These chocolate football shaped whoopie pies are the perfect game-day treat! They're filled with marshmallow fluff buttercream and are as easy to make as they are adorable! Best of all, they come together in just 30 minutes. A necessary addition to your Super Bowl party dessert spread or a sports-themed birthday party!
The best thing about the Super Bowl is the food amiright?? If you need more game-day snacks, you might also like these margarita cupcakes or pretzels and beer cheese!
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What are Whoopie Pies?
A whoopie pie is not a pie at all, but a small dessert sandwich made with two chocolate cake rounds filled with some type of creamy filling! Vanilla buttercream, marshmallow creme, and cream cheese frosting are all popular filling options.
Several states across the northeastern United States claim to have invented the whoopie pie and there are a few fun theories about why they're called "whoopie pies". My favorite theory is that women would use leftover chocolate cake batter to make the little cakes and their children would yell "whoopie!" because they were excited!
Ingredient Notes
You just need a few simple ingredients to make these football whoopie pies!
Marshmallow Fluff or Creme - These football whoopie pies have a light marshmallow creme frosting! You can use store-bought marshmallow fluff or creme or you can make your own!
Cocoa Powder - My absolute favorite cocoa powder to use in my baking is the King Arthur Flour Triple Cocoa Blend! It's a blend of natural, Dutch, and black cocoa and is perfect for any baking. But this recipe will work great with whatever cocoa you have on hand!
Espresso Powder - This is optional, but I love how espresso powder enhances and deepens the chocolate flavor! King Arthur is my favorite brand of high quality espresso powder!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Special Equipment
You can definitely make these football whoopie pies without any special equipment! But there are a couple tools that will make them super easy to make!
- Parchment paper sheets - I like using pre-cut parchment sheets that are the same size as your pan, because it makes it easier and neater to pipe the footballs.
- Football template - If you prefer to free hand, good for you (I'm jealous)! But if you're like me, you need a template to follow! I created a printable PDF that you can use as a guide underneath the parchment paper!
- Magnets (optional) - Magnets are great to help secure the parchment paper and template to the baking sheet while you're piping! Just make sure to remove them before baking!
- Piping bags - Everything is easier with piping bags, but you can also just cut the corner off of a plastic bag if that's all you have!
- Set of round piping tips - I use a 0.35" piping tip to pipe the football shapes onto the parchment. And then a 0.2" piping tip to pipe a small amount of the frosting on top for the lines! You don't have to use those exact sizes, but something in that range works well.
- French star piping tip (optional for filling)
How to Make Football Whoopie Pies
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
In a separate bowl whisk together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until fully combined. Then add in the egg and mix until smooth.
Add in ½ the flour mixture and mix until combined, then add in the milk and the remaining flour mixture and whisk until the batter is smooth.
Print out 2 football templates and place next to each other on the baking sheet. Top with a sheet of parchment paper and secure with magnets.
Scoop the batter into a large piping bag fitted with a medium round tip.
Pipe a football shape outline onto the parchment paper (about 3 inches long), then fill in with batter. Repeat with the remaining batter, spacing the footballs about 2 inches apart.
If using the templates, gently slide them out from underneath the parchment paper after you're done piping the footballs.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cakes are set and firm to the touch. Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack for the best results.
While the first set is baking, pipe the second set of footballs on a separate baking sheet.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Then gently peel them off the parchment paper and let cool on a wire rack.
While the cakes are cooling, make the filling.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a large bowl and hand mixer), cream together the softened butter, powdered sugar, and salt until smooth and creamy.
Add in the marshmallow fluff and vanilla and mix until combined. Then turn the mixer on high speed and beat until the filling is light and fluffy. It should be thick but still spreadable.
If the frosting is too thick, add in 1-2 teaspoons of milk to help thin it out.
Once the football cakes are fully cooled, turn half over and spread with a few tablespoons over the frosting. Then top with another football to make a sandwich.
Spoon about ¼ cup of the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (or small sandwich bag with the corner cut off). Then pipe lines on top to make the whoopie pies look like footballs.
Note: I used a large French star tip to pipe the filling because it's so pretty! But you can use a simple round tip or even just use a spoon to spread a couple tablespoons of filling on the bottom cake.
Serve immediately while watching the game!
Recipe Notes
Store the football whoopie pies in an airtight container lined with parchment paper, in the fridge for up to 4 days. For best results, do not stack the whoopie pies!! They are very moist, so it's best to store them in a single layer so they don't stick together! Let come to room temperature for about 30 minute before serving for the best taste/texture.
Tips for the Best Baked Goods
Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!
Recipe FAQ's
A whoopie pie is a small single-serving cake! Whoopie pies look like cookie sandwiches but have a distinctly cake-like texture.
Whoopie pies are typically filled with either vanilla buttercream, marshmallow fluff, or cream cheese frosting!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Football Shaped Whoopie Pies
Special Equipment
- football template (printable)
Ingredients
Whoopie Pies
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk
Marshmallow Fluff Buttercream
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups marshmallow fluff, about one 7 ounce jar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoons milk, if needed
Instructions
Whoopie Pies
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until fully combined. Then add in the egg and mix until smooth.
- Add in half the flour mixture and mix until combined, then add in the milk and the remaining flour mixture and whisk until the batter is smooth.
- Print out 2 football templates and place next to each other on the baking sheet. Top with a sheet of parchment paper and secure with magnets.
- Scoop the batter into a large piping bag fitted with a medium round tip.
- Pipe a football shape outline onto the parchment paper (about 3 inches long), then fill in with batter. Repeat with the remaining batter, spacing the footballs about 2 inches apart.
- If using the templates, remove the magnets and gently slide them out from underneath the parchment paper after you're done piping the footballs.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cakes are set and firm to the touch. Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack for the best results.
- While the first set is baking, pipe the second set of footballs on a separate baking sheet.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Then gently peel them off the parchment paper and let cool on a wire rack.
Marshmallow Fluff Buttercream
- While the cakes are cooling, make the filling.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a large bowl and hand mixer), cream together the softened butter, powdered sugar, and salt until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the marshmallow fluff and vanilla and mix until combined. Then turn the mixer on high speed and beat until the filling is light and fluffy. It should be thick but still spreadable.
- If the frosting is too thick, add in 1-2 teaspoons of milk to help thin it out.
Assembly
- Once the football cakes are fully cooled, turn half over and spread with a few tablespoons over the frosting. Then top with another football to make a sandwich.
- Spoon about ¼ cup of the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (or small sandwich bag with the corner cut off). Then pipe lines on top to make the whoopie pies look like footballs.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Lauren says
Made these for Super Bowl Sunday & they were a big hit!
Analee Jackson says
Mine didn't turn out quite as pretty as yours (I blame my piping skills) but they were delicious and everyone loved them!