Woopie Pie Spiders

Whoopie pies seem to be pretty popular over the past year, so when I wanted to come up with something for a Halloween party, I thought of making these tasty treats into something fun.  While these little cream filled sandwich cakes are super cute,   I thought that it would be yummy and easy to stick licorice in between the two halves and then put eyeballs on top.  Thus the Whoopie Spider was born.  The kids loved it (as well as the adults).  And I have to admit that I had fun making them. 

Don't forget to check out this post for a compilation of all of our favorite fun Halloween ideas in one place!.

Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by Jen.

 Ingredients:

1 chocolate cake mix
1/2 c oil
1/2 c water (if free forming your little cakes)  3/4 c water if you have a little Whoopie mold pan)
3 eggs

Container of frosting
shoestring licorice
red hots/M&M's, Skittles, etc for eyes
other decorative sprinkles
Corn Syrup (optional, but to help stick on the eyes)

Directions:
Add all the cake mix ingredients into a bowl and mix together well.

Use a spoon to blob cake dough onto a baking sheet (use parchment paper!).  Try to make the shapes as equal as possible.

OR, if you have a Whoopie pan mold (like the one from Williams Sonoma) , then scoop 1 heaping Tbsp of batter into the pan.  

Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Let cool completely.

See how the free form ones worked perfectly fine?  No need for a special pan.  

Turn half of them upside down and spread some frosting on the half.

Lay your licorice legs across the frosting.  Use 4 strings of licorice.  Remember that spiders have 8 legs.  I actually used Pull-n-Peel and then cut each licorice in 1/2 (or even smaller) to make it so the legs weren't too long.

Place the other half of the cakes on the top to make a sandwich.

"Glue" the eyes on with either corn syrup or frosting.  I also spread a tiny bit of corn syrup across the backs to help other sprinkles stay on.  But the sugar sprinkles seem to stay on without extra help. (hey, I never said this was healthy!)

I experimented with other colors as well.  These were a lot of fun to make and I know the kids really enjoyed eating them.  Get your kids involved to help make them as well.  I think I'll have to create these little Whoopie cakes more often!

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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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