Cranberry Orange Whoopie Pies (Cake Mix Shortcut)
These cranberry orange whoopie pies start with a box of yellow cake mix, orange juice and fresh zest, then get sandwiched around a cream cheese filling with chopped dried cranberries. Soft, a little tangy, and they taste like fall without involving a single pumpkin.
If you like that citrus and cranberry combination, I keep a whole list of recipes with oranges for exactly this time of year.
Below: what you need, how to bake the cookies so they come out the same size, how to fill them, and how to store them. The printable recipe card is at the bottom.
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Why the Cake Mix Shortcut Works
Whoopie pies have a reputation for being fussy. They are not. The cake mix does the measuring for you, the orange juice replaces the water, and the zest makes them taste like you tried harder than you did.
My boys asked for these all the time. I still saved them for cooler weather, because whoopie pies in July just feel wrong.
What You Need
For the cookies:
- Yellow cake mix: one standard box.
- Vegetable oil: 1/2 cup.
- Orange juice: 1/2 cup. Bottled is fine.
- Eggs: 3.
- Orange zest: 2 tablespoons, from about 2 oranges.
For the filling:
- Butter: 4 ounces, softened.
- Cream cheese: 8 ounces, softened. Cold cream cheese makes lumpy filling.
- Orange extract: 1 tablespoon. Look for it next to the vanilla.
- Powdered sugar: 1 cup, plus a little for dusting.
- Dried cranberries: 1/2 cup, chopped.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Whoopie Pies
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Beat the cake mix, oil, orange juice, zest and eggs in a large bowl until smooth.
- Scoop heaping tablespoons of batter onto the sheet, about 3 inches apart. They spread.
- Bake on the middle rack for about 10 minutes, until the tops spring back.
- Let them sit on the pan for 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Use a cookie scoop for the batter. Matching sizes matter here, because every cookie needs a partner.
Handy for Cookie Baking
Making the Cranberry Cream Cheese Filling
Beat the butter, cream cheese and orange extract until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat again, then fold in the chopped cranberries by hand so they stay in pieces instead of turning the whole bowl pink.
Pipe or spread a thick layer on the flat side of half the cookies, top with the rest, and dust with powdered sugar. Only fill cookies that are completely cool, or the filling slides right off.
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Why Are They Called Whoopie Pies?
Nobody can prove it, but the popular story is that kids, or farmhands depending on who is telling it, yelled “whoopie!” when they found one in their lunch pail. Maine and Pennsylvania both claim to have invented them. I am staying out of it.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Store filled whoopie pies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Cream cheese filling should not sit out overnight.
- Bake the cookies a day ahead, keep them covered at room temperature, and fill them the day you serve them.
- Freeze filled whoopie pies wrapped individually for up to 2 months. Thaw them in the fridge.
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Make It a Meal
Dessert is easier to plan when dinner already is. These meal planning printables are how I keep the week from falling apart. One way to build dinner around these:
- Main dish: Easy Tilapia and Mango Fish Tacos
- Vegetable side: Crockpot Rosemary Acorn Squash
- Starch side: Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes
- Drink: Toxic Waste Mocktail
More Cranberry Orange Recipes
- Cranberry Orange Cookies
- Cranberry Orange Cupcakes
- Cranberry Orange Bread
- Orange Cranberry Oatmeal
- Cranberry Orange Spritzer
More Cranberry Recipes
- Cranberry Pecan Pound Cake
- Cranberry Pecan Coffee Cake
- Bread Machine Cranberry Hot Cross Buns
- Graham Cracker Cranberry Apple Pie
- Cranberry Apple Butter Chicken
- Cranberry Mint Mocktail
- Yummy Cranberry Recipes
More Orange Recipes
- Blueberry Orange Bread
- Orange Coconut Salad
- Papaya and Blood Orange Mocktail for Kids
- Mandarin Orange Muffins
Cranberry Orange Whoopie Pies
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup orange juice
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons orange zest about 2 oranges
For the Cranberry Cream Filling
- 4 ounces butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 tablespoon orange extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar plus more for dusting
- ½ cup dried cranberries chopped
Instructions
For the Cookies
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Beat the cake mix, oil, orange juice, zest and eggs in a large bowl until smooth.
- Scoop heaping tablespoons of batter onto the baking sheet, about 3 inches apart.
- Bake on the middle rack about 10 minutes, until the tops spring back.
- Let the cookies sit on the pan 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Cranberry Cream Filling
- Beat the butter, cream cheese and orange extract until fluffy.
- Beat in the powdered sugar.
- Fold in the chopped cranberries by hand.
- Spread or pipe filling on the flat side of half the cooled cookies. Top with the remaining cookies and dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
Nutrition
They also travel well. Box them up with a ribbon and drop them on someone’s porch, and you are their favorite person for the week.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about cake mix, cream cheese and keeping these in one piece.
Orange and cranberry, or do you stick to classic chocolate? Tell me in the comments.
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