoonful onto the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. (Again, it will depend on the type of cake mix you are using.) The cookies should be cooked through but still moist in the middle. Let cool and then spread with Marshmallow Fluff and sandwich together. I recommend adding the Fluff right before serving. It tends to slowly ooze out of the pies if you let them sit a while. Refrigerating the Fluff may help it stay in place, too. Makes about 15 pies.