Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

Celebrate the holidays in style with these gingerbread whoopie pies. Two classic chewy ginger cookies are sandwiched together with fluffy cream cheese filling in these perfectly spiced treats.

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 8

Chill + Cool Time: 50

Total Time: 1 13

Servings:

Ingredients

Ginger Cookies

¾ cup unsalted butter , softened
1 cup light brown sugar , packed
1 large egg
¼ cup molasses
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ cup granulated sugar , for rolling the cookies

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese
¼ cup butter
1 ½ cups powdered sugar , plus more as needed
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Ginger Cookies

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper,
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream 3/4 softened butter and 1 cup brown sugar 1 minute, or until fluffy. Add in one egg and beat until smooth. Mix in 1/4 cup molasses until combined.
In a medium bowl, sift or whisk 2 1/4 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon cloves and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix into the butter mixture with a spoon just until combined, being careful not to overmix. Cover and chill 10 to 15 minutes.
Place 1/4 cup granulated sugar into a shallow bowl. Using a medium cookie scoop (or about 1 1/2 Tablespoons), roll the cookie dough into a ball. Roll the dough into the sugar. Place on the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Lightly flatten the tops with the palm of your hand.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on the sheet 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Tip: If your cookies aren't cracking as much as you'd like, bang the pan on the stove right after they come out of the oven to crack the cookies. They will settle as they cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting

In a medium bowl, mix together 1/4 cup butter and 4 ounces cream cheese with an electric mixer 2 minutes, or until creamy. Add 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and mix an additional minute. Add more powdered sugar, if desired.
Once the cookies have cooled, dip the bottom of a cookie in cream cheese frosting.
Stack another cookie on top of the frosting. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Notes

Tip: If I want a good crackle, I typically place them on the top rack of the oven. Then make sure to tap the pan on the counter when you pull them out.

To store: These cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. I actually prefer them the 2nd day.

Freezing dough: Scoop the dough into balls, then flash freeze on a baking sheet until hard (about 30 minutes). Then add to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let the frozen dough balls sit on the baking sheet as the oven preheats. Then bake as directed, adding 1-2 minutes to the original baking time if needed.

Freezing frosted cookies: Place on a pan and freeze for 1 hour. Once hard you can stack in a freezer container and freeze up to 3 months.

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