Gingersnap Whoopie PIes

Day 17's holiday treat recipe is for these one-of-a-kind gingersnap whoopie pies!  Come back every day in December for a new holiday recipe!

We fell in love with whoopie pies a few years ago after a stop at an Amish bakery in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Since then I've tried to make them myself a few times, but somehow they're never quite the same as they are from the Amish bakery.  When I found this recipe in a Christmas magazine, I got really excited to try this festive version of the delectable treat!  They turned out looking cool and tasting awesome, but next time I'll probably make them half-sized, so they're not such big mouthfuls.  And since I absolutely loved the filling, I plan on making a 1-1/2 batch of the filling next time!  Enjoy!

Recipe Source:  All You

 Click here for printable recipe. 

Posted by Lara.

The ingredients:
COOKIES:


2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
pinch ground black pepper
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
3 Tbs. molasses

FILLING:  (we really liked the filling, so I recommend one-and-a-halfing it  or doubling it)


6 Tbs. butter, room temperature
1/2  cup powdered sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon (about 2 teaspoons)

1 jar (7.5-ounces) marshmallow cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and pepper.

Set aside.  In a separate, small bowl, stir buttermilk and vanilla together and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar until light, about 3 minutes. 

Beat in egg and molasses.  Add 1/2 flour mixture, mix. 

Beat in buttermilk mixture, then remaining flour mixture, until smooth.

  Using small ice cream scoop or a couple of tablespoons, drop 2-tablespoonful* size mounds of batter 2-inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. 

*NOTE:  We found the cookies looked pretty and whoopie pie-like when they were this big, but they were a little too big to eat in one sitting (especially for the kids).  I recommend making them into 1 tablespoon size mounds or cutting them in half before serving.  

Bake until about 8 minutes on the top rack, then move the pan to the bottom rack and bake for an additional 2-3 minutes or until cookies are puffed and spring back when lightly touched.

When cookies are cooled, match each cookie up with a "twin" in size/shape, so that they'll sandwich together better. 

FOR THE FILLING:  In a large bowl, beat together all ingredients until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Chill 15 minutes.

Spread about 2 teaspoons filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. 

Press flat sides of remaining cookies onto the filling, sandwich style!  

Makes 10-15 large whoopie pies (I got 10 out of it, but the recipe said it should be 15). 

Enjoy! 

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