Halloween Whoopie Pies

Bryan and I both never had whoopie pie before. We had no idea what whoopie pie should taste like. When I was making these sandwiches, I was a bit worried. But, the whoopie pies were very good. They are like homemade oreo cookies, but softer and bigger. These cookies were very moist, and the nonpareil candies gave some crunch to the sandwiches. I like them a lot. As the Amish farmers would say, “Whoopie!”

Halloween Whoopie Pies (Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Halloween Whoopie Pies)

12- 14 sandwiches

Ingredients:

–   1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

–   ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

–   1 teaspoon baking soda

–   1 teaspoon baking powder

–   1 teaspoon salt

–   1 ¾ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)

–   1 cup golden brown sugar

–   1 large egg

–   1 cup unsweetened applesauce

–   ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

–   1 cup powdered sugar

–   Orange nonpareils candy sprinkles

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
3. In another large bowl, beat ½ cup butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy with an electric mixer. Add egg, and beat until smooth. With mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture and applesauce. Make sure to begin and end with the flour mixture during the process. Mix until smooth. Do not overmix.
4. Scoop a heaped tablespoon of the dough onto the baking sheet. Space the dough apart for about 2 inches.
5. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cookie comes out clean, about 10 – 12 minutes. Carefully transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely. Continue with the second batch of cookies. (Before moving on to the second batch, make sure the baking sheet is cool off.)
6. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the remaining butter with the vanilla extra until light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
7. Spread 1 tablespoon of filling on the bottom of half the cookies. Make sandwiches with the other half of the cookies. Press the sandwiches gently to ooze out the filling slightly.
8. On a plate, pour out some of the orange nonpareils candies. Sprinkle the exposed filling with the candies. Let the sandwiches to set for 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
9. For storage, keep the sandwiches in a tightly sealed container. Be sure to lay a layer of parchment paper at the bottom of the container to prevent stickiness. The sandwiches can be store up to 2 days at room temperature. Then, you can keep them in the fridge for 2 more days. Leave the sandwiches at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before eating. This will let the buttercream to soften up.

Original recipe: Read

History of Whoopie Pie: Read