Culture

Rachel Belle’s rainy-day recipe for Chocolate Miso Whoopie Pies

Whisper-sweet, and just a wee bit salty from umami-kissed miso, these delightful little cakes sandwich nutty tahini whipped cream.

Chocolate whoopie pies on a crosshatched pink and purple background — Chocolate Miso Whoopie Pies with Tahini Cream from *Open Sesame*. (Charity Burgraaf)

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Rachel Belle

Rachel Belle Oct 8, 2025

Oct 8, 2025

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          <article>
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                <h1>Rachel Belle’s rainy-day recipe for Chocolate Miso Whoopie Pies</h1>
                <h2><p>Whisper-sweet, and just a wee bit salty from umami-kissed miso, these delightful little cakes sandwich nutty tahini whipped cream.</p></h2>
              </hgroup>
               <p>By <a href="/author/rachel-belle/">Rachel Belle</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Oct 8, 2025</time></p>
            </header>
            <p>Today was a day of fall rituals: I closed my “summer windows,” the ones in the kitchen that have been cracked open since July; I flicked on the pilot light in my fireplace; and I checked my weather app, hoping to do a fall hike at Mount Rainier this weekend, only to see:</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/2025/10/10.8.25_NoshB.png" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="2000" height="1300" srcset="https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/size/w600/2025/10/10.8.25_NoshB.png 600w, https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/size/w1000/2025/10/10.8.25_NoshB.png 1000w, https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/size/w1600/2025/10/10.8.25_NoshB.png 1600w, https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/2025/10/10.8.25_NoshB.png 2000w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"></figure><blockquote><em>This story is adapted from&nbsp;<strong>The Nosh with Rachel Belle newsletter</strong>. If you’re not a subscriber,&nbsp;</em><a href="https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133765/subscribe/1?ref=cascadepbs.org" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>you can sign up here</em></a><em>.</em></blockquote><p>All of this means: It’s time to bake!&nbsp;</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/2025/10/10.8.25_NoshC.png" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="2000" height="1300" srcset="https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/size/w600/2025/10/10.8.25_NoshC.png 600w, https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/size/w1000/2025/10/10.8.25_NoshC.png 1000w, https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/size/w1600/2025/10/10.8.25_NoshC.png 1600w, https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/2025/10/10.8.25_NoshC.png 2000w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"></figure><p>These Chocolate Miso Whoopie Pies with Tahini Cream from my cookbook <em>Open Sesame </em>will have you saying “Pumpkin spice<em> who?” </em>I don’t know if it’s their size – how often do you get to eat a dessert with two hands? – or the promise of tender chocolate cake and fluffy whipped cream, but eyes and smiles always widen when I set a tray of them on the table. &nbsp;</p><p>Last week I got to enjoy dinner at Stoneburner with a group of folks who bid on an <em>Open Sesame</em> dinner experience at the Seattle Arts &amp; Lectures auction. The chef served several recipes from my book, including these whoopie pies, which my table neighbor declared her favorite bite of the night. It’s a whisper-sweet dessert, with subtle saltiness from the miso, perfect for those who prefer a less-sugary sweet treat.&nbsp;</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-08-130927.png" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="749" height="755" srcset="https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/size/w600/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-08-130927.png 600w, https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-08-130927.png 749w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"></figure><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-08-130951_FINAL-1.png" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="747" height="559" srcset="https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/size/w600/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-08-130951_FINAL-1.png 600w, https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-08-130951_FINAL-1.png 747w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"></figure><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-08-131035_FINAL.png" class="kg-image" alt="" loading="lazy" width="749" height="458" srcset="https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/size/w600/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-08-131035_FINAL.png 600w, https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-08-131035_FINAL.png 749w" sizes="(min-width: 720px) 720px"></figure><p>Recipes courtesy of Rachel Belle and Sasquatch Books. You can <a href="https://www.hellorachelbelle.com/cookbook-open-sesame?ref=cascadepbs.org" rel="noreferrer noopener"><u>buy <em>Open Sesame</em> here</u></a>!&nbsp;</p><p>Another great way to spend a rainy day:<em> </em><a href="https://www.stgpresents.org/events/americas-test-kitchen-live-at-food-fight-with-rachel-belle/?ref=cascadepbs.org" rel="noreferrer noopener"><u>Get tickets</u></a> to Food Fight, featuring <em>America’s Test Kitchen </em>hosts Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collins Davison, November 8 at The Neptune Theater in Seattle! &nbsp;</p><figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/2025/10/Food-Fight-ATK-Email---600x338.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="America's Test Kitchen / Food Fight" loading="lazy" width="600" height="338" srcset="https://www.cascadepbs.org/content/images/2025/10/Food-Fight-ATK-Email---600x338.jpg 600w"></figure><p>We’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of their TV show, and a new cookbook, with food trivia, games and prizes – plus, Julia and Bridget will take us behind the scenes of <em>ATK</em>, pulling back the curtain on how they develop and test recipes. You’ll also have the opportunity to join them on stage for some fun food-inspired games! Your ticket includes a copy of the <em>America’s Test Kitchen 20th Anniversary TV Show Cookbook.</em>&nbsp;</p><hr><p>For newsletter-exclusive content, including my Taste of the Town Q&amp;A with a notable Pacific Northwest person (this week it’s Dick’s Drive-In President &amp; CEO Jasmine Donovan),&nbsp;<a href="https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133765/subscribe/1?ref=cascadepbs.org" rel="noopener noreferrer">subscribe here</a>!</p><p>Have a food- or drink-related question? (Need a restaurant rec? Have a mystery that needs solving?) Send me a note:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:rachel.belle@cascadepbs.org" rel="noopener noreferrer">rachel.belle@cascadepbs.org</a>&nbsp;</p><p>XO&nbsp;<br>Rachel Belle&nbsp;</p>
          </article>

Today was a day of fall rituals: I closed my “summer windows,” the ones in the kitchen that have been cracked open since July; I flicked on the pilot light in my fireplace; and I checked my weather app, hoping to do a fall hike at Mount Rainier this weekend, only to see:

This story is adapted from The Nosh with Rachel Belle newsletter. If you’re not a subscriber, you can sign up here.

All of this means: It’s time to bake!

These Chocolate Miso Whoopie Pies with Tahini Cream from my cookbook Open Sesame will have you saying “Pumpkin spice who?” I don’t know if it’s their size – how often do you get to eat a dessert with two hands? – or the promise of tender chocolate cake and fluffy whipped cream, but eyes and smiles always widen when I set a tray of them on the table.

Last week I got to enjoy dinner at Stoneburner with a group of folks who bid on an Open Sesame dinner experience at the Seattle Arts & Lectures auction. The chef served several recipes from my book, including these whoopie pies, which my table neighbor declared her favorite bite of the night. It’s a whisper-sweet dessert, with subtle saltiness from the miso, perfect for those who prefer a less-sugary sweet treat.

Recipes courtesy of Rachel Belle and Sasquatch Books. You can buy Open Sesame here!

Another great way to spend a rainy day: Get tickets to Food Fight, featuring America’s Test Kitchen hosts Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collins Davison, November 8 at The Neptune Theater in Seattle!

We’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of their TV show, and a new cookbook, with food trivia, games and prizes – plus, Julia and Bridget will take us behind the scenes of ATK, pulling back the curtain on how they develop and test recipes. You’ll also have the opportunity to join them on stage for some fun food-inspired games! Your ticket includes a copy of the America’s Test Kitchen 20th Anniversary TV Show Cookbook.

For newsletter-exclusive content, including my Taste of the Town Q&A with a notable Pacific Northwest person (this week it’s Dick’s Drive-In President & CEO Jasmine Donovan), subscribe here!

Have a food- or drink-related question? (Need a restaurant rec? Have a mystery that needs solving?) Send me a note: rachel.belle@cascadepbs.org

XO
Rachel Belle

By Rachel Belle

Rachel Belle is the host of The Nosh and the host and creator of Your Last Meal, a James Beard Award finalist for Best Podcast. She is an editor-at-large at Cascade PBS.