The first whoopie pie was a tangy chocolate cake, with a dreamy vanilla, marshmallow filling. But that was in the 1920s. In 1935, Little Debbie came along with her iconic oatmeal cream pies. The coffee trend of the 2000s then brought us espresso pies. It's now 2017 and we're all about rainbows: rainbow bagels, rainbow spaghetti, and of course, rainbow whoopie pies. Here's how to make these whimsical rainbow pastries.

Rainbow Whoopie Pies

  • Prep Time:20 mins
  • Cook Time:10 mins
  • Total Time:30 mins
  • Servings:4
  • Easy

    Ingredients

  • 1 1/8 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter + 1/8 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • food coloring
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
pastry, cookie, chocolate, meringue, sweet, macaroon, candy, cake, cream
Clara Park
  • Step 1

    Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

    yogurt, milk
    Clara Park
  • Step 2

    In a medium bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside.

    cream, dough, sweet, milk, cereal, flour
    Clara Park
  • Step 3

    In a small bowl, mix milk, vinegar, and baking soda.

    #SpoonTip: The combination of milk and white vinegar can also be substituted for with an equal amount of buttermilk.

    dairy product, tea, cream, cappuccino, espresso, milk, coffee
    Clara Park
  • Step 4

    In a large bowl, beat together 1/4 cup butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

    #SpoonTip: We ideally want the butter to be room temperature, but it's fine to soften the butter by heating it up in the microwave on high in 10 second increments.

    ice, butter, sweet, dairy product, dairy, cream, milk
    Clara Park
  • Step 5

    Beat in egg.

    egg, sweet, dairy, dairy product, butter, cream, milk
    Clara Park
  • Step 6

    Add in half the milk mixture to the large bowl. Mix and then add in half the flour mixture to the large bowl.

    bread, dairy product, egg yolk, sweet, egg, flour, milk, cream
    Clara Park
  • Step 7

    Repeat step 6. Mix until just combined.

    bread, sweet, dairy product, cereal, cream, dough, milk, flour
    Clara Park
  • Step 8

    Divide your batter into 4 bowls. In each bowl, add 4-6 drops of food coloring (depending on how vibrant you want your whoopie pies to be) and mix thoroughly.

    parsley, dumpling, ravioli, cream
    Clara Park
  • Step 9

    On your baking sheet, drop 2 teaspoon mounds about an inch apart. Mounds can be just one color, or multiple colors swirled on top of each other. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the bottoms of the pies turn a golden brown. Allow to cool at room temperature.

    sweet, candy, cake
    Clara Park
  • Step 10

    Begin making the filling. In a large bowl, mix together lemon juice, 1/8 cup butter, sour cream, and cream cheese. Add in powdered sugar, and beat until smooth and fluffy.

    curd, whipped cream, dairy, dairy product, sweet, milk, cream
    Clara Park
  • Step 11

    Assemble your whoopie pies. Spread approximately two tablespoons of filling between two pies, with a 1 cm border around the edge. Enjoy!

    mango, cream, ice, pistachio
    Clara Park

Though they may sound intimidating to make, these rainbow whoopie pies are pretty simple to make. Anyways, who doesn't like a portable cake that makes eating whoopie pies acceptable for lunch or dinner?