Description
Deliciously spiced gingerbread whoopie pies featuring soft, moist gingerbread cookies sandwiched with a creamy cinnamon-vanilla cream cheese frosting. Perfect for holiday treats or cozy dessert cravings with a perfect balance of warm spices and sweetness.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Gingerbread Cookies
- ½ cup (112 g) neutral oil
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (73.33 g) brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (75 g) molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
- 1½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Place the oil and both sugars in a large mixing bowl and mix together until combined. Add the molasses, egg, vanilla, and buttermilk, and continue mixing until fully incorporated.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Gradually mix in the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Stir gently to combine, being careful not to overmix the dough. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least 2 hours to help develop flavor and dough consistency.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and for easy cleanup.
- Shape Cookies: Scoop the chilled dough into approximately 1½ tablespoon-sized balls and place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are set and lightly firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheets before frosting.
- Make Frosting: In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and cinnamon, then mix until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
- Assemble Whoopie Pies: Spread about 1½ tablespoons of the prepared frosting on the flat side of one cookie, then sandwich with another cookie’s flat side. Press gently to adhere. Repeat with remaining cookies and frosting.
Notes
- The texture of these cookies is best when using neutral oil, but you can substitute melted butter if preferred.
- Both cup and gram measurements are provided for accuracy; using grams, especially for flour, will yield more precise results.
- If measuring by cup, spoon flour lightly into the cup to avoid packing, which can affect texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 whoopie pie
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 24g
- Sodium: 190mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
