Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
These Gingerbread Whoopie Pies combine soft, spiced gingerbread cookies with a rich cream cheese filling, creating the perfect holiday treat.
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Ingredients
For Gingerbread
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ cup molasses (or sorghum)
- 3 tbsp crystallized ginger, finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For Cream Cheese Filling
- 6 tbsp butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter)
Instructions
- Start by melting your butter (you’ll need about a stick) and let it cool slightly.
- While that’s happening, whisk together all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl—flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and baking soda. It’s like creating the foundation of the gingerbread flavor we all love. Set this aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together your brown sugar, melted butter, molasses (or sorghum), and finely chopped crystallized ginger.
- Once combined, toss in the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla.
- Finally, stir in the flour mixture using a spatula, and just like that, your dough is ready to roll!
- Then, cover the dough with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for at least an hour. This chilling step helps the dough firm up and develop even more flavor. (You can chill it for up to 48 hours, which makes it easy to prep ahead of time.)
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll your dough into tablespoon-sized balls (about 35 grams each if you’re using a kitchen scale), and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, keeping a close eye on them. You’re looking for a cookie that’s puffed and just starting to brown around the edges.
- Once out of the oven, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
- In a mixer, beat your butter for about 2 minutes until it’s nice and fluffy. Slowly add in cubes of softened cream cheese, blending fully after each addition.
- Next, beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt if you used unsalted butter. You’ll end up with a creamy, rich filling that pairs perfectly with those spiced cookies.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, spoon or pipe a generous amount of filling onto the flat side of 12 cookies, then top them with the remaining cookies. For that final touch, dust with powdered sugar.