Apple Cider Whoopie Pies

October 19, 2020

I’ve never really had much luck with whoopie pies*. I tried making a red velvet whoopie pie a few years ago, failed miserably, and just never worked up the motivation to try them again. But guys, I finally cracked that nut with this wonderful recipe from the New York Times. I could have eaten the entire batch by myself (and almost did).

The recipe calls for apple butter, which is surprisingly easy to make. It’s basically apple pie filling that you run through the blender until smooth. It’s also a great way to use up all those apples you got when you got caught up in the excitement of apple picking. It’s okay. It happens to the best of us. I used this recipe, which made about two mason jars full of apple butter. Feel free to scale down if you just need enough for this recipe.

Normally I like to put my own spin on a recipe, but I didn’t stray too far from the original. My two contributions:

1) I added a dollop of apple butter to the filling. I piped a circle of cream cheese frosting to create a well and then filled the well with apple butter. It really gives the whoopie pies a nice boost of apple flavor.

2) I had some leftover browned butter, so I added that to my cream cheese frosting. It really elevates the frosting, adding a bit of nuttiness to complement the tangy cream cheese. You can totally skip this, but I think it’s worth the extra work.

* Plot twist: whoopie pies are NOT pies. They are little sandwiches made with cake-like cookies. The sandwich is held together with a frosting filling.

recipe

Recipe adapted slightly from the New York Times’ Apple Cider Whoopie Pies

Time: 1.5 hours

Quantity: 9 whoopie pies

Ingredients

Browned Butter

• 85 g (6 tablespoons) butter

Whoopie Pies

• 300 g (1 and 1/4 cup) apple cider

• 190 g (1 and 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh if you can)

• 85g (6 tablespoons) butter, room temp

• 110 g (1/2 cup, packed) light or dark brown sugar

• 1 large egg

• 60 g (1/4 cup) apple butter

Coating

• 28 g (2 tablespoons) butter, melted

• 50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Filling

• 170 g (6 oz) cream cheese, room temp

• 3 tablespoons browned butter, room temp

• 21 g (3 tablespoons) confectioners’ sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

• 60 g (1/4 cup) apple butter

Process

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Reduce Apple Cider

1. In a small saucepan, bring the apple cider to a boil. Continue to cook the cider over medium-high heat until it has reduced to approximately 60 g (1/4 cup). This will take about 16 to 18 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Browned Butter

1. In a small, light-colored saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. The butter will start to bubble and separate, but keep going until you’ve reached a nice caramel color and the butter smells nice and nutty. Watch carefully to avoid burning! Once browned, remove from heat and set aside to cool. 

Whoopie Pies

1. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the egg, apple butter and reduced apple cider, and beat until combined. 

2. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix just until combined. Scraping the bowl as necessary.

3. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of batter onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about an inch and half in between (the batter will spread as it bakes).  Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. 

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon and the granulated sugar. Brush the tops of the whoopie pies with a bit of the melted butter and gently roll the top in the sugar mixture. Set aside to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1. In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and  browned butter until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat to combine. 

Assemble

1. Pipe a circle of frosting on the flat side of half of the cakes, to create a well. Fill the well with a dollop of apple butter. Top with the other halves. Enjoy!

Tips: 

• You may have left over frosting. 

• If you don’t want to make browned butter, feel free to omit from the creamed cheese frosting. 

• Serve these at room temp for maximum softness.