Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

Susan, AKA Kiwicook

In her days as a recipe developer, Susan has created over 450 recipes. Her Dutch and New Zealander roots serve as a basis for her culinary inspiration.

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The December Daring Bakers’ Challenge had us all cheering – the lovely and talented Bourbonnatrix of Bourbonnatrix Bakes was our hostess and challenged us to make fun, delicious and creative whoopie pies! Delicious little cake-like cookies sandwiching luscious filling in any flavors we chose… What else is there to say but “Whoopie!”

I went with Chef John’s Gingerbread Whoopie Pies with cream cheese filling recipe on All Recipes.com – you’ll find a great little video demonstration there too. I’d never made Whoopie Pies before – being an American invention, we don’t really see much of them Down Under. However, they are very similar to something we call Ginger Kisses – little ginger sponges with sweet vanilla cream in the middle.

It was a little tricky getting the batter to the right consistency, but I think I did quite well for a first go. They certainly were delicious! Just one note: I only made half of the filling recipe (didn’t have enough icing sugar) and found that it was actually pretty much enough for the nine Whoopie Pies. However, I’ve left the recipe as is, so you can decide for yourselves.

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

GINGERBREAD WHOOPIE PIES

These Gingerbread Whoopie Pies are rich with robust molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Tangy-sweet cream cheese filling adds the perfect contrast to these soft-baked holiday cookie sandwiches. Whoopie Pies…the cookie that's not really a cookie at all. What is it? The ultimate portable, zesty-sweet, gingerbread experience bursting with holiday cheer!
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Prep Time 18 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Cooling Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 9 Pies
Calories 557 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 10 oz by weight all-purpose flour (about 2 cups of sifted flour – see note below*)
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 2 rounded tsp ground ginger (3 if you like it spicy)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark molasses
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup boiling water

For the filling (makes extra!):

  • 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar (icing sugar)
  • 1/4 cup butter (room temperature)
  • 2 tsp cream or milk
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  • Combine flour, white sugar, molasses, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Mix in vegetable oil and egg until combined. Pour in boiling water and whisk until smooth.
  • Drop dough in balls onto prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart, using a 1-ounce (30ml) ice cream scoop. Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and golden, about 12 minutes (I found they were ready at 10 minutes). Allow to cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring onto a rack to cool completely.
  • Beat confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese, butter, cream, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer on low until combined. Increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy.
  • Spread or pipe filling onto the bottom of a cookie; top with another similarly sized cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies. Chill for 30 minutes.

Notes

*It is critical to weigh the flour for this recipe to work as seen in the video. Ten ounces by weight is about 2 cups by volume, but because flour can become quite compressed in the bag or canister, portioning by cup is not very accurate. If you are not going to weigh, only add about a cup and a half of flour, proceed as shown, and if the batter seems too thin after mixing, add more flour, little by little, until you have the thick batter seen in the video (link above).

Nutrition

Calories 557kcal (28%)Carbohydrates 84g (28%)Protein 6g (12%)Fat 23g (35%)Saturated Fat 10g (63%)Polyunsaturated Fat 5gMonounsaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0.3gCholesterol 58mg (19%)Sodium 481mg (21%)Potassium 352mg (10%)Fiber 1g (4%)Sugar 59g (66%)Vitamin A 540IU (11%)Vitamin C 0.02mgCalcium 76mg (8%)Iron 3mg (17%)
Keyword Gingerbread whoopie pies, Pies
Tried this recipe?Let us know if you liked it in the comments below!
About the author
Susan, also known as the Kiwi Cook, hails from Levin, New Zealand, and has a unique Kiwi-Dutch-British heritage that influenced her culinary upbringing. As an artist, tutor, writer, and editor, Susan dedicates her weekends to creating delectable dishes. Her food philosophy embraces moderation and listening to her body's needs.

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6 responses
  1. Avatar
    huntfortheverybest

    it looks delish!

  2. Avatar
    bourbonnatrix

    They look great! I’m bookmarking this recipe 🙂 Thanks for playing along this month!

    1. Susan, AKA Kiwicook

      Hey, and thanks to you for the great challenge! One of my favourites!

  3. Avatar
    JD

    Hi, what kind of molasses did you use? A lot of American recipes frown upon using blackstrap as it’s too strong but that’s all I can find in NZ supermarkets…

    1. Susan, AKA Kiwicook

      Hi JD. The one I used was Chelsea Easy Pour Blackstrap Molasses – I guess it is strong, but I had no concern about the flavour at all – I thought the end result was fabulous. I’ll be interested to hear how you go.