Peppermint Whoopie Pies

As an East Coaster, whoopie pies are in my blood. They became more universally trendy for a spell recently, but they originate in New England. On the North Atlantic they are taken very seriously (one of my best friends had them at her wedding!). They’re one of my first memories of baking with my mom.  I can close my eyes and see my 5-year-old self clutching the oven door handle like a roller-coaster safety bar, eyes glued to the little cakes rising painfully slowly as my tummy grumbled.

If you aren’t familiar, a whoopie pie is basically two moist, cakey chocolate cookies sandwiching a pillowy cream filling.  In this case, the filling is peppermint buttercream for Christmas instead of the traditional marshmallow frosting.

It melts my heart and blows my mind a little bit that now I’m the mom, making whoopie pies with my own kids.

I partnered with Horizon Organic on the recipe. Foodess regulars (love you!) probably know that I’ve joined Horizon to celebrate the quirkiness in kids and realness in the food we serve them. (#AllForWeird, just not in food!). I made the cookies and the filling with Horizon Organic Milk.

(In the #allforweird but not in food spirit,you can find natural candy canes for decorating the whoopie pies at health food stores or online – I buy mine at Whole Foods.)

This recipe makes a big batch. You can freeze the baked cookies on their own, or freeze them filled and assembled.

I usually make a few Christmas treats mid-December, freeze them all, and fill a plate to thaw for a couple of hours anytime friends are coming over. Just freeze goodies in a single layer on wax or parchment paper then pack into freezer bags.

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Thank you, Horizon, for being a wonderful partner this year, it’s been a pleasure working together on such a great campaign, and thank YOU dear friends and readers, for supporting the thoughtfully-chosen sponsorships that keep the Foodess kitchen running.

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Peppermint Whoopie Pies

Prep Time 20 mins

Servings 36

Ingredients

  

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For Filling:

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter
• 6 cups 1 1/2 lbs confectioners' sugar
• ¾ tsp pure peppermint extract
• 3 tbsp Horizon Organic Milk

For Cookies:

• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup butter room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup Horizon Organic Milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup crushed candy canes

Instructions

 

To make cookies:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar in a standing mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, pausing occasionally to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in eggs, one at a time, for about 30 seconds each, pausing to scrape down sides.
• With mixer speed on low, beat in milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract, followed by the flour mixture.
• Drop by level tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 4 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle each with a bit of crushed candy cane, then bake 2 minutes more. Cookies are done when set but still a bit shiny (if you press the centre, it will leave an indent). They will look underdone - this is essential to chewy, delicious cakes.

To make filling:

• Combine all ingredients in stand mixer with whisk attachment and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. 

To assemble:

• Spread a heaping tablespoonful of frosting onto flat side of one cookie. Sandwich with another cookie, and transfer to a plate. Transfer to the fridge after you’ve frosted every half-dozen or so, as the filling is gooey and will start to spread out. Continue until all the cookies have been sandwiched. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon. The opinions and text are all mine.

Last Updated on December 21, 2017 by Jennifer Pallian BSc, RD