My easy gingerbread whoopie pies are full of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and molasses for a perfectly spiced, tender cake. The filling is a cinnamon marshmallow buttercream, creating a wonderful balance of flavors. These sweet treats will be the star of any fall dessert table or Christmas cookie tray.
For more Christmas treats, try my Linzer cookies, candy cane cookies, and melting moments.
Do you think of whoopie pies as a type of cookie or just a treat? With little mounds of cake and a sweet filling, it's pretty hard for me to decide.
No matter what they are, one thing I know for sure is that they are delicious! This whoopie pie flavor uses warm baking spices and molasses to give it an iconic gingerbread flavor that is perfect for the holidays.
🥘 Ingredients
Gingerbread Whoopie Pie Cakes (above, left)
- Butter - Let your butter warm to room temperature so it easily creams with sugar.
- Brown Sugar - I used light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar would certainly enhance the molasses flavor.
- Egg - You'll also want your egg to be at room temperature so there are no cold spots in your dough. This ensures even baking.
- Spices - Ginger, cinnamon, and ground cloves are the key ingredients for giving these cakes a true gingerbread flavor. Not to mention, a small amount of salt.
- Leavening Agents - We'll be using both baking powder and baking soda.
- Flour - Regular, all-purpose flour will be the bulk of these cakes.
- Molasses - There are several types of molasses: light, dark, and blackstrap (not to mention sulfured vs unsulfured). Both light and dark molasses will work here, but you'll want to avoid the blackstrap molasses as it's very potent and bitter.
- Buttermilk - Buttermilk is featured in a ton of whoopie pie recipes. It yields tender cakes that are perfect for these sandwich cookies.
Cinnamon Marshmallow Filling (above, right)
- Marshmallow Creme Fluff - On its own, store-bought marshmallow fluff is way too runny to use as a filling. Instead, I add it to the buttercream to make a stable marshmallow filling.
- Butter - Butter for buttercream is also softened to room temperature, just enough to mix well without being too soft.
- Confectioners' Sugar - Powdered sugar is a staple in any frosting recipe, as it adds sweetness and thickens the buttercream.
- Vanilla - Some vanilla extract for more flavor.
- Salt - A little bit of salt to cut the sweetness.
- Cinnamon (optional) - You could easily keep this as just a marshmallow filling, and it would be delicious. However, I recommend adding some ground cinnamon to tie the cookie flavors together.
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
👩🍳 How To Make Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
There are two parts to whoopie pies: the cakes and the filling. Both of which are easy to make. You will need a stand mixer, baking sheets, parchment paper, and measuring utensils.
This recipe will make 24 whoopie pies. For smaller portions (mini whoopie pies) make the dough portions half the size of these standard whoopie pies.
Step 1: Preheat. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare the Whoopie Pie Dough
Step 2: Cream the butter. Using your stand mixer, cream together ½ cup (113. 5 grams) of butter and ¼ cup (55 grams) of light brown sugar (photo 1) until smooth.
❗ Top Tip: Best Temp For Room Temperature Butter
When instructions reference room temperature butter, butter that is slightly softened is best. The temperature should be between 67-72°F (19-22°C).
What this means is that if you can press your finger into the stick of butter easily, it is probably too softened for a great cookie structure. There should be just an indent from your finger when the temp is ideal.
Step 3: Add the spices. Mix in 1 large egg, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, 1½ teaspoons of ground ginger, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves until well combined (photo 2).
Step 4: Begin adding flour. Mix in half of your 2¼ cups (281 grams) of all-purpose flour, ¾ cup (253 grams) of molasses, and half of your ½ cup (118 milliliters) of buttermilk (photo 3).
Step 5: Finish mixing. Once combined, add the remaining flour and buttermilk and mix until just combined (photos 4, 5).
Portion & Bake
Step 6: Portion the dough. Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough and drop it onto your prepared baking sheet, leaving a few inches of space in between each one (photo 6).
Step 7: Bake. Bake at 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) for 10-13 minutes, or until the cookies lightly spring back when poked (photo 7).
Step 8: Cool. Let the whoopie pies cool completely before frosting them.
Make the Filling
Step 9: Beat. Beat together 2 cups (254 grams) of marshmallow creme fluff and 1 cup (227 grams) of butter (photo 8) until creamy and smooth.
Step 10: Add. Add 1¼ cup (150 grams) of confectioners sugar, 1½ tablespoons of vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon (photo 9) and mix again until everything is combined.
Step 11: Finish mixing. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and let the buttercream beat for another minute (photo 10).
Assemble the Whoopie Pies
Step 12: Match. Match up your whoopie pies based on size.
Step 13: Add the filling. Spread, pipe, or spoon the marshmallow filling onto the flat side of your whoopie pies and sandwich them together (photo 11).
Step 14: Serve. Serve immediately or chill your pies in the fridge for a firmer texture.
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💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Notes
- Use water to fix the shapes. These cookies will bake in the same shape you drop them in. If needed, you can wet your fingers with water and gently pat down any lumps or bumps.
- Chill before transporting. Chilling your whoopie pies in the fridge will give them a more firm, chewy texture. This is ideal if you are planning on transporting them.
- Don't frost warm pies. Give your whoopie pies plenty of time to cool. If they are even the tiniest bit warm, it will cause the filling to melt and run out of the cookies.
- Make the mini whoopie pies. As noted above, reduce the whoopie pie portions in half and then also decrease the baking time to 6-8 minutes.
🥡 Storing
Store assembled whoopie pies at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Freezing
Whoopie pies can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Use a sheet of parchment paper between layers if stacking, or wrap each cookie sandwich individually.
Let them thaw overnight in the fridge before serving or bringing them to room temperature.
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📖 Recipe Card
Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
- ½ cup butter (at room temperature)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 large egg (at room temperature)
- 1½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2¼ cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- ¾ cup molasses
- ½ cup buttermilk
Marshmallow Filling
- 2 cups marshmallow creme fluff
- 1 cup butter (at room temperature)
- 1¼ cup confectioners sugar
- 1½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare the Whoopie Pie Dough
- Using your stand mixer, cream together ½ cup butter and ¼ cup light brown sugar until smooth.
- Mix in 1 large egg, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 1½ teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves until well combined.
- Mix in half of your 2¼ cup all-purpose flour, ¾ cup molasses, and half of your ½ cup buttermilk.
- Once combined, add the remaining flour and buttermilk and mix until just combined.
Portion & Bake
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough and drop it onto your prepared baking sheet, leaving a few inches of space in between each one.
- Bake at 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) for 10-13 minutes, or until the cookies lightly spring back when poked.
- Let the whoopie pies cool completely before frosting them.
Make the Frosting
- Beat together 2 cups marshmallow creme fluff and 1 cup butter until creamy and smooth.
- Add 1¼ cup confectioners sugar, 1½ tablespoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and mix again until everything is combined.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and let the buttercream beat for another minute.
Assemble the Whoopie Pies
- Match up your whoopie pies based on size.
- Spread, pipe, or spoon the marshmallow filling onto the flat side of your whoopie pies and sandwich them together.
- Serve immediately or chill your pies in the fridge for a firmer texture.
Notes
- These cookies will bake in the same shape you drop them in. If needed, you can wet your fingers with water and gently pat down any lumps or bumps.
- Chilling your whoopie pies in the fridge will give them a more firm, chewy texture. This is ideal if you are planning on transporting them.
- Give your whoopie pies plenty of time to cool. If they are even the tiniest bit warm, it will cause the filling to melt and run out of the cookies.
- Make these mini whoopie pies by reducing the whoopie pie portions in half and decreasing the baking time to 6-8 minutes.
- Store at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Angela Latimer says
Whoopie pies are a fantastic, classic cookie to make and these gingerbread whoopie pies are perfect for fall and Christmastime. They're perfect for holiday parties! ~ Angela