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Mini gingerbread whoopie pies are the perfect little treat for the holiday season! Make this for all your festive holiday gatherings or a baby shower, like the one we’re having today!
Jason’s dad’s side of the family is from Pennsylvania and they adore whoopie pies. The first time I ever went up there to visit them, I unintentionally brought my pumpkin whoopie pies and they were DEVOURED. We like to joke that those were the treats that I won the family over with ;)
A month ago, Jason and I went up to Pennsylvania again to celebrate his grandma’s 90th birthday. The day before, I just so happened to make these mini gingerbread whoopie pies, and again, coincidentally, had them around to bring up again to his family. They were devoured again; they sure love their whoopie pies up there!
So this mini gingerbread whoopie pie has the moistest gingerbread flavor cake base and the filling is a lemon cream cheese frosting. Oh my gosh. Have you ever had lemon and gingerbread together before? If you’ve haven’t, you MUST try it. It sounds like it’d be weird but it’s such a unique pairing and tastes amazing.
Mini Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
For the whoopie pies
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (60 g) whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup (114 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup (55 g) dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup (253 g) molasses
- ½ cup (118 ml) buttermilk
For the lemon cream cheese filling
- 4 tablespoon (56 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 ounce (113 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 °F (191 °C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Mix in half of the dry ingredients, the molasses, the remaining dry ingredients, and then the buttermilk.
- Drop the batter onto baking sheets using a medium cookie scoop (or 1 1/2 tbsp.).
- Bake the cakes until puffed and set, about 9-12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets until firm then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- In the meantime, in a clean bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat the butter and cream cheese together. Carefully add the powdered sugar until incorporated, then add the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and juice of 1 lemon. If the frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time. If the frosting is too stiff, add a tbsp. of milk at a time until desired consistency.
- To assemble whoopie pies, spread a heaping tablespoonful of filling onto the flat side of half the cakes then top with the second, unfilled cake, rounded side up.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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Absolutely stunning, Julie! You have this cookie lover gawking!
SERIOUSLY. These are amazing.
Quick question, do you have to use whole wheat flour? I live in Germany and the whole wheat flour here is very course and not pleasing in a baked good. Thank you!
Nope, you don’t have to. You can just use all all-purpose flour :)
These are so, so, so cute, and gingerbread is my favorite. Congratulations to Audra!
Great idea ~ Love the seasonal flavors :)
LOVE these, Julie! I need to make more whoopie pies!!!
Whoopie Pies are one thing I have not attempted to bake. I don’t know why b/c they don’t seem to difficult?! These look like the perfect flavor combo. Yum!
I’m sure these are the perfect little holiday spice bites!! And whoopie pies make me happy as well. I’m pretty sure they’re generally happiness-inducing no matter where you’re from.
I’ve got to makes some of these for my grandchildren! They really sound good.
I hope you make some, Audra!
Will the recipe work better if using a whoopie pie pan?
Hi Andre, I think it worked perfectly fine without a whoopie pie pan, but if you have one handy, you can certainly use it.