Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

Whoopie pies are pretty much my favorite thing ever and I love this mini version!! It's like a little cupcake sandwich. :)

These little bites of yummy goodness have winter and Christmas written all over them. There is something about this time of year when I find myself craving anything with gingerbread. The warmth of flavors is just perfect for these cold days.

This whoopie pie is super moist and has a strong gingerbread flavor. The filling is a simple cream cheese frosting and is the perfect compliment. All in all, they are simply scrumptious! Make them. You won't be disappointed. 

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
3/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup buttermilk

for the filling:

4 ounces cream cheese
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer beat butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
• Mix in half of the dry ingredients, the molasses, the remaining dry ingredients, and then the buttermilk.
• Drop the batter onto baking sheets using a medium cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tbsp.).
• Bake the cakes until puffed and set, about 9-12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets until firm then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the filling by beating the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer.  Mix in vanilla, then beat in powdered sugar until smooth.  Place 1-2 tablespoons of filling in the center of a cake.  Top with a second cake and press together until the filling reaches the edges of the pies.  Makes about 15 sandwiches.

Mini Rolo Pies

This is probably one of the easiest desserts I've ever made. PLUS they are soooo good!

But, beware...they are highly addictive. I'm pretty sure I ate about 5 of them in a matter of minutes. 

 

The gooey marshmallows with the warm and lightly melted rolo is amazing. Add in the crunch of the buttery pie crust, and you have perfection in "mini" form! 

I had to take a picture of what one of these looked like right out of the oven while they were still warm. Rolos that are ooey, gooey, and melted are waaayyyy better than Rolos at room temperature!

Mini Rolo Pies
Ingredients:
1 box (2 rolls) refrigerated pie crust 
1 bag of mini marshmallows
36 Rolo candies

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray, Unroll one pie crust and use a round cookie cutter to cut circles of dough that are about 2 inches.  Press each round into each muffin cup. Repeat with second crust in box. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and pop three little marshmallows into each pie crust. Put the pan back into the oven for about 3 minutes, or until the marshmallow starts to become soft and gooey.

Remove the hot pies from the oven and place one Rolo in the center of each. Let cool completely before moving or removing from the pan. Once cooled, gently use a butter knife to pop them out of the pan.

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

There's just something about whoopie pies...they are the perfect little snack! 

These little sandwiches are very light and fluffy, with orange specks from the carrots.  I made my classic cream cheese frosting and sandwiched it between the cookies. 

Carrot cake + cream cheese frosting = best dessert EVER.  

The combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger was amazingly delicious! This is the perfect option if you're looking for a dessert to make for Easter.  

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

Recipe adapted from Tracey's Culinary Adventure

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups grated carrots

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt together.  In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Mix in the vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients and beat just until combined.  Finally, add the grated carrots.

Chill the batter in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Using a small cookie scoop, place cookies on a prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.  Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the cookies spring back when gently pressed.  Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes then remove the cookies to the wire rack to cool completely. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, softened

8 ounces light cream cheese, room temperature

4 cups confectioner sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Directions:

In a mixer, beat softened cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add confectioner sugar until just incorporated.  Add vanilla and beat until smooth.

Nutella Marshmallow Turnovers

Oh, Nutella. How do I even begin to explain my love for this stuff? I always have it on hand because it’s probably the best thing anyone has ever put in a jar. Nutella on graham crackers, baked into treats, drizzled over ice cream, or my personal favorite: straight out of the jar, directly from spoon to mouth.

There’s something about this hazelnut chocolate spread, I just can’t seem to get enough of it! I spent the majority of this week "pinning" recipe after recipe...when I remembered this recipe a friend of mine from work had sent me. He sent it to me back in December and I had completely forgotten about it until now! The original recipe was for Nutella Marshmallow Pillow Pockets from Picky Palate. I only had to make a few changes to use the ingredients I already had on hand. I used ready made pie dough because it’s so convenient and the end result was flaky, warm, sweet chocolate, and hazelnutty heaven.

 Spread a teaspoon of Nutella onto the center of each pastry leaving a 1/8 inch border around edges. 

Top with mini marshmallows and fold over to form a little triangle. 

Crimp edges firmly with a fork. (Make sure it's sealed!)

Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. 

Uh oh...YUM!

Nutella Marshmallow Turnovers

Ingredients:

1 package ready made pie dough, (I used one of the 8 inch rounds)

1/2 cup Nutella

1/2 cup mini marshmallows

Egg white wash: 1 egg white whisked with 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the pied dough into a rectangle and cut out 8 even squares. 
• Spread a teaspoon of Nutella onto the center of each pastry leaving an 1/8 inch border around edges. 
• Top with about 2-4 mini marshmallows and fold over to form a little triangle. Crimp edges firmly with a fork. 
• Brush with egg white wash then sprinkle with granulated sugar. 
• Bake for 22-25 minutes or until pastry just turns golden. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.