These soft, cake-like gingerbread cookies are filled with a simple vanilla cream that brings a seasonal charm to a widely enjoyed traditional treat. Fun fact: while many believe that whoopie pies originated in Maine due to them being Maine’s “official state treat,” they were actually created by Pennsylvania Dutch bakers in the early 1900s.
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
2 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
11⁄2 tsp ground ginger
1⁄2 tsp ground nutmeg
1⁄4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking soda
1⁄2 tsp baking powder
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄4 cup brown sugar
1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3⁄4 cup molasses
1⁄2 cup milk
1 tsp vinegar
1 egg
For the buttercream filling:
3 cups powdered sugar
1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3-4 tbsp heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1⁄2 tsp salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. In a liquid measuring cup, combine milk and vinegar and set aside for later.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg.
4. Mix in the molasses and the milk and vinegar mixtures into the butter, sugar, and egg combination. Then, mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients, stirring until just combined.
5. Cover the dough and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours.
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease large baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.
7. Use a scoop or spoon to place 1 and 1⁄2 tablespoon scoops of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 3 inches between each scoop of dough.
8. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until the edges appear set. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. To start preparing the filling, beat together the powdered sugar and butter, starting at low speed and increasing to medium speed until the mixture is crumbly—this should take about a minute. Then, add in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt and beat on high speed until smooth, or for about 3 minutes.
10. Once the cookies are cool, pair them up by size. Spread or pipe the filling onto the flat side of one of the paired cookies, then put the second cookie on top of the filling to create a sandwich.
11. Best when enjoyed immediately!
This article also appears in our December 2023 print edition.
