By Samantha Lim, Staff Writer

Get into the festive spirit with these Cherry Mint Whoopie Pies! Whoopie pies are the official state treat of Maine, although Pennsylvania also claims to be their place of origin. This dessert consists of a creamy filling sandwiched between two cookie-shaped cakes. It is said that Amish women would bake these treats for their husbands who had to toil in the fields. The dessert is named after the farmers’ exclamations of “Whoopie!” upon discovering the baked treats in their lunch packs.

First, preheat the oven to 350°F. These dual-colored Whoopie pies call for two batches of batter: red cherry cake and green mint cake. To make the cherry cake, melt one stick of butter in the microwave oven. Stir the melted butter, Red Velvet cake mix, eggs, and cherry extract in a large bowl. Spray your cookie pans with baking spray. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of batter onto the prepared sheets, making sure to leave 2 inches of space between each mound. Repeat these steps for the mint-flavored cake, replacing the Red Velvet cake mix with yellow cake mix and the cherry extract with mint extract. You may chop up a handful of maraschino cherries and fold the pieces into the cherry cake batter for more sophisticated flavor.

Bake the cakes for 8-10 minutes, keeping a close eye on them. They should poof up and resemble muffin tops. Allow them to cool completely.

To prepare the filling, combine the whipped cream cheese with marshmallow crème in a large bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use. Spread the filling on the bottom halves of either kind of cake, and then top with the other kind.

You may individually wrap your Whoopie pies with cling wrap or store them in a large container. Seeing as the filling contains dairy, be sure to refrigerate them. This recipe yields approximately 20 large Whoopie pies.