Lemon Blueberry Whoopie Pies
Lemon blueberry whoopie pies feature fresh or frozen blueberries, along with plenty of lemon zest, to compliment a cream cheese-based filling that creates the perfect summer dessert.

I have to confess that I never heard of a whoopie pie until I was nearly in college.

A dear friend of mine from Pennsylvania introduced me to the classic chocolate version, and I was immediately hooked. Her recipe still has a place of honor in my recipe box.

According to the Cape Whoopies company website, “The exact origins of the whoopie pie are shrouded in mystery, but it’s believed that they were first created by Amish or Pennsylvania Dutch bakers in the early 1900s. According to one popular legend, the whoopie pie got its name from the sound of delight that would escape from children’s mouths when they discovered the treat in their lunch pails.”

I thought about my first whoopie pie taste recently when I decided to make a lemon blueberry version.

We had a get-together to attend, and I had a big bag of blueberries hanging out in the freezer from earlier this summer that I needed to use, so this was the perfect solution.

This comes from Nancy Mock via “Taste of Home.” You can find the original post at https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/lemon-blueberry-whoopie-pies/. I added extra vanilla in my version.

Lemon Blueberry Whoopie Pies
Print Recipe

Lemon Blueberry Whoopie Pies

Lemon blueberry whoopie pies feature fresh or frozen blueberries, along with plenty of lemon zest, to compliment a cream cheese-based filling that creates the perfect summer dessert.
Course: Dessert
Keyword: butter, cream cheese, fresh blueberries, fresh lemon, frozen blueberries, honey, lemon zest, powdered sugar, summer dessert, vanilla, whoopie pie

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen and drained blueberries
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk I used skim milk with a touch of vinegar

Filling Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup butter softened
  • 1/4 cup cream cheese softened
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Cake Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set them aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until the mixture is light yellow and fluffy.
  • Beat in the egg and vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, toss the blueberries with the lemon zest and one tablespoon flour. Set it aside for now.
  • To the butter-sugar mixture, add the rest of the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk and beating in between each until the mixture is smooth.
  • Fold the coated blueberries and zest into the batter.
  • Using a two-inch cookie scoop, scoop the batter into mounds about two inches apart on the baking sheets.
  • Bake, one sheet at a time, for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges of the cakes are just slightly browned and the tops are slightly firm. Let the cakes cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

Filling Directions

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until completely mixed together, and then beat in the honey, lemon zest and vanilla.
  • Beat the powdered sugar into the mixture, a little at a time, until the filling is completely mixed and smooth.
  • Once the cakes are completely cool, pair off the similarly sized ones, and spread the filling on the bottom half of each whoopie pie and finish off with the top.
  • Refrigerate the whoopie pies in an airtight container until you’re ready to serve them.

These were a huge hit. I doubled the recipe, and they were all gone really quickly. I also used a bigger scoop than the original recipe called for. It wanted the baker to use a tablespoon to scoop, but my blueberries were so large, they weren’t going to fit in only a tablespoon.

And I didn’t quite manage to let my blueberries drain as they thawed, so beware that if you’re impatient like I was, you’ll have some blueish-greenish streaks in your cakes (but they’ll still taste awesome).

Unfortunately, rather than solving some sort of whoopie pie craving, making these have made me keep thinking more about my friend’s chocolate version. Sounds like I’ll be back in the kitchen soon.

This piece first appeared in print Sept. 17, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.