I’m having a little bit of a red velvet takeover on this blog. After making the Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies, I knew I wanted to make a Whoopie Pie version perfect for the holidays, specifically Red Velvet Peppermint Whoopie Pies! In case you don’t know what a whoopie pie is, they are cake-like cookies with creamy goodness sandwiched in between. They are quite popular in the Philadelphia area due to the influence of the Pennsylvania Dutch. In fact, I had whoopie pies at my wedding (along with cannolis and cupcakes)!
Whoopie pies are a lot easier to make than they look (I promise). These little guys are filled with a peppermint cream cheese filling, so they will get you right in the holiday spirit in no time!
Ingredients (makes 12 whoopie pies):
Red Velvet Cookies (makes 24 cookies):
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 (0.67 oz) tube gel red food coloring, about 1 tablespoon
- 2 cups flour
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Peppermint Cream Cheese Filling:
- 2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare your cookie sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
Add one stick of softened butter and the brown sugar to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium high until fully combined.
Add in the egg, mixing to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Pour in your milk, vinegar, and vanilla extract, mixing to combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk together your flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt until fully combined.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to your wet ingredients until fully combined.
Squeeze in a tube of red gel food coloring and mix to fully combined until the entire mixture is an even red color.
To get similarly sized cookies (ideal for making sandwiches with the cookies!) use a cookie scoop, like this medium-sized one from OXO.
Scoop out the cookie dough onto your prepared cookie sheets about 3 inches apart (they spread out, so I stuck to 8 per cookie sheet). Notice that they aren’t perfect little scoops. They’ll spread out and become smoother on top.
Add the cookie sheets to the oven and bake for 11-12 minutes. Let cool completely on the cookie sheets.
Once the cookies are cool, make your filling. Beat together the cream cheese and butter on high speed until fully combined.
Slowly add in the confectioners sugar a little at a time. When fully combined, add in the peppermint extract and the salt, beating to fully combine.
Use a spatula to remove your cookies from the cookie sheet, flipping half of them over so the bottom side is facing up. If you have some cookies that are different sizes, do your best to match equal sized pairs of cookies.
The easiest way to add the filling to the whoopie pies is by using a pastry bag or zip top bag with one of the corners cut off. Fill the bag with the frosting and squeeze some of the filling onto the cookies that are bottom side up.
Top each frosted cooking with another cookie, pressing down lightly.
And that’s it! Not too difficult, right?
The cookie scoop takes all the guesswork out of the cookies, so they all are basically the same size.
The red velvet cookies are super moist and springy, the perfect complement to the creamy peppermint filling.
I went for a light flavor of peppermint, because I find it can be a bit overpowering. If you’re a big fan, feel free to add a little bit more peppermint extract to the filling.
The whoopie pies will last in your fridge, covered, for up to a week. If you want to freeze them, tightly wrap them individually in plastic wrap before adding them to your freezer.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 (0.67 oz) tube gel red food coloring, about 1 tablespoon
- 2 cups flour
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare your cookie sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Add one stick of softened butter and the brown sugar to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium high until fully combined.
- Add in the egg, mixing to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Pour in your milk, vinegar, and vanilla extract, mixing to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together your flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt until fully combined.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to your wet ingredients until fully combined.
- Squeeze in a tube of red gel food coloring and mix to fully combined until the entire mixture is an even red color.
- To get similarly sized cookies (ideal for making sandwiches with the cookies!) use a cookie scoop, like this medium-sized one from OXO.
- Scoop out the cookie dough onto your prepared cookie sheets about 3 inches apart (they spread out, so I stuck to 8 per cookie sheet). Notice that they aren’t perfect little scoops. They’ll spread out and become smoother on top.
- Add the cookie sheets to the oven and bake for 11-12 minutes. Let cool completely on the cookie sheets.
- Once the cookies are cool, make your filling. Beat together the cream cheese and butter on high speed until fully combined.
- Slowly add in the confectioners sugar a little at a time. When fully combined, add in the peppermint extract and the salt, beating to fully combine.
- Use a spatula to remove your cookies from the cookie sheet, flipping half of them over so the bottom side is facing up. If you have some cookies that are different sizes, do your best to match equal sized pairs of cookies.
- The easiest way to add the filling to the whoopie pies is by using a pastry bag or zip top bag with one of the corners cut off. Fill the bag with the frosting and squeeze some of the filling onto the cookies that are bottom side up.
- Top each frosted cooking with another cookie, pressing down lightly.
What do you think?