Take a Megabite

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling

I feel weird about singing in my car and casually looking over and seeing someone I know. It cramps my car-singing style. I feel weird about the fact that my chair at work is creaky since I’m incapable of sitting still. I can’t do it. I feel weird about my new bangs. They aren’t a big deal. I really shouldn’t care, but Jake says that things like bangs matter, so it’s ok to be complete girl about it. I feel weird about the fact that my favorite jeans’ zipper stopped staying up. A safety pin is helping my jeans keep it real. I feel kinda weird I told you that.

I kinda feel weird about food coloring. That’s why my red velvet whoopie pies aren’t super dark. I couldn’t bring myself to add more than a teaspoon of the hand staining stuff. But my Christmas spirit made these cookies possible, and I’m really glad it did, since they are tasty and filled with holiday cheer and cream cheese frosting.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling
Recipe adapted from Dinner and Dessert

Ingredients:

cake -

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 T cocoa powder
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 8 T butter ( 1 stick), softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 t red food coloring

cream cheese filling-

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 4 T (1/2 stick) butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 t vanilla
• sprinkles to match the holiday or your mood

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium high speed for 30 seconds, until smooth. Add brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. While mixing at a medium speed, add egg and beat until thoroughly combined. Add vanilla and red food coloring and mix until rosy and combined.
4. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture in batches. Beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mixing after each addition.
5. Using a cookie scoop or a teaspoon, spoon the dough on prepared baking sheets about an inch apart. Bake for 6-7 minutes, or until tops are set. Cool on wire rack.
6. Make cream cheese filling. In a medium bowl using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread onto the flat side of the cookie and top with another cookie. Roll in christmas sprinkles! Store in an airtight container.

Frost them like you mean it.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling

Did you know that maple syrup and cream cheese frosting are officially dating? There are actually rumors about an engagement ring being purchased by a tall dark and handsome bottle of Michigan maple syrup.

When I tasted the filling for these guys I wondered why I’ve never used maple syrup in cream cheese frosting before. Considering they go together in a magically delicious way that can only be described as true love.

This is my third pumpkin delight of the week, but it’s the only one that turned out delightful. I told you about the mooshy squishy sad pumpkin blondies. On top of those, I also made bland pumpkin biscotti that were less delish after coffee dunking, somehow. But the goodness of these whoopie pies makes me not even care about all that pumpkin effort earlier in the week.

The pumpkin cookie parts are the perfect amount of spice and pumpkin. They are light and cakey in a way that can only be achieved when making whoopie. So arm yourself with a cookie scoop and go at it. OR go right ahead and make them using a muffin scoop/ice cream scoop and have yourself a delicious dessert sandwich.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling
Recipe from Annies Eats

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies -

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 t salt
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• 2 T cinnamon
• 1 t ginger
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 cup canola oil
• 3 cups chilled pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 1 t vanilla

Maple Cream Cheese Filling* -

• 3-5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 T maple syrup
• 1 t vanilla extract
  * I had a lot of extra frosting, so if you cut this in half or by a quarter it’s all good!

Directions:

1. Make whoopie pies. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, mix together both sugars and canola oil together. Add pumpkin puree and mix until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until no streaks remain. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and stir using a wooden spoon until mixed thoroughly.
2. Using a cookie scoop for smaller whoopie pies or an ice cream scoop  with a release mechanism for bigger whoopie pies, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets (about 1-2 inches apart). Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies look firmer and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
3. Make maple cream cheese filling. In a large bowl using a hand mixer on low, beat butter until smooth with no visible lumps. Add cream cheese and beat until combined. Add 3 cups powdered sugar, maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth. Being careful not to over mix. If the frosting doesn’t seem thick enough to spread on the cookies, add up to 2 more cups of powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until frosting has firmed up. (I found that it was still a tad bit runny seeming, but it stayed well on the cookies.) Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so that the frosting can firm up enough for a nice, non-messy bite to be taken out of the whoopie pie.

<3
P.S. See that cake stand in the first picture? Just some Donut Hole mini muffins for your brunching pleasure. If you haven’t make them, you probably should right after making these Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!