These Gingerbread Whoopie Pies are such a fun way to enjoy the flavors of Christmas. They are soft, spiced, cake like cookies that are sandwiched together with cream cheese frosting in the middle. The creamy frosting pairs so nicely with the warm cookie flavors of molasses, ginger, and cinnamon.
I’ve made a lot of Gingerbread treats over the years, like our Gingerbread Men Cookies, and Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies, but these whoopie pies are something special. The cookies are soft, with just the right amount of spice, and the cream cheese filling ties it all together so nicely. Plus they’re easy to make, and come together quicker than you’d expect. You don’t even need to chill the dough!
Why you’ll love these
- Soft and Fluffy Cookies: The cookies have a cake like texture, and bake up so soft and fluffy.
- Festive Flavor: Full of warm gingerbread flavor, that balances perfectly with the sweet cream cheese frosting. They’re so good for a Christmas party, cookie exchange, or adding to your cookie trays.
- Make Ahead Friendly: These store great in the fridge for a couple days, and I think they taste even better after chilling, so this is a perfect dessert to make the day before you need them!
Ingredients Needed
This is a quick overview of some of the ingredients you’ll need for this Gingerbread Whoopie Pie Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- Unsalted Butter: Adds richness, flavor, and that soft texture
- Brown Sugar: We’re just using brown sugar for the extra sweetness, it gives that extra molasses flavor and keeps the cookies soft.
- Molasses: Essential for that rich gingerbread taste. You’ll want to use a dark unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap molasses or the flavor will be too bitter.
- All Purpose Flour: Gives the cookies structure. We don’t use too much because its a thinner cake like batter.
- Spices: We’re going to use a mix of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg for the perfect warm spice flavor.
How to Make Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
Step 1: Mix the Dry Ingredients. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices to a medium bowl and whisk them together. Set the mixture aside.
Step 2: Mix the Wet Ingredients. Add the butter and brown sugar to a large bowl and mix (with a stand mixer, or electric hand mixer) until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the egg, and vanilla extract. Add in the molasses and buttermilk. The mixture will look curdled, but its okay, it will look fine with the dry ingredients added in a second.
Step 3: Make the Cookie Dough. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until just combined and you have a soft batter. The batter is thin and sticky, but it will be okay.
Step 4: Scoop the Cookies. Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the batter by the 1.5 TBS full onto a parchment paper lined baking pan. You’ll need to keep them about 2 to 3 inches apart from each other because the cookies will spread.
Step 5: Bake the Cookies. Bake the cookies in the oven until the tops are set and a toothpick can be inserted in the middle of a cookie and comes out clean. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Step 6: Add the Frosting. Beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar and mix until combined. Mix another minute or two until fluffy. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and snip off the corner. Piper frosting on the bottom of one cookie and press a matching cookie on top.
Tips and Tricks
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Let the butter, egg, buttermilk, and cream cheese sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before using. This makes it easier to mix everything together and create a consistent cookie dough.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: The batter is very sticky, so this helps keep your hands clean and helps keep the cookies even in size, and symmetrical in shape.
- Don’t Overbake the Cookies: We want soft and tender cookies, you don’t need to bake them until they crack on the tops, they’ll just barely look set. And you can test the middles with a toothpick (just like you would with cake).
- Match Similar Cookies: Match a cookie top and bottom with each other so they are similar in size and shape, and don’t have any sides sticking out that are larger.
- Use a Ziplock Bag: Put the frosting into a ziplock baggie or a piping bag and snip a medium sized portion off the end of one of the corners. Squeeze the frosting out through the bag and onto the cookies to frost them evenly.
Storage Instructions
These Gingerbread Whoopie Pies should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days. The filling is made with cream cheese so we have to keep them in the fridge. They can sit safely at room temperature for about 2 hours, but longer than that the frosting will get too soft and squish out. Place parchment paper or wax paper between layers of the cookies so they don’t stick to each other.
The cookies can be wrapped individually in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw the cookie sandwiches in the fridge overnight before enjoying them.
These Gingerbread Whoopie Pies are soft, sweet, and full of cozy spices. They’re festive, beautiful, and I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but they taste even better than they look. They’ll quickly become one of your favorite holiday cookies!
More Holiday Cookies
Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
For the Gingerbread Cookies:
- 2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 TBS Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
- 1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature)
- 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 large Egg (Room Temperature)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup Whole Milk
- Molasses
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz Cream Cheese (Room Temperature)
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature)
- 1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
For the Gingerbread Cookies:
- Preheat the Oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Add the dry ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk together. You'll need flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cloves, and nutmeg. Set it aside. 2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour,1/2 TBS Ground Cinnamon,1 tsp Ground Ginger,1/2 tsp Baking Powder,1/2 tsp Baking Soda,1/2 tsp Salt,1/8 tsp Ground Cloves,1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- Add the Egg and vanilla and mix until combined. 1 large Egg, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Add the milk and molasses and mix until the mixture is combined. The mixture will look curdled, but it will be okay. 1/2 cup Whole Milk, Molasses
- Add the dry ingredients and mix everything together until just combined and you have a sticky batter.
- Scoop the batter using a medium cookie scoop into 1.5 Tablespoon portions. Place them on the prepared cookie sheet, at least 2 to 3 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies until the tops are set, and a toothpick can be inserted in the middle of a cookie and comes out clean.
- Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Beat the cream cheese in a medium sized bowl with a stand mixer, or hand mixer until it's smooth. About 2 minutes. 8 oz Cream Cheese
- Add in the butter and beat until smooth. 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
- Add in the Powdered Sugar, and Vanilla Extract and beat until the whole thing is smooth and fluffy. 1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
For Whoopie Pie Assembly:
- Flip one of the cookies over to reveal the bottom and spread the frosting smoothly over the bottom. (One way I like to do this is putting the frosting in a ziplock bag or pastry bag and snipping off the corner and piping the frosting on)
- Place another cookie on top of the frosting to make a sandwich, with the domed part of the cookie facing up.
- Place the frosted cookie sandwiches back onto the cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
- Enjoy immediately, or place the pan in the fridge for about 1 hour to help the frosting set.
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