Making Whoopie!

I’ve been talking about whoopie pies for months now! They are just so fun looking and I’ve never actually tried one. For me, whenever I see them I just feel like a big kid. Well, I FINALLY made them this weekend and they are even more fun than I imagined. I love, love, LOVE them! Not more than cupcakes, but definitely close. This was also my first attempt at gluten free baking and I thought it went well. I couldn’t even tell the difference between regular baked goodies and the gluten free taste. The batter was so soft, too! I’m definitely a fan of these little treasures!

So enough gabbing! Time to share the recipe!

Gluten Free Vanilla Whoopie Pie

Source: Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon of xantham gum

4 tablespoons of vegetable shortening (I’m not a big fan, so I used another 4 tablespoons of butter)

1/2 cup of buttermilk

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1/2 cup of dark brown sugar (packed) – I used light because we had no dark and it worked well

1 teaspoon of white vinegar

2 1/4 cups of gluten free all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur)

2 large eggs

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the baking powder, flour, and xantham gum in a medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, preferably a standing mixer if you have one, beat the granulated and brown sugars along with the butter. Once creamy, add the buttermilk and the eggs, too. Mix everything until well blended.

Now, in a smaller bowl or a measuring cup, add the baking soda, vinegar, and the two tablespoons of milk. Blend into the batter and add the flour mixture, too. As the last step, blend in the vanilla extract.

For the baking process, I used these wonderful whoopie pie pans from Wilton. You really don’t need them, but I wanted to make sure mine came out looking nice. I have a terrible habit of making my cupcakes overflow and my cookies look deformed. If you have one of these pans, fill the little cavities. If not, put about a tablespoon on a greased cookie sheet. Make sure there’s at least two inches between each one.

Bake for roughly ten minutes. Mine took exactly ten minutes and were a good consistency.

Honey Buttercream

Source: Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell

Ingredients:

3 to 4 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons of honey (I used a little more, maybe 4? It needed a stronger honey taste)

3 cups of confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup of unsalted butter

Method:

Combine the butter and the confectioners’ sugar. Once the combination is crumbly, put in the honey, lemon juice, and heavy cream. Mix until completely blended and you’re ready to sandwich between your whoopie pie!