It's like a cake and a cookie had twins. Then those twins decided to sandwich themselves together with frosting. What's not to love? What's even better is when those twins join themselves with maple cream cheese frosting. (I realize that was weird, but I like awkward baking analogies.)
I was lucky enough to make these twice. I made them for our Adult Easter Party, but I made WAY too much frosting so a few days later, I made them again to use up the rest of the frosting. Truthfully, I could have made them three times if I hadn't eaten as much frosting as I did, with a spoon, or maybe my finger, every single time I passed by the refrigerator. I don't regret it one bit.
The photos are only from making the cake/cookie part of the pie the second time around because I didn't do full baking photographs while preparing for the party, there was just way too much going on.
The "bread" of this sandwich is a very soft carrot cookie with a hint of cinnamon flavor. I increased the amount of carrots in the recipe because I wanted to really be able to see them when they baked, plus it adds a little more moisture to the mix which results in a more cakey texture.
I highly recommend refrigerating the dough overnight. I know it's a huge pain in the tush, but I can guarantee you it makes a difference. The first batch I made, I refrigerated overnight because I prepped all my doughs the day before the party and baked them off the next day. The second batch I made, I refrigerated for one hour before baking them. The first batch held their shape much better than the second which made for more uniform sandwiches.
The filling on these whoopie pies is really the star. It is a cream cheese buttercream with maple syrup in it as a bonus flavor. Crazy good! I really thought cream cheese icing couldn't get any better, but the maple syrup was genius (and I can say that without sounding full of myself because it wasn't my idea). I did however increase the ratio of cream cheese to butter because I think it tastes better and I heavily increased the amount of powdered sugar in the recipe to ensure that the filling was thick enough that it didn't shoot out the other end of the whoopie pie when you bite it. Don't you just hate it when that happens?
These were one of the most popular desserts we had at our party and when I took the second batch to work, they were gone way before noon so I could tell they were a hit there too.
Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies
Cookies adapted from Gourmet
Filling adapted from Betty Crocker
Yields 2 dozen whoopie pies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
1 1/8 cups All Purpose Flour
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1/3 cup + 2 T Light Brown Sugar
1/3 cup + 2 T Granulated Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cups Grated Carrots (approx. 3 medium carrots)
For the filling:
6 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
3 oz. Butter, softened
2 T Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
Instructions
For the cookies:
In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt). In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy (2-3 minutes) Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until just combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the carrots and mix again, on low speed, until just incorporated. Transfer the dough to a covered container and refrigerate overnight (or at least 2 hours).
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Scoop 1 T of batter and place 2 inches apart on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet (do your best to make sure you have uniform balls so they cook symmetrically). Bake until the cookies are lightly browned and springy to the touch, 12-16 minutes total. Allow the cookies to cool for 1 minute, then transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the filling:
Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes). Add the maple syrup and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add the powdered sugar in 3 additions, beating until smooth (start on low speed when you add the sugar, then increase the speed once it's incorporated so you don't end up with a powdered sugar cloud in your kitchen).
To assemble the whoopie pies:
Place the filling in a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe filling on the bottom side of one cookie and top with another. (You can simply spread the filling on the cookie with a knife, but the star tip makes it a bit prettier). Store the whoopie pies in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
I hope you enjoy these as much as my guest and I did!
Julie
See my link on Fine Craft Guild!
No comments:
Post a Comment