Sunbeam FPSBTRWP01 Whoopie Pie Maker, Brown

I was surprised at how affordable this is. It works great, too. Basically, you open it up and have four cavities--enough to make four arepas (Venezuelan corn cakes), muffin tops, or two whoopie pies. You spray it with nonstick spray, and then put in 1/4 cup of batter into the cavities, close the lid (kind of like a waffle maker), and let it go. You do need to test the thing that you are making with a toothpick...as at least on mine, the "ready" light seems to cycle on and off.For arepas, if you'd like to try them, I recommend the epicurious recipe for chicken salad/avocado as a filling. You can buy arepa flour either made by Goya or P.A.N.--but if you just want to sort of experience it, try using Jiffy cornbread mix. Not 100% authentic, but a good idea if you don't want to buy a big bag of precooked cornmeal (which is what the Arepa flour is). The bag of flour will have a recipe on it... just follow it.... and you'll be fine. :)For muffins, I've had luck using any muffin mix/recipe. You can even use the 6-week refrigerator bran muffin mix. It's really nice to be able to cook four fresh muffin tops each morning for breakfast. However, depending on your family size, it might make more sense to just bake a pan. If you're single...or there's only 1-4 people in your house, though, this is a nice feature.For whoopie pies, the maker comes with a recipe...but you can also use any cake mix from the store or cake recipe. Their recipes all make about 4 whoopie pies, unless noted. Filling is usually a combo of marshmallow fluff and buttercream icing... but I've used Nutella, ice cream, etc. (Not traditional, but good.) You can also use canned frosting and mix it with a little marshmallow fluff to give it that whoopie pie taste. You can also make a good chocolate peanut butter whoopie pie by mixing fluff with peanut butter as the filling (an Amish spread). I have this book  Whoopie Pies : Dozens of Mix 'em, Match 'em, Eat 'em Up Recipes  and really like it; however, these days, you can google lots of free recipes online.The difference between whoopie pies made in this versus those done on a cookie sheet or whoopie pie pan is that these have a sort of hard exterior on both sides; whereas the ones cooked on a sheet pan or whoopie pie pan will have a softer dome and a hard bottom (if that makes sense). I actually found these worked better for ice cream fillings because of their sturdiness.You're only going to be able to make two complete Whoopies at a time. Once again, great for a craving....or fun to do with kids...but if you need to make a bunch, then invest in a  Wilton Nonstick 12-Cavity Whoopie Pie Pan Brownies also work in the pan...and I'm assuming cookie dough might work too...and turn into good ice cream sandwiches (going to have to try that out! :))Definitely worth the eleven bucks!

I bought this whoopie pie maker primarily for my 10 year old daughter. She loves to bake and this is a 'step up' from an easy bake oven but still manageable for little ones. Well, I decided to test it out and I'm impressed with this inexpensive (under $20) gadget. The machine itself felt heavy and sturdy. It is an unappealing dark brown exterior with red interior. It has a fairly short cord, as most countertop appliances do. It comes with nothing but an instruction manual. There are a few basic recipes included. I have chosen to use box cake mix but the vanilla filling recipe included in the booklet is delicious (made with butter, powdered sugar, and marshmallow cream). It will fill about a dozen whoopie pies. If you are using a standard size box mix, you will probably get 12-13 whoopie pies. I chose a DH cupcake size mix (makes 12 cupcakes) and got 6-7 whoopie pies. You mix your cake batter as usual and then plug in your machine to heat. There is an indicator light on top which will illuminate when ready. There is no power button...if it's plugged in it's on. It appears to cycle on and off to maintain consistent temperature. You will need to spray the interior (or brush butter) plates. The interior is some sort of nonstick; maybe ceramic. Fill the bottom cavities with about 1/4C batter, enough to barely fill each cavity. Close the lid and wait. The instruction pamplet recommends about 8 minutes for cakes, however I've found that they are ready in 3-4 minutes. You can insert a toothpick to make sure. Then remove them; they come out easily with a rubber spatula, and cool. Spread with filling and make a sandwich. It's really very simple. I made enough rounds for 7 whoopie pies in about 15 minutes. Now, the best part.....this is a multi use machine! I have used this to make pancakes (perfectly round) and eggs (over easy, med, or hard). I have adapted the included breakfast corn and bacon recipe by decreasing the sugar and adding 1/4C corn kernels and 1/2C shredded cheese. These took a little longer to cook, about 5 minutes and were awesome. I imagine muffin tops, brownies, and even cookie dough might turn out great in this machine. I especially love it for making pancakes as you can make a dozen in about 6 min. Pancakes cook in about 2 minutes. Eggs take about 4 minutes. You could probably do scrambled rounds as well. The machine wipes clean with damp cloth and doesn't take up much storage space. It can easily fit in a kitchen drawer. Overall, this is an excellent buy if you like small, round foodstuffs. I imagine I will continue to find uses for this machine as it already appears that whoopie pies are the thing I make least in it!

Received this yesterday and I've already made 2 batches of Arepas. So quick an easy. They cook in about 10-15 minutes. I didn't want an Arepa maker since they seem to make them thicker, this takes about 1/4 cup dough. They are a nice size, about a large cookie. I love that one side is flat and the other domed. I stuffed cheese in the last batch to melt in the middle, delicious. This is the arepa flour I use:  Harina PAN 6 PACK White Corn Meal Flour 6 x 1 Kg Venezuela Going to try little round gluten-free goodies in this: brownies, cookies, cake. Biscuits and filled bread dough may work in this, also. I'll fill the gluten-free cookies with ice cream for ice cream sandwiches.The red color is a non-stick surface (I didn't know it was non-stick before purchase). I haven't oiled it at all and the Arepas don't stick. It cooks at one temperature. Plug it in and it turns on, unplug and it turns it off...all of these type of gadgets seem to work the same way.If this keep working, it's a good little investment on just the Areaps. No standing over a hot stove during this heatwave.***Over a year later and it still works. I can't use it as much since I need to watch my carbs due to health so it isn't getting used as much, now. I still do make my gluten-free items with this, on occasion - mini brownies and cakes turn out beautifully. Muffin mix makes portioned sized 'cookie' shapes, flat on one side, domed on the other. Use 1/4 cup batter for each section. Perfect portion control maker. Freeze extras for a later treat.